Tortoise struggling to defecate

[Mitch93]

Hi all,

My 2 year old leopard tortoise seemed to be struggling to defecate.

I put her in a bath to see if it will help her, my wife then noticed that she seemed to be pro lapsing/what seemed like her insides coming out when she pushed. We are not sure if this is normal and wondered if anyone else had experienced this?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[wellington]

At two years of age there is no confirming the sex yet. They need to be older to confirm sex.
Around 3 years sometimes males will flash you.
So unless it's a he and trying to flash you, then it could be prolapsing which is not good.
Give daily warm soaks in a large container so he has room to move a lot. I would also feed some watery food like romaine lettuce for a couple days along with his regular diet.
Btw, what is his regular diet?
Temps?
Humidity?
If he is straining we need to figure out why

 

[Tom]

Hi all,

My 2 year old leopard tortoise seemed to be struggling to defecate.

I put her in a bath to see if it will help her, my wife then noticed that she seemed to be pro lapsing/what seemed like her insides coming out when she pushed. We are not sure if this is normal and wondered if anyone else had experienced this?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Did you get a picture? I think your tortoise just got an erection. Really. Do an internet search for "tortoise penis". Look familiar? I've had them do this at 16 months.

 

[Mitch93]

At two years of age there is no confirming the sex yet. They need to be older to confirm sex.
Around 3 years sometimes males will flash you.
So unless it's a he and trying to flash you, then it could be prolapsing which is not good.
Give daily warm soaks in a large container so he has room to move a lot. I would also feed some watery food like romaine lettuce for a couple days along with his regular diet.
Btw, what is his regular diet?
Temps?
Humidity?
If he is straining we need to figure out why

 

[Mitch93]

Thank you for your reply!

I have two leopards, their diet consists of spinage or vegetables such as green beans & broccoli, along with the soft pellets that you soak in water.

Their temp is at 85 degrees and they always seem happy & active, both always eating well.

 

[wellington]

You need to change their diet asap. They should not be eating any of the stuff you mentioned except the pellets.
They also need a basking spot where the temps reach 95-100 to properly digest their food.
Please change things asap and read the care sheets under the leopard section or even the sulcata section as the care us the same.
All you are doing is causing their pooping problems.