# Strangest Foreign Object Consumed by a Tortoise



## MichiganFrog (Jan 24, 2016)

What is the strangest foreign object ever consumed by a tortoise that you've heard of?

Obviously, this is not an ideal situation and is something to be avoided. But some torts are like goats and have no qualms about eating things they shouldn't, namely anything they can get down their throats. So aside from general interest, perhaps this thread will make some newer tortoise caretakers aware of this problem and help them to take steps to avoid it.

For example, we keep the environment for our torts as clean and free of debris as possible, but we do have one male sulcata named Beasty Boy who is like a goat, and we've found that he's eaten (and passed, thankfully) at least one latex glove. He also likes to eat cardboard and bits of paper towels. We recently had him x-rayed at the vet's office, and were shocked to find that he has a small metal washer inside of him. In light of this, we're now extra careful to avoid leaving anything in his path that he might be tempted to consume.

So, now that I've kicked it off, what's the strangest foreign object that you've heard of a tortoise having consumed?


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## dmmj (Jan 24, 2016)

Mardi Gras beads and drywall


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## sibi (Jan 24, 2016)

dmmj said:


> Mardi Gras beads and drywall



I hope he was able to poop it all out


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## dmmj (Jan 24, 2016)

sibi said:


> I hope he was able to poop it all out


how do you think they knew he ate it?


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## Big Charlie (Jan 25, 2016)

A sock


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## ZEROPILOT (Jan 25, 2016)

My own experience: A dead rat from a fallen rat trap, some rocks and a plastic flower.


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## Pokeymeg (Jan 25, 2016)

ZEROPILOT said:


> My own experience: A dead rat from a fallen rat trap, some rocks and a plastic flower.


I hope the rat wasn't poisoned?? That could've been disastrous :-(


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## ZEROPILOT (Jan 25, 2016)

Pokeymeg said:


> I hope the rat wasn't poisoned?? That could've been disastrous :-(


I don't use poison for that very reason. (They also ate part of the trap.)


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## sibi (Jan 25, 2016)

dmmj said:


> how do you think they knew he ate it?


They could have caught him eating it, duh


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## sibi (Jan 25, 2016)

ZEROPILOT said:


> My own experience: A dead rat from a fallen rat trap, some rocks and a plastic flower.


Wow! The rat is so poisonous? Did he require a vet?


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## motero (Jan 25, 2016)

Plastic grocery bag that blew into the yard. Yes they passed it fine. It was shredded and mixed in with the grass when it came out.


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## sibi (Jan 25, 2016)

motero said:


> Plastic grocery bag that blew into the yard. Yes they passed it fine. It was shredded and mixed in with the grass when it came out.



That would be a major concern for me. I mean, couldn't they choke on the plastic? Now, I've got another thing to look out for.


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## Anyfoot (Jan 25, 2016)

MichiganFrog said:


> What is the strangest foreign object ever consumed by a tortoise that you've heard of?
> 
> Obviously, this is not an ideal situation and is something to be avoided. But some torts are like goats and have no qualms about eating things they shouldn't, namely anything they can get down their throats. So aside from general interest, perhaps this thread will make some newer tortoise caretakers aware of this problem and help them to take steps to avoid it.
> 
> ...


Mine once tried eating a nerf bullet that my kids left on the grass. I caught it just in time, I just managed to get the end and pull it out of her mouth. