# Tortoise Constipation/Impaction?



## Steven9786

Okay well I have a little tortoise, about 3 years old that is significantly smaller than his hatchmates. He seems to be constipated or impacted as he has some poop sticking out of his rear end but can't seem to pass it. I thought he'd be able to do it on his own but after a couple days, I knew he needs some assistance. I've looked online and they said some pumpkin will help (I have some fresh cut up pumpkin for him), 30-120 minute warm baths a couple times a day, (He's in a warm bath with a 10.0 uvb and heat lamp overhead; inside air temp is about 79 degrees) and some mineral oil injections. 

I have quite a few questions about the mineral oil: how do I know it's tortoise safe? Where do I inject it? (Mouth, anus, or in skin?) and do I use a needle or not? (I doubt I need a needle, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask) 

Will this be enough for my tortoise? He's responsive, but just looks miserable and I want to help him get better ASAP


----------



## Steven9786

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated!


----------



## russian/sulcata/tortoise

tortoises need to be at least 85 degrees to be able to properly digest food. whats his basking spot temp? what species is it?


----------



## Steven9786

He's a (Mojave) Desert Tortoise, sorry for not mentioning that. His basking spot temp is around that temperature, high 70's, low 80's in the late autumn/winter and a lot warmer in the spring/summer since I live in CA. He's in a separate terrarium now with a hiding spot and angled in a way so only half of it is filled with warm water. His butt is in the water and hes half-laying in it.


----------



## sissyofone

You do not need a needle. You only need a syringe to administer the mineral oil. I've used it on a badly impacted Sulcata before. I filled syringe about 1/2 full with room temperature mineral oil and put it just inside :-\ ( yes, where the poo comes out ) =-O . I inserted the tip of syringe about 1/2 inch or so. it helps to lubricate it and makes it easier to pass the stool. I did that every three days for two wks I think it was. I also put a little mineral oil on his mazuri , I soaked mazuri added 2 or 3 teaspoon of mineral oil to the soft mazuri and mixed it up. It worked very well for the tortoise. I only dId thIs twIce I belIeve, once a week. Also How often do you soak your tortoise? And what kind of tortoise do you have?

Sorry I went bk and read the part about you soaking your little one. You can also try feeding your tort aloe vera it will help with constipation and so will cactus just chop it up if he's real small.


----------



## sissyofone

Sorry I went back and read the part about you soaking your little one. You can also try feeding your tort aloe vera it will help with constipation and so will cactus just chop it up if he's real small.
I would try all options before administering mineral oil to tort rectually. You can mix it with Mazuri try that first if you don't use mazuri mix with another type food blend the food if necessary. Mine wouldn't eat the collard or turnips I just rubbed oil on so I blended them once just found mazuri easier to use. 
Hope this helps sorry if I rambled.


----------



## sissyofone

Oh and by the way, Hello and Welcome to TFO.


----------



## ascott

The tortoise requires a basking spot that reaches 100-110 so that he can get his temps up to appropriate level...then the outer area of the basking spot should gradually decrease to lets say 80-85 then progress to 70ish , this low temp in the coolest area is suggest if you are NOT NOT NOT using the high humidity for the entire enclosure method some like to use--if you are using this method(high humidity in entire enclosure) then the temp should never fall below 80 in any part of the enclosure day nor night....I personally would not suggest an entire enclosure with high constant humidity for this species---no matter what garbage some may offer/say to the contrary....a warm humid hide is more appropriate for this species...

When you say that there is poo stuck there....are you sure that it is poo? Have you gently cleaned the area after one of the long warm water soaks?


----------



## Steven9786

No I haven't exactly cleaned the area,but I'm pretty much certain it's poop. It seems fibrous and "grassy" but pretty dry. I know some people around here have thought that that their tortoise's penis was poop. But I don't think that's the case this time. Does anyone know how to cook or soften pumpkin for tortoises, I have a baby pumpkin that I cut up for them but I think it may be a little too hard. And thanks for the aloe vera idea, I have a couple plants in my backyard so I'll get on that right now.

