Tortoise eaten stones

[holliep]

Hi, i recently rescued a tortoise back in the summer and recently found out that has been eating stones in the garden. He had passed alot in his poo but no others had been passed i last month, so thought had all gone. I had him xrayed last week and he has still got some left in him. Does anyone know why he might of eaten these in the 1st place and is there any god tips of helping him or making him pass them?

I am also having terrible touble getting him to eat anything. Where i rescued him from mainly fed him on T-rex pellet food so he doesnt like to eat anything else Any ideas?

Holly

 

[Crazy1]

What type of tortoise are we talking about and is he adult, subadult or hatchling?
Keep him well hydrated by soaking if necessary. You can get some of the T-rex pellet food moisten it and crush it over greens so he gets use to eating them and slowly decrease the amount of pellets you put on the greens or you can use tough love and continue to offer greens, he should eventually eat. Remember if the stones he has consumed are in his stomache he will not eat as much and will have a full feeling. A lot of torts will eat anything they can swallow, stones, screws, stings, toys, you name it. I would try and set up a safe place for him that is stone free. Make sure he has a cuttle bone for additional calcium. Some torts eat stones because they are looking to supplement missing minerals. At this point it is just a guess. Good hydration will hopefully help him pass them. Did your vet not suggest anything?

 

[holliep]

Thanks for the advice.
He is a marginated tortoise about 6years old. Vet told me to bath him daily and has been giving him some liquid parafin to help as abit constipated, its abit of a waiting game but i just worry about him. Vet also said i must get him off pellet food (which he eats moist) but he would rather starve then eat anything else, even hiding small bits of fruit and veg in it he knows, clever little man. I wish the people i got him from gave him fresh food.

Holly

 

[Crazy1]

Holly they can go for some time without food. If he is not underweight try smashing the pellets to powder and sprinkling a little bit of them on his dampend greens. He will eventually eat them.

 

[Laura]

Try mazuri pellets to get him on.. and canned pumpkin for good fiber and constipation issues..
it might be a slow process to get him to other foods.. but keep trying..

 

[Kristina]

Just to clarify on the pumpkin... Make sure it is pumpkin ONLY, and not the stuff with the spices. I used pumpkin to clear sand impaction from both of my Sulcatas when I got them and it worked great.

Kristina

 

[Yvonne G]

I was thinking that he originally ate the stones because they reminded him of the pelleted food that he was used to eating. I know that doesn't help you with your problem, but I like to know the "why's" of things. LOL!!

Yvonne

 

[SFCMARK]

My only input is that they are eating stones because they are not getting the nutrients they need.