To Be....Or Not To Be ....sick?

ZenHerper

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It's nice to know how many more eggs to expect, and that the rest of her abdomen is clear. Yes, the calcium supplement is a good idea...the eggs that she's laid and these new calcified ones have taken a lot of calcium to form. If there isn't enough in her blood, then it gets pulled from the bones. She also needs calcium to run her muscles (heart, legs, cloaca, etc.).

I make my own dog/cat foods. I use whole boiled eggs as a base for the protein and calcium. When the eggs are blended down into the food, the small bits of shell are available to be absorbed and broken down during digestion and metabolism. When a dog/cat doesn't need so much, the wee chips pass harmlessly out.

So: I would take boiled chicken egg shells, dry and grind them to not quite a powder (very coarse pieces). Give 1/4 teaspoon of the coarse powder on wet greens daily until the other eggs pass, then go back to three days a week. If she's outdoors in the summer, no D3 is needed.

If you are using a prepared powder, aim for a dose of 200-250 mg calcium (some products are not labelled - steer clear).

She may need to be on a higher calcium dose in the springtime going forward to support egg production. Sulcata make a lot of eggs.
 

Cathie G

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First I want to start by saying a HUGE thank you to ALL of you for the caring and suggesting of things to help my tortoise out.
It is my HONOR to know each and every one of you! I am sooo incredibly great full
(Is Siri right? Great full is two words? ?
Anyway…. As I was saying ..
I am sooo incredibly “happy” for all of your stories, prayers and well wishes!
I will forever be in your debt!
I am thrilled to get to know each of you and to find you have all sorts of gorgeous pets with pictures…please don’t stop posting those!!!
As I now come to a close on this thread;it just breaks my heart.
But I have great news to Finnish off the
“Days of Sally’s Lives”—
Ok…so…I’ve just walked in from the doctors amd here is what we found out..

1)- she DOES have more eggs —12 to be exact. Perfect shapes but not in the butt tube ready to come out yet. They are also beautifully calcified!! She said I need to add calcium powder to her food again?
But if she is eating dark leafy greens and GRASS do I still have to add it?
Opinions please??
2)- THERE ARE NO BLADDER STONES! ? Thank the LORD JESUS!!! ?
3)- her stomach has a little gas in it.
(When does a Sulcata NOT have gas?)
She just ate grass before we went too!
4)- we have ? to get a reading on in two days . Worse case sinario, I can handle worms (now)… I have two different food powders for gut cleaning)
Thanks to. @zovic and @ zenherper
5)- she is liking the tub because with eggs she feels that’s keeping her hydrated enough so she doesn’t get dry and eggs won’t come out?
(This is the doctors words not mine) ??
6)- said her weight went UP to 130lbs?
No way…! That can’t be right??
She has ? the size of some of your tortoises???
She has already laid 33 eggs
And her diet is mostly grass with a few collards, chicory, dandelion, and such mixed in????
THERE IS NO WAY SHE IS 130lbs…
(She FEELS like 130lbs DEAD WEIGHT,I agree)….but she is not 130lbs.
They also weighed her in her carrying box ? duh….
She is probably now I’d say around 80-90lbs
Which is what Tom says “girl Sulcata “ should be! …
ok…. MMMAAAYYYBE…..
She is like 100lbs?
And that’s my story..
All GREAT news!!
At all a great price!…..??
ARE YOU CRAZY! Nope!
They charged me an arm AND a leg!!!
Here you ll see..
But I guess it’s well worth it for piece of mind??
And MY mind is SHOT!
Oh well, looks like I won’t get those Versace pants I was looking at..??
But I can STILL afford BOOOOZZE!
I think I’ll try wine tonight? Not being a drinker I hope I am picking the right starter?
With this all behind me now, I can’t wait to have a REGULR conversation with all of you now….let’s talk weather cuz torts are off my list for tonight!
ALL OF MY LOVE AND WELL WISHES TO ALL OF YOU!!!!
??????????????❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️????????????????? and Gary was a saint and came with us to support Sally.. need to get him a treat tonight… ?
That's so cool. It's weird cause I was kinda thinking but didn't want to say because I'm not an expert on tortoises. A little more calcium. But that's only because I've had egg bound birds. Really though if you want my expert opinion on a good drink to start out with ?? try a good Miller high life. It's cheap cheap cheap champagne of bottle beer.
 