And thank you for the welcome, I made this account like 2 years ago, but this is the first time I've used it. Whenever I have a question about my torts I know this is the place to go.  

to sissyofone: It's fine, rambling is good. It means you have a lot of info to share on the subject and want to help.


----------



## ZEROPILOT

There are no small stones nearby that can be eaten are there? Mine even attempt to eat ping pong sized rocks every now and again. I'd think about an X ray.


----------



## Steven9786

No aside from their fir bark substrate, which the pieces are pretty large (most pieces are larger than his head) there are no small stones for him to swallow up, just huge ones that they climb on, so that's why I feel it's a constipation issue rather than a compaction issue.


----------



## Steven9786

The fir bark isn't easy to break, and pretty large, so I doubt he could've broken it up, let alone swallowed one whole. My little torts aren't very big, about palm-sized.


----------



## Yvonne G

Hi Steven:

It is perfectly ok for you to gently pull the stuck poop out. Soak him in warm water for about 15 minutes first, then just gently grab ahold of it and pull it out.

A note about mineral oil: never squirt mineral oil down the throat. Because of its viscosity (slipperyness) the tortoise might not realize he has it in his throat and he might aspirate it into his lungs. Mineral oil is good to use on food to help lubricate the 'pipes' inside a tortoise because it is non-absorptive, and it coats everything inside, helping whatever's stuck to slide out. But always use it with food, never by itself. 

Squirted into the cloaca like Sissyphone suggested is also a very good idea.


----------



## Steven9786

So I'm assuming helping him pass it by breaking it up with some tweezers or gently tugging would be a bad idea. It seems to be dry, (not as dry as it was yesterday) fibrous poop, which is still sticking partly out of his rear end.

Also would pharmacy mineral oil be okay for him? I assume so since it's meant to be used internally, but I want to make sure. If I do decide to give him mineral oil, how should I give it? (Orally? By mixing it in his food/syringing it slowly in his mouth? Or by putting the oil in his rectum?) and how much should I give to a 4-inch tortoise?


----------



## Yvonne G

Steven: you and I posted at the same time. Please read my comment shown right above yours.


----------



## johnsonnboswell

It doesn't matter how you cook pumpkin for a tortoise. Microwave, steam, or bake. I'd microwave because its fastest & doesn't use much power.


----------



## leopard777

any pics ?


----------



## Steven9786

Okay thank you Yvonne! I've never thought about that before, but now that you've mentioned it, it makes a lot of sense.

Update: I went to the nearby grocery store and in the pharmacy section, they had "Extra Heavy" TopCare Mineral Oil _LUBRICANT LAXATIVE. _It was the only one so I bought it. My little tort is soaking in a warm bath again, so I'm going to try and help him push it out in about 15-30 minutes and if that doesn't work I guess I'm going to have to try the mineral oil.

I made them all a mixed salad of collard greens, aloe vera, pumpkin, and cucumber, topped off with a little calcium/vitamin powder. Hopefully the little guy will eat once he's done with all this.


----------



## Steven9786

This is him in his separate terrarium, you can see the poop in the back:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/15780234481/in/photostream/lightbox/

This is a pic of the poop sticking out of his cloaca:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/15780234791/in/photostream/lightbox/

This is the mineral oil I bought from the pharmacy, says it's 100% mineral oil on the back:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/15162667773/in/photostream/lightbox/


----------



## Steven9786

I want to warn ahead of time for the 'TMI' I'm posting below.

But anyways, I have some good news!  I got some gloves on and, slowly and gently pulled it out without much effort on my part; it actually seemed like he was helping. After I got it out, I can see why he wasn't able to pass it by himself, it was quite a bit larger on the inside. I took pictures, for future reference and would post them, but I'm not sure you guys would want to see it anyways, so I decided against it.

Bad news  His cloaca seems a little stretched out and I'm kind of worried about that. I can put the mineral oil in now, as a precaution for anything else in his system, but I don't know whether or not I should give it to him now that it's out, and I don't know how much to give him.


