Sick sulcata?

[Damien84]

Well once again i'm turning to this forum for advice an help. I'm starting to think maybe i'm not cut out to raise these little guys! I have had race car now for a little over a year so that would make him about 2. He was in great health up until about two weeks ago. It was time to change his substrate an i wanted to try something different so i went an got some cypress mulch. Everything else stayed the same his food his lights everything. As i said he has been doing amazing for a year now. Well once i changed his substrate this all started happening....i believe he has a minor ri ok i have bumped his heat up an pulled the mulch out now hes on newspaper. He has a loose stool but i wouldnt say water more like soft serve ice cream sorry about the visual. He did have very runny poop but that has cleared up now he was making the popping noises an the weird almost screaming noises but that seems to have almost gone away. So up until today i thought i had this issue on the run however i took him out today to look him over an he pooped on my wife no big deal that allowed me to see his poop it is looking better but when i put him back into his tank he let out this very foul smelling liquid something i have never seen before and when i say it smells bad it smells bad. I will post photos but im just unsure what to do i thought he was getting better but with this milky looking whatever it is not pee i have seen his pee this is not pee this is not urits this is something i cant even explain an i cant seem to find any advice anywhere. Please i have already lost a sully once after 1000$ vet bill an breathing treatments an soaks an hours an hours of care an meds i dont want to lose this one now can someone tell me if they have ever noticed this white milky pee or whatever it is i just seen today?? Im tripping out

 

[Yvonne G]

That's just urates. Perfectly normal. The wetter they are the better they are. Hard urates that look like poop means the tortoise is dehydrated. Runny urates like your tortoise's means he's well hydrated.

 

[Damien84]

That's just urates. Perfectly normal. The wetter they are the better they are. Hard urates that look like poop means the tortoise is dehydrated. Runny urates like your tortoise's means he's well hydrated.

Why does it smell so foul an why have i never seen this in the past year not saying ur wrong just wondering ur thoughts on why now

 

[Damien84]

I also noticed that within the last month he has been crying i know they have earned the nick name as the crying tort but way has he started now an never done it until now

 

[Gillian M]

Well once again i'm turning to this forum for advice an help. I'm starting to think maybe i'm not cut out to raise these little guys! I have had race car now for a little over a year so that would make him about 2. He was in great health up until about two weeks ago. It was time to change his substrate an i wanted to try something different so i went an got some cypress mulch. Everything else stayed the same his food his lights everything. As i said he has been doing amazing for a year now. Well once i changed his substrate this all started happening....i believe he has a minor ri ok i have bumped his heat up an pulled the mulch out now hes on newspaper. He has a loose stool but i wouldnt say water more like soft serve ice cream sorry about the visual. He did have very runny poop but that has cleared up now he was making the popping noises an the weird almost screaming noises but that seems to have almost gone away. So up until today i thought i had this issue on the run however i took him out today to look him over an he pooped on my wife no big deal that allowed me to see his poop it is looking better but when i put him back into his tank he let out this very foul smelling liquid something i have never seen before and when i say it smells bad it smells bad. I will post photos but im just unsure what to do i thought he was getting better but with this milky looking whatever it is not pee i have seen his pee this is not pee this is not urits this is something i cant even explain an i cant seem to find any advice anywhere. Please i have already lost a sully once after 1000$ vet bill an breathing treatments an soaks an hours an hours of care an meds i dont want to lose this one now can someone tell me if they have ever noticed this white milky pee or whatever it is i just seen today?? Im tripping out View attachment 184395 View attachment 184396

I'd suggest a visit to the vet. Better be safe than sorry.

And welcome to the forum!

 

[JoesMum]

Pee smells vary with what you feed. Sometimes it is worse than others.

The white stuff is urate and definitely nothing to worry about if it looks like that.

What made you think there's a respiratory infection? A tort with URI won't eat and becomes very sluggish. The tort has mucus covering its nose and won't do anything regardless of how warm it is (I've been there)

 

[Damien84]

Pee smells vary with what you feed. Sometimes it is worse than others.

The white stuff is urate and definitely nothing to worry about if it looks like that.

What made you think there's a respiratory infection? A tort with URI won't eat and becomes very sluggish. The tort has mucus covering its nose and won't do anything regardless of how warm it is (I've been there)

I to have been there an yes its true about the sluggish an not wanting to eat but i guess the reason i believe it was or maybe still is a ri is because he every once in awhile lets out these high pitched almost like squeek noises an has been making these almost like puff noises here an there. Now he does not have a plugged nose an he runs crazy still the same ( reason his name is racecar) but again with the funny noises the loose stool an the crying all sudden onset concerns me. I lost a sully a year or so ago to a ri an after 1000$ vet bills an breathing treatments with a goldfish bowl an a nebulizer an eye drops an antibiotics an sweet potato soaks he still died as so a small part of me an that month of doing my hardest to nurse this helpless tort back to life we grew a bond an in the end he died i felt like a total jerk. I can take him to the vet but i also know western medicine for reptiles sucks an is not always the best thing an i also know that for the most part the at home care can be better for them IF you know what ur doing this is why im asking these questions. Today he has been making more noises then he has been so im concerned

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

When you say crying, so you mean tears on the face (usually from dry ambient conditions) or the high pitched noise? The noise is worrisome. The urates looked good, but I would be worried about a uric acid stone or some possible gastrointestinal impaction causing pain/straining while urinating or defecting. What is he doing when he makes the high pitched noise?

 

[JoesMum]

My tort lets out high pitched noises - they're rather more due to him being an "over-excited" male than any RI.

Believe me, a tort with a RI loses appetite and energy. Keep an eye on your tort, but please don't panic. If your tort is eating normally, I really wouldn't worry too much. It's certainly not a reason to keep a tort on paper at this stage.

Be certain of the temperatures in the enclosure. Invest in a digital temperature gun thermometer if you haven't already. And follow the TFO care sheet rigidly. You won't go far wrong.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

 

[Yvonne G]

I also noticed that within the last month he has been crying i know they have earned the nick name as the crying tort but way has he started now an never done it until now

It's usually from the heat.

 

[Damien84]

I took this video a few minutes ago check it out an see if he seems sick or what.

 

[Big Charlie]

I took this video a few minutes ago check it out an see if he seems sick or what.

I don't see anything wrong. He is active and eating.

 

[surfergirl]

Ditto, looks too active to be sick to me. He is eating well. Just follow the sully care sheets Tom has provided, make sure your gauges are accurate and you will see him thrive. A good outdoor enclosure with the perfect setup will really step little race car into a higher gear as well.

 

[JoesMum]

I took this video a few minutes ago check it out an see if he seems sick or what.

That's not a sick Sulcata's behaviour. Get his substrate, etc reinstated and let him get on with being a tort

He does have slight pyramidding which will become less obvious as he grows as long as the humidity it raised correctly.

 

[Fredkas]

He is fastttt