Jan A

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Boulder, CO
First I want to start by saying a HUGE thank you to ALL of you for the caring and suggesting of things to help my tortoise out.
It is my HONOR to know each and every one of you! I am sooo incredibly great full
(Is Siri right? Great full is two words? ?
Anyway…. As I was saying ..
I am sooo incredibly “happy” for all of your stories, prayers and well wishes!
I will forever be in your debt!
I am thrilled to get to know each of you and to find you have all sorts of gorgeous pets with pictures…please don’t stop posting those!!!
As I now come to a close on this thread;it just breaks my heart.
But I have great news to Finnish off the
“Days of Sally’s Lives”—
Ok…so…I’ve just walked in from the doctors amd here is what we found out..

1)- she DOES have more eggs —12 to be exact. Perfect shapes but not in the butt tube ready to come out yet. They are also beautifully calcified!! She said I need to add calcium powder to her food again?
But if she is eating dark leafy greens and GRASS do I still have to add it?
Opinions please??
2)- THERE ARE NO BLADDER STONES! ? Thank the LORD JESUS!!! ?
3)- her stomach has a little gas in it.
(When does a Sulcata NOT have gas?)
She just ate grass before we went too!
4)- we have ? to get a reading on in two days . Worse case sinario, I can handle worms (now)… I have two different food powders for gut cleaning)
Thanks to. @zovic and @ zenherper
5)- she is liking the tub because with eggs she feels that’s keeping her hydrated enough so she doesn’t get dry and eggs won’t come out?
(This is the doctors words not mine) ??
6)- said her weight went UP to 130lbs?
No way…! That can’t be right??
She has ? the size of some of your tortoises???
She has already laid 33 eggs
And her diet is mostly grass with a few collards, chicory, dandelion, and such mixed in????
THERE IS NO WAY SHE IS 130lbs…
(She FEELS like 130lbs DEAD WEIGHT,I agree)….but she is not 130lbs.
They also weighed her in her carrying box ? duh….
She is probably now I’d say around 80-90lbs
Which is what Tom says “girl Sulcata “ should be! …
ok…. MMMAAAYYYBE…..
She is like 100lbs?
And that’s my story..
All GREAT news!!
At all a great price!…..??
ARE YOU CRAZY! Nope!
They charged me an arm AND a leg!!!
Here you ll see..
But I guess it’s well worth it for piece of mind??
And MY mind is SHOT!
Oh well, looks like I won’t get those Versace pants I was looking at..??
But I can STILL afford BOOOOZZE!
I think I’ll try wine tonight? Not being a drinker I hope I am picking the right starter?
With this all behind me now, I can’t wait to have a REGULR conversation with all of you now….let’s talk weather cuz torts are off my list for tonight!
ALL OF MY LOVE AND WELL WISHES TO ALL OF YOU!!!!
??????????????❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️????????????????? and Gary was a saint and came with us to support Sally.. need to get him a treat tonight… ?
But no shot to get her to move the eggs on out?? Shirley, she's not laying fertile eggs if there's been no male sully near her in the last 20 yrs or so. Holy cowabongo!!

We females have been carrying around unfertilized eggs for decades & we don"t hang out in our tubs this much. I'm not going to mention our weight, girls.

Holy cow!!
 

Jan A

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Messages
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Location (City and/or State)
Boulder, CO
It's nice to know how many more eggs to expect, and that the rest of her abdomen is clear. Yes, the calcium supplement is a good idea...the eggs that she's laid and these new calcified ones have taken a lot of calcium to form. If there isn't enough in her blood, then it gets pulled from the bones. She also needs calcium to run her muscles (heart, legs, cloaca, etc.).

I make my own dog/cat foods. I use whole boiled eggs as a base for the protein and calcium. When the eggs are blended down into the food, the small bits of shell are available to be absorbed and broken down during digestion and metabolism. When a dog/cat doesn't need so much, the wee chips pass harmlessly out.

So: I would take boiled chicken egg shells, dry and grind them to not quite a powder (very coarse pieces). Give 1/4 teaspoon of the coarse powder on wet greens daily until the other eggs pass, then go back to three days a week. If she's outdoors in the summer, no D3 is needed.

If you are using a prepared powder, aim for a dose of 200-250 mg calcium (some products are not labelled - steer clear).

