Very worried I caught my tortoise eating plastic

[ri0ku]

Hello, today I had my tortoise in the garden and we have some fake plastic grass at a section of the garden, the tortoise got onto this and I caught him nibbling at it so I immediately pulled him off it and pulled a small bit he had in his mouth.

Iv removed the fake grass and plants too.

I'm really worried incase he's swallowed any... He seems fine he's walking around as usual eating some veg.

I don't know what I should do

 

[dmarcus]

Hopefully the small bit you got out his mouth was all he had, but if he did eat a little just watch him and make sure nothing in his eating habits are general behavior changes and hopefully it will pass.

 

[african cake queen]

i bet the little guy passes it . you'll see. lindy

 

[Jacqui]

Just make sure he is well hydrated and eating. If you know he ate some, then try to check his stools, so you will know for sure he has passed the plastic. If his behavior changes, of course take him to a vet and let them know he may have swallowed some plastic.

I think our tortoises eat a lot more rocks, plastic, ect.., then what any of us would guess at. Luckily, very few ever have troubles as a result of this behavior.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Luke:

They sometimes feel they have to sample everything they come across. Its a very good idea to get down on your hands and knees and look over the yard at tortoise level, cleaning up anything you think he might find attractive.

I doubt a little bit of plastic plant is going to cause any harm. Like was said above, keep him hydrated and it should pass right on through.

 

[Tom]

You could also feed him a little aloe or grated pumpkin to help move things along. If you don't already do it, daily soaks for the next couple of weeks might help too. One of my 12" sulcatas once ate an entire mylar Doritos bag that had blown in to their pen on the wind. I didn't even know about it until I saw it crumpled up in his poop. I used the end of the pooper scooper and unfolded the intact bag, after it had passed through him.

What I'm getting at is this: Be observant for signs of trouble, but don't worry too much.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Keep hydrated and hope it will pass!

 

[GregUnd]

You could also feed him a little aloe or grated pumpkin to help move things along. If you don't already do it, daily soaks for the next couple of weeks might help too. One of my 12" sulcatas once ate an entire mylar Doritos bag that had blown in to their pen on the wind. I didn't even know about it until I saw it crumpled up in his poop. I used the end of the pooper scooper and unfolded the intact bag, after it had passed through him.

What I'm getting at is this: Be observant for signs of trouble, but don't worry too much.

LOL, priceless!