----------



## peasinapod

Oh wow, poor baby! I'd keep an eye on the cloaca, but as long as nothing is torn I guess it will tighten up again, but I'll let the experts confirm/deny that. 

I think there have been worse pictures on here than poop pictures. 
It would be interesting to see how big the blockage was.


----------



## Yvonne G

We've all posted pictures of poop at one time or another...and it would be very helpful to other new tortoise-keepers to see what you've been struggling with. So post away!!!

The cloaca will be swollen for a few days. It's been stretched out of shape for quite a while with that big poop trying to get out. You can help shrink it a bit by applying a paste of sugar and water, or hemorrhoid cream.


----------



## Steven9786

i have a spare syringe given by a vet for my dog's medicine. It has no needle on it and I was thinking of giving my tort about 1/4 of a ml of mineral oil ond applying around and inside. Would that be fine?


----------



## Steven9786

Okay here's some pictures of the blockage...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/15597714570/in/photostream/lightbox/

This picture is a bit blurry but it's roughly about 1 5/8" long, excluding the fiber-y bit at the end:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/15758833586/in/photostream/lightbox/

The blockage was _a lot_ bigger than I had anticipated and I'm glad I did something about it when I did. He's still laying in his bath right now; and is starting to move around more, which is good. I think it's about time for him to eat his food I prepared for him, so I'll put him back in his turtle box with his siblings in a little while.

I do feel bad that I caught it and decided to do something about it so late, he has no tearing or anything coming out of his rear end, but now I know I need to pay more attention to the four of my little guys and their behavior :/


----------



## Yvonne G

Don't beat yourself up over this. We all learn as we go. A little mineral oil on the cloaca might be soothing, however, my guess is that there probably isn't any more up there trying to come out.

Soak these babies for at least 15 minutes every day. Give them something watery occasionally, like aloe or lettuce.


----------



## chaseswife

I have no first hand experience with this, but I would probably add a little bit of the mineral oil to his food rather than applying it to his rear. That way as he heals and tightens up inside, everything will be passing through a little easier. Poor tortoise, I am glad that he can start feeling better now!


----------



## Steven9786

Thanks everyone for the help


----------



## turtlelady80

Ive had to pull poop out of my torts butts before (lol, that sounds funny)...I wouldn't mess with him anymore. Just keep up the soaks daily, feed your mixture with the pumpkin and proper humidity and you shouldn't have a problem! If this becomes a problem then I'd proceed with the oil. But for now, I wouldn't do the oil. Just gently pull the poop and VUALA!


----------



## Steven9786

Yeah, he's doing his own thing now. I usually leave 2 reptile bowls filled with water, one shallow and one a little deeper with them and he's in one of them right now just sitting down and looking around.

Glad to see he's A LOT more active than he was before the constipation. Had me real worried for a while.


----------



## WillTort2

Did he swallow something that caused the blockage; like a piece of substrate? Or was it just a food based blockage?


----------



## leopard777

Steven9786 said:


> Okay here's some pictures of the blockage...
> https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/15597714570/in/photostream/lightbox/
> 
> This picture is a bit blurry but it's roughly about 1 5/8" long, excluding the fiber-y bit at the end:
> https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/15758833586/in/photostream/lightbox/
> 
> The blockage was _a lot_ bigger than I had anticipated and I'm glad I did something about it when I did. He's still laying in his bath right now; and is starting to move around more, which is good. I think it's about time for him to eat his food I prepared for him, so I'll put him back in his turtle box with his siblings in a little while.
> 
> I do feel bad that I caught it and decided to do something about it so late, he has no tearing or anything coming out of his rear end, but now I know I need to pay more attention to the four of my little guys and their behavior :/




thats one big poop , glad you pull it out


----------



## Steven9786

leopard777 - Ahaha 

I'm pretty sure it was a food-based impaction or constipation due to dehydration or something of the sort. He's been soaking a lot more lately and the day before yesterday was the first time he's eaten by himself in a while. He's on the road to recovery


----------