She may need to be on a higher calcium dose in the springtime going forward to support egg production. Sulcata make a lot of eggs.
Erase what I was thinking. Never mind!!
 

Chefdenoel10

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? Ok that's the closest I could find to an obliterated brain. Except the one in my head ?

Nope…. That’s your mind is blown…
Now look for the brain fog. Or maybe reboot your phone? That usually updates everything…
 

Chefdenoel10

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It's nice to know how many more eggs to expect, and that the rest of her abdomen is clear. Yes, the calcium supplement is a good idea...the eggs that she's laid and these new calcified ones have taken a lot of calcium to form. If there isn't enough in her blood, then it gets pulled from the bones. She also needs calcium to run her muscles (heart, legs, cloaca, etc.).

I make my own dog/cat foods. I use whole boiled eggs as a base for the protein and calcium. When the eggs are blended down into the food, the small bits of shell are available to be absorbed and broken down during digestion and metabolism. When a dog/cat doesn't need so much, the wee chips pass harmlessly out.

So: I would take boiled chicken egg shells, dry and grind them to not quite a powder (very coarse pieces). Give 1/4 teaspoon of the coarse powder on wet greens daily until the other eggs pass, then go back to three days a week. If she's outdoors in the summer, no D3 is needed.

If you are using a prepared powder, aim for a dose of 200-250 mg calcium (some products are not labelled - steer clear).

She may need to be on a higher calcium dose in the springtime going forward to support egg production. Sulcata make a lot of eggs.

Thank you for that reply.
I will do everything you say.
I’ve already gotten the notes down on paper and will follow them each day till it becomes routine. ?❤️?
 

Chefdenoel10

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That's so cool. It's weird cause I was kinda thinking but didn't want to say because I'm not an expert on tortoises. A little more calcium. But that's only because I've had egg bound birds. Really though if you want my expert opinion on a good drink to start out with ?? try a good Miller high life. It's cheap cheap cheap champagne of bottle beer.

Hhahahaa!!!!! …. ?….. DONE!
Thanks for steering me in the right direction!
?❤️
 

Chefdenoel10

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But no shot to get her to move the eggs on out?? Shirley, she's not laying fertile eggs if there's been no male sully near her in the last 20 yrs or so. Holy cowabongo!!

We females have been carrying around unfertilized eggs for decades & we don"t hang out in our tubs this much. I'm not going to mention our weight, girls.

Holy cow!!

?…. Too funny ?
Yes UN-fertile eggs.. it’s ok though. I am going to blow out the yolks clean them and have my mom and sister paint on them for me.!
No, no shot needed.
If the eggs were stuck and not moving or she was straining then we get shot. ?
I mean , then we would get A shot..
But hey, if someone were to shoot me right now, I am POSITIVE .. I would NOT feel a thing! ?

As for the tub, thinking back on my “ladies days” … she IS right! I would have hung out in the tub most of my teen years. ?

And finally,
“Don’t call me Shirley” ?

—Airplane ✈️ ??
The movie
 

Jan A

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?…. Too funny ?
Yes UN-fertile eggs.. it’s ok though. I am going to blow out the yolks clean them and have my mom and sister paint on them for me.!
No, no shot needed.
If the eggs were stuck and not moving or she was straining then we get shot. ?
I mean , then we would get A shot..
But hey, if someone were to shoot me right now, I am POSITIVE .. I would NOT feel a thing! ?

As for the tub, thinking back on my “ladies days” … she IS right! I would have hung out in the tub most of my teen years. ?

And finally,
“Don’t call me Shirley” ?

—Airplane ✈️ ??
The movie
Nobody ever gets that reference to Shirley.

So how long does she hang in the tub? She's missing summer!!

Seriously, nature taking its course... & it takes you 6 weeks or so to get an xray. That's very sad because our pets/children mean EVERYTHING to us. Our pets cannot tell us what is wrong...we have to guess.

Get some de-stress juice & have a better weekend. Shirley & I are here for you.
 

zolasmum

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I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS PICTURE!! ?
What a smart idea!
Zola is gorgeous of course..
Your husband is really great at making the picture look 3D-like!
He should take this up as a side job??
Pet parents would hire him like crazy!

