Weird Hermann Tortoise Poo

[TortoiseGirl (Ava)]

What kind of poop is this? She's a hermann tortise and she's eating and drinking, active. She pooped normally for the past few days and we just changed her enclosure after an ant infestation. She does have another ( Male I THINK ) friend. It's mating season and he's been humping on her but I've been trying to stop him from doing that. KEEP IN MIND WE DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TOOLS TO SEPARATE THEM AND WE HAVE NO VETS WHERE I LIVE! Her poop is usually brown. What is this?

 

[Camade]

As a disclamer, I'm not a tortoise expert and I'm answering mostly to help you quickly change some basic things and hopefully boost this post to the radar of more knowledgeable people. I own a russian tortoise that belongs to the testudo group like hermann's, so I'm giving advice on a bit broader scale as I'm not sure about the exact tempreratures and need of hermanns.

So, I read your previous thread in which you were afraid that your tort had a respiratory infection. You said you were going to separate the tortoises ASAP, but it seems you still haven't. The only way to stop humping is to spearate them, and I would advice you do it regardless of the humping. Tortoises don't generally do well in pairs, and all sorts of problems related to bullying could happen. Provide two separate enclosures, and if that is not possible, as sad as it is, you'll have to start thinking about rehoming one of your torts.

What I see in the picture is not poop, but urates. They should be liquidy or a toothpaste texture, but the ones in the picture are grainy. This is a sign of dehydration. Try soaking your tortoise daily for 15-30 minutes in lukewarm water that reaches the "seam" where the upper part of the shell meets the lower.

Soaking is, however, only a quick fix, as I think your husbandry is not ideal for a hermann's tortoise. You seem to be using a reptile carper or fake grass, and I'd say get rid of it ASAP. That is just a disaster waiting to happen and all sorts of bacteria thrive in it. I'd assume that hermanns also like to burrow (not completely sure on how much compared to russians), so providing a good ten centimeters of substrate like coco coir (some use top soil, I'm not an expert so I won't be commenting on that) in important. That substrate is also able to hold moisture and keep the humidity in your enclosure more stable.

And last, where in Europe do you live? I live in Europe too, but as Europe goes from year-round ice to the Mediterrainian warmth, it is hard to give the best advice without knowing. If you are afraid of your security, you don't need to tell us the specific country, but tell us at least in which part of the continent you live. I live in Finland, which is a country of only 5 million people, and we too have one reptile vet. I bet there is one in your country too, and if not, maybe in the neighbouring countries. Show us a picture of the whole enclousure, and as it's been a few days, has your tort been passing grainy urates still?

This is a good care quide to all temperate species, including hermann's, so read in well. It is long, yes, but if you don't have the access to a vet, you should find the time to rally read it.

https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threa...ise-any-temperate-species-of-tortoise.183131/

Hopefully your tort is soon doing better

 

[TortoiseGirl (Ava)]

I was planning on separating them for a while but I can't I don't have the materials or money, and I have no idea where I should rehome one of them. I'm not sure if the person I give them to will be better than me. I bought them from the pet store and all of the tortoises were together. But he has never done this before. I think this is because it's mating season. My torts have a little house with leaves they hide in. The little guy used to burrow underneath the moss but he likes to go in the house more. Also I do bathe her but I didn't for a couple of days since I had lots of work and I was really stressed. I am from Bosnia and Herzegovina by the way. I'm just scared they would get rehomed to a worse place. I mean we all make mistakes but I really don't want to give one of them away.

 

[TeamZissou]

Looks like some very gritty urates and a bladder stone. Hydration is key to preventing them. There's also a diet component as well. What do you currently feed your tortoises?

Bladder Stones

Posted on Long Beach Animal Hospital's web page: One of the more interesting and unique surgeries we perform is the removal of a bladder stone (called a cystotomy) from California Desert Tortoises (CDT’s), along with various other tortoise species like African spurred tortoises (Sulcatas) and...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[TortoiseGirl (Ava)]

I mean I can separate them but I don't have lamps. My UVA and UVB died and more are coming my mum ordered some. They still haven't come though. As soon as they do I'm separating them.

 

[TortoiseGirl (Ava)]

Looks like some very gritty urates and a bladder stone. Hydration is key to preventing them. There's also a diet component as well. What do you currently feed your tortoises?

Bladder Stones

Posted on Long Beach Animal Hospital's web page: One of the more interesting and unique surgeries we perform is the removal of a bladder stone (called a cystotomy) from California Desert Tortoises (CDT’s), along with various other tortoise species like African spurred tortoises (Sulcatas) and...

tortoiseforum.org

I feed them dandelions, weeds, grasses, I don't know really anything I find in my garden but me and my mum did research about what they can eat so.

 

[TeamZissou]

I mean I can separate them but I don't have lamps. My UVA and UVB died and more are coming my mum ordered some. They still haven't come though. As soon as they do I'm separating them.

Tortoises can go months without UVB exposure and not be deficient, so no need to wait for lights. You can also take them outside for 2 hours per day a few times a week and they will get enough UV from the sun and totally eliminate the need for UV lighting. You need a safe outdoor enclosure; it's not good just to let them roam on the ground.

You live in the range of this species, so if it's possible, construct an outdoor enclosure for them to live in once they get bigger.

 

[TortoiseGirl (Ava)]

Yep! Okay but one thing I must say is that, I was reading around the internet and people say that artificial grass is perfectly fine so I kept it inside. I will vacuum it once a week maybe just so that it doesn't get too dirty. But don't worry, as soon as we work things out with the separation I will separate them immediately! Thank you.

Tortoises can go months without UVB exposure and not be deficient, so no need to wait for lights. You can also take them outside for 2 hours per day a few times a week and they will get enough UV from the sun and totally eliminate the need for UV lighting. You need a safe outdoor enclosure; it's not good just to let them roam on the ground.

You live in the range of this species, so if it's possible, construct an outdoor enclosure for them to live in once they get bigger.

 

[TeamZissou]

Artificial grass isn't a good substrate. You likely got bad info from the pet store.

In the US, 'orchid bark' is used, which is made of fir. Cyprus mulch is another good alternative. I do not know if you have access to these things, but finding a similar type of bark for substrate is the way to go. This also will hold humidity far better than artificial grass and will help your tortoises be better hydrated.

I would soak both tortoises separately for an hour a day for a few weeks, given how large the stone was. Hydration needs to be a priority going forward.

Are you feeding any prepared food like pellets? I would also be careful of the weeds you're feeding. Some weeds are not good to feed. There's a diet section on this forum that has lists of good and bad foods.

Give this thread a read, it's extensive and filled with all the info you'll need.

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org