# Plug up/impacted?



## Hai (Jul 23, 2022)

I have a 3 year old sulcata. He seems to be plugged up real bad or impacted. He does poop up it's super soft. He keeps grunting like he's very uncomfortable and he has his butt up in the air. I been soaking him and giving him pumpkin, aloe, cactus and mineral oil hoping it would help pass whatever is there but with no luck. I'm not sure if you can give miralax or a child type laxative. I'm at a loss and wondering if my only option is taking to a vet. I'm real iffy on taking to the vet as I took him to a exotic vet before and they gave him a month of the same shot. So any advice would be appreciated.


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## wellington (Jul 23, 2022)

Put him in a large container like your tub with warm water and let him stay for an hour or so and try keeping him walking most of that time. Keep the water warm.
If this doesn't seem to help try a car ride. Most will poop in the car.
Then we need to know all the care you are giving. Diet, size of enclosure, substrate, heating, all temps(day, basking, night)humidity, everything you can think of. Something caused this. Example, a too small of an enclosure could cause this. Without enough exercise, the insides don't work properly.


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## MenagerieGrl (Jul 23, 2022)

wellington said:


> Put him in a large container like your tub with warm water and let him stay for an hour or so and try keeping him walking most of that time. Keep the water warm.
> If this doesn't seem to help try a car ride. Most will poop in the car.
> Then we need to know all the care you are giving. Diet, size of enclosure, substrate, heating, all temps(day, basking, night)humidity, everything you can think of. Something caused this. Example, a too small of an enclosure could cause this. Without enough exercise, the insides don't work properly.


I agree with wellington, the above info will help us figure out what's going on w/your Tort.


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## Tom (Jul 23, 2022)

Hai said:


> I have a 3 year old sulcata. He seems to be plugged up real bad or impacted. He does poop up it's super soft. He keeps grunting like he's very uncomfortable and he has his butt up in the air. I been soaking him and giving him pumpkin, aloe, cactus and mineral oil hoping it would help pass whatever is there but with no luck. I'm not sure if you can give miralax or a child type laxative. I'm at a loss and wondering if my only option is taking to a vet. I'm real iffy on taking to the vet as I took him to a exotic vet before and they gave him a month of the same shot. So any advice would be appreciated.


If he's pooping and eating, then he's not impacted. It sounds like you might have a male "doing his thing".

Long soaks and car rides won't hurt anything to try though, just to be safe.

How large is the tortoise and what size is the enclosure? Is the tortoise coming out and walking in the morning and late evening in the summer heat? Does it have a self-dug burrow?


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## Hai (Jul 24, 2022)

Tom said:


> If he's pooping and eating, then he's not impacted. It sounds like you might have a male "doing his thing".
> 
> Long soaks and car rides won't hurt anything to try though, just to be safe.
> 
> How large is the tortoise and what size is the enclosure? Is the tortoise coming out and walking in the morning and late evening in the summer heat? Does it have a self-dug burrow?


I'm not sure about measurements size but the last time he was weighed it was 50± lb. He lives in the backyard and he has a heated nightbox that's big enough to be a shed. He is coming out and wondering and he has a couple shade spots he goes and chills during the heat. There's 2 reasons why I think he's plugged up. The first is a couple months back he managed to climb up some bags of soil onto our raised garden bed and ate all our oriental long bean plants and they had plastic and metal ties on them. I have yet to see them be pooped out. The the second reason is hay. For the last year and a half I been trying and trying to get him to eat hay. Putting cut of pieces on the greens. About a month ago He finally started to eat the pile I had left out but I notice his poop was just full of hay. Like it's not getting digested. I'll try and get a video of the grunting he's doing. It sounds so miserable.


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## Yvonne G (Jul 24, 2022)

What you described in your first post in this thread is a young male discovering his manhood. When he does that if you get down on the ground and look under him you'll see his penis is out and he's rubbing it on the ground. They get over it after a few days and stop experimenting.


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## Tom (Jul 24, 2022)

Hai said:


> I'm not sure about measurements size but the last time he was weighed it was 50± lb. He lives in the backyard and he has a heated nightbox that's big enough to be a shed. He is coming out and wondering and he has a couple shade spots he goes and chills during the heat. There's 2 reasons why I think he's plugged up. The first is a couple months back he managed to climb up some bags of soil onto our raised garden bed and ate all our oriental long bean plants and they had plastic and metal ties on them. I have yet to see them be pooped out. The the second reason is hay. For the last year and a half I been trying and trying to get him to eat hay. Putting cut of pieces on the greens. About a month ago He finally started to eat the pile I had left out but I notice his poop was just full of hay. Like it's not getting digested. I'll try and get a video of the grunting he's doing. It sounds so miserable.


An x-ray will confirm or deny the plastic and metal pieces.

The poops with the undigested hay are normal and that is how it is supposed to look. Adding opuntia to the diet a few times per week will help that pass. Long soaks will help too.


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## Hai (Jul 24, 2022)

Yvonne G said:


> What you described in your first post in this thread is a young male discovering his manhood. When he does that if you get down on the ground and look under him you'll see his penis is out and he's rubbing it on the ground. They get over it after a few days and stop experimenting.


Last year his thing was coming out And when it does he's usually on his tippy toes. This doesn't seem to be that to me.


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## wellington (Jul 24, 2022)

With the concerns of plastic and metal possibly being eaten and you thinking he may have a partial blockage, I think your best bet is to get an xray. That will at least confirm your fear or place it to rest.


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## Hai (Aug 3, 2022)

I went and got a x-ray and he doesn't seem to have any blockage but the bad news is he has a size of a baseball stone in his bladder. This is why hes been straining and pushing. Unfortunately the only thing they can do is surgery to get it out. Does anyone know of a place that helps with financial support for vet emergency? With a 3.2k bill you would think they would have some kind of payment plan...


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## MenagerieGrl (Aug 3, 2022)

Have you looked int CareCredit?








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## Hai (Aug 3, 2022)

MenagerieGrl said:


> Have you looked int CareCredit?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ya, unfortunately I haven't repaired my credit enough yet to qualify.


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## Skunkworks (Aug 9, 2022)

Care Credit was a Lifesaver for me when my Amstaff was Diagnosed with a Carcinoma.I spent $6,800 for a surgery just to make her more comfortable before her passing knowing that she had only Months to live after her surgery. It was all worth it. Everyday with her was the Greatest.. You should do a Go Fund Me page. I will donate. I hope all the best for you and your tortoise.


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