Tortoise has not been pooping

[Franco F]

Hello all,

My five year old hermann tortoise has not been pooping (as far as i’m aware) for the past several weeks. It seems as if he may be constipated, because he’s also not eating like he usually does.

I’ve been giving him long warm soaks every day in hopes that he would poop during the soak, but he hasn’t gone. He still pees in the water, as I see regular urates.

Under his lamp, there’s an ambient temperature of 90-100 degrees, with the cold side of his enclosure being around 70 degrees the lowest. It’s winter in New York, so I can’t feed him any outdoor weeds. He usually eats a mixture of chicory, baby bok choy, dandelion, radicchio, endive and arugula. Obviously that’s not ideal for him but he usually eats regular weeds from outdoors during the warmer seasons.

Is there any solution that I can try at home, or should I start worrying and being him to the vet? He does not show any signs of sickness and I’m not even sure if he eats his poop. He normally doesn’t.

Thank you

 

[wellington]

Long warm soaks in the tub. Giving room to move a lot. Bring water about 1/4 to 1/2 way up shell and keep him moving, do not leave him unattended. Soak for at least an hour or until he poops.

 

[Tom]

Hello all,

My five year old hermann tortoise has not been pooping (as far as i’m aware) for the past several weeks. It seems as if he may be constipated, because he’s also not eating like he usually does.

I’ve been giving him long warm soaks every day in hopes that he would poop during the soak, but he hasn’t gone. He still pees in the water, as I see regular urates.

Under his lamp, there’s an ambient temperature of 90-100 degrees, with the cold side of his enclosure being around 70 degrees the lowest. It’s winter in New York, so I can’t feed him any outdoor weeds. He usually eats a mixture of chicory, baby bok choy, dandelion, radicchio, endive and arugula. Obviously that’s not ideal for him but he usually eats regular weeds from outdoors during the warmer seasons.

Is there any solution that I can try at home, or should I start worrying and being him to the vet? He does not show any signs of sickness and I’m not even sure if he eats his poop. He normally doesn’t.

Thank you

What size enclosure, and what substrate? Is the substrate damp? Any moss? What is the ambient humidity?

 

[Franco F]

Long warm soaks in the tub. Giving room to move a lot. Bring water about 1/4 to 1/2 way up shell and keep him moving, do not leave him unattended. Soak for at least an hour or until he poops.

I’ll try this today. He gets very anxious when he soaks. I’ll put him in a bigger tub

 

[Franco F]

What size enclosure, and what substrate? Is the substrate damp? Any moss? What is the ambient humidity?

His new enclosure that he’s been in for the last 6 months is 7 feet x 2.5 feet. I use just coconut coir. However there is some real dirt in the enclosure from the plants that are in there. And they come with those little white beads that I try really hard to get rid off. The substrate is definitely damp. No moss. I’m not sure of the ambient humidity cause I’m not home right now but I’ll get a reading of that later

 

[Tom]

I’ll try this today. He gets very anxious when he soaks. I’ll put him in a bigger tub

If by anxious, you mean he scrambles to get out, this is exactly what we need. All that locomotion helps move things along in the gut.

His new enclosure that he’s been in for the last 6 months is 7 feet x 2.5 feet. I use just coconut coir. However there is some real dirt in the enclosure from the plants that are in there. And they come with those little white beads that I try really hard to get rid off. The substrate is definitely damp. No moss. I’m not sure of the ambient humidity cause I’m not home right now but I’ll get a reading of that later

Enclosure size should be a little bigger, but this is big enough to prevent the typical issues caused by little 40 gallon tanks.

Substrate is great.

The "real dirt" isn't dirt. It is soil. This type of store bought soil is made from composted yard waste, and there is no way to know what is in it. It could be something toxic like oleander, or yard chemicals. Soil like this also typically had fertilizers and other additives like the little white bits, which are called perlite. Tortoises eat perlite as if it were candy, and it can break down and line their intestinal tract with a gray sandy sludge. This causes lethargy, failure to thrive, and lack of appetite. Sound familiar. This is why tortoises should never have access to bought-in-a-bag type soil. This is a likely cause of your issue. There is nothing that can be done now, other than prevent further ingestion. All you can do is wait and hope for the best.

 

[Franco F]

If by anxious, you mean he scrambles to get out, this is exactly what we need. All that locomotion helps move things along in the gut.

Enclosure size should be a little bigger, but this is big enough to prevent the typical issues caused by little 40 gallon tanks.

Substrate is great.

The "real dirt" isn't dirt. It is soil. This type of store bought soil is made from composted yard waste, and there is no way to know what is in it. It could be something toxic like oleander, or yard chemicals. Soil like this also typically had fertilizers and other additives like the little white bits, which are called perlite. Tortoises eat perlite as if it were candy, and it can break down and line their intestinal tract with a gray sandy sludge. This causes lethargy, failure to thrive, and lack of appetite. Sound familiar. This is why tortoises should never have access to bought-in-a-bag type soil. This is a likely cause of your issue. There is nothing that can be done now, other than prevent further ingestion. All you can do is wait and hope for the best.

Yes he’s definitely scrambling to get out of the tub. He doesn’t seem lethargic or anything like that. I don’t think he swallowed any perlite at this point because I only added those plants in a few days ago and he’s been having these issues before that. But you’re right I agree he’s going to need a larger enclosure which I’m working on. I never housed him in one of those glass tanks I know they can be detrimental to their health.