As you mentioned above, yes we have the doctor tomorrow and I am nervous.
Not because of what the doctor will say but because it will be 93 degrees out at 3pm and the humidity will be so bad they say it would choke a horse ?!
Oh… well… no way am I canceling my appointment!! Took me THIS long to get .
I promise at one point after the doctors to come on here and give the out come and hopefully show the xrays? As I trust you guys to tell me what you see in the pictures more than I trust the doctors now a-days.
Well, here I go…
Off to try to sleep?
Wishing you all a very happy and restful night. Sending hugs and sweet dreams!!
???

P.S.—
Hey?…. I have a new emoji?
Is it brain fog??
Opinions please…. “?‍?️?‍?️?‍?️
Dear Chef - I am so very happy that Sally is well - and that there is a good explanation for her unusual behaviour. I think she has been trying to say to you "Stop fussing, Mom -I know what I'm doing !" I really think she has been remarkably clever, knowing she needed the extra hydration ! But, anyway, you can rest at last, yourself, after the horrible journey to the vet, and all you have gone through. You have been wonderful - so determined and brave throughout it all. Sally is a lucky girl (and Gary is lucky, too)
Angie xx
 

Chefdenoel10

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Dear Chef - I am so very happy that Sally is well - and that there is a good explanation for her unusual behaviour. I think she has been trying to say to you "Stop fussing, Mom -I know what I'm doing !" I really think she has been remarkably clever, knowing she needed the extra hydration ! But, anyway, you can rest at last, yourself, after the horrible journey to the vet, and all you have gone through. You have been wonderful - so determined and brave throughout it all. Sally is a lucky girl (and Gary is lucky, too)
Angie xx

Thank you for those kind words Angie.
So you all know,
I SLEPT LIKE A BABY LAST NIGHT!
IN my bed and had a really good rest.
Best sleep I’ve had in MONTHS!
Sally is doing fine now… soaking as usual and Gary is supportive in laying in his cage next to her.
Me?…
I am cleaning, doing laundry and relaxing in between.. ?
Now that I know what is going on it is easier for me to manage it all.
Now I can sort of ease up.
What a week…?
I hope you all have a wonderful night! ?
 

Chefdenoel10

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Can anyone tell me :
Are these the same?
Or is —
one for gut cleansing and worm control
And one is for appetite stimulation?
Thank you for being so patient with me.
Sometimes I just don’t get it ?
My mind goes BLANK!
It is as if someone turned off the switch!
Left me all to myself and I am sitting in my own stupidity! ?
 

Krista S

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Thank you for those kind words Angie.
So you all know,
I SLEPT LIKE A BABY LAST NIGHT!
IN my bed and had a really good rest.
Best sleep I’ve had in MONTHS!
Sally is doing fine now… soaking as usual and Gary is supportive in laying in his cage next to her.
Me?…
I am cleaning, doing laundry and relaxing in between.. ?
Now that I know what is going on it is easier for me to manage it all.
Now I can sort of ease up.
What a week…?
I hope you all have a wonderful night! ?
I’m so glad to hear the news from the vet and that you FINALLY got a restful sleep last night. Hopefully there are many more restful sleeps to come!! That’s so cute that Gary is there to cheer Sally on. Fingers crossed that the remaining eggs come out soon. It is so nice that you have the actual number of eggs to expect. It is really neat that Sally knew she needed the extra hydration and that she found her own way to tell you. Good think you’ve been listening to her. This is just another example of why tortoises are so fascinating. Sending love and hugs to you, Sally and Gary…wait…“When Gary met Sally”…I think we might be on to something here ?
 

Chefdenoel10

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I’m so glad to hear the news from the vet and that you FINALLY got a restful sleep last night. Hopefully there are many more restful sleeps to come!! That’s so cute that Gary is there to cheer Sally on. Fingers crossed that the remaining eggs come out soon. It is so nice that you have the actual number of eggs to expect. It is really neat that Sally knew she needed the extra hydration and that she found her own way to tell you. Good think you’ve been listening to her. This is just another example of why tortoises are so fascinating. Sending love and hugs to you, Sally and Gary…wait…“When Gary met Sally”…I think we might be on to something here ?

Love, Love,Love it!!!!
“When Gary met Sally” ??????
Perfect!?
I hope your day has been going well?
What did you do today?
I relaxed so much I forgot where I was!
Then the door bell rang (husband forgot his keys). ?
I guess I had to get up at some point?
But my brain is off today for some reason?
I’m like a sack of clay?
Amd I’m loving it! ?
Besides for all the storms we are getting here in NJ ; not a darn thing is going on..
It’s early quiet?
I guess that’s what they mean by
“ the calm before the storm”?
Oh well, back to relaxing.
Hope you have a wonderful and peaceful night Krista. You are sooooo great!
?❤️
 

Krista S

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Love, Love,Love it!!!!
“When Gary met Sally” ??????
Perfect!?
I hope your day has been going well?
What did you do today?
I relaxed so much I forgot where I was!
Then the door bell rang (husband forgot his keys). ?
I guess I had to get up at some point?
But my brain is off today for some reason?
I’m like a sack of clay?
Amd I’m loving it! ?
Besides for all the storms we are getting here in NJ ; not a darn thing is going on..
It’s early quiet?
I guess that’s what they mean by
“ the calm before the storm”?
Oh well, back to relaxing.
Hope you have a wonderful and peaceful night Krista. You are sooooo great!
?❤️
How you described your day, is about how my day was. We are going through a pretty unprecedented heat wave…like equivalent to 110 for several days in a row. That is just not the kind of weather we are used to here. So I’ve stayed indoors with the AC cranked and not moved too much lol. I have had quite a stressful couple of weeks and most of it is starting to settle, so now my brain feels like mush ?‍?️?‍?️?‍?️ and I just don’t have the energy or desire to do anything. Just trying to recharge my batteries for work on Monday and another busy week. The most excitement I had today was watching Dozer/Bozo be a stubborn donkey. Lately his life goal is to try and get behind the liner in his enclosure. So a few days ago I put a heavy 5” tall bird ornament in the one corner he became obsessed with. He ended up leaving that corner alone over the last couple of days, until this morning. A few times today when I checked in on him, he was teetering on top of the stupid bird ornament in an attempt to get behind it, to then make it to the liner which he so desperately wants to get behind. I laughed a lot today watching him. Of course if I walked into his room while he was balancing on top of the bird, he would look at me like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar. He would find his way down…usually not in a graceful way…and behave for a few moments until I’d leave. I would then go back to the main floor and in a few minutes check the camera and he’d be back trying to scale the bird lol. He is pure entertainment. That was my day today, and tomorrow I will try and do everything I should have done today ?
 

Chefdenoel10

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How you described your day, is about how my day was. We are going through a pretty unprecedented heat wave…like equivalent to 110 for several days in a row. That is just not the kind of weather we are used to here. So I’ve stayed indoors with the AC cranked and not moved too much lol. I have had quite a stressful couple of weeks and most of it is starting to settle, so now my brain feels like mush ?‍?️?‍?️?‍?️ and I just don’t have the energy or desire to do anything. Just trying to recharge my batteries for work on Monday and another busy week. The most excitement I had today was watching Dozer/Bozo be a stubborn donkey. Lately his life goal is to try and get behind the liner in his enclosure. So a few days ago I put a heavy 5” tall bird ornament in the one corner he became obsessed with. He ended up leaving that corner alone over the last couple of days, until this morning. A few times today when I checked in on him, he was teetering on top of the stupid bird ornament in an attempt to get behind it, to then make it to the liner which he so desperately wants to get behind. I laughed a lot today watching him. Of course if I walked into his room while he was balancing on top of the bird, he would look at me like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar. He would find his way down…usually not in a graceful way…and behave for a few moments until I’d leave. I would then go back to the main floor and in a few minutes check the camera and he’d be back trying to scale the bird lol. He is pure entertainment. That was my day today, and tomorrow I will try and do everything I should have done today ?

Me too!
I just use my weekends to decompress from the craziness I get all week long.
You are soooo justified in doing the same!
I would LOVE a picture or video of dozer trying to climb the bird!! ?
I get the same here….
They are soooo determined ??!
They figure “mom, I have nothing but time on my hands so you may as well let me at that lining.” I promise you… once he gets to it and rips it or takes it apart he will go on away from that corner. It’s like a challenge for them. Once the challenge has been won… it’s on to the next .
It is fun watching them for awhile then it just turns to frustration..
Why THAT corner?
Do they see something I don’t?
Smell?
Anyway, good luck my friend
But please enjoy the rest of the day if you can? ?
 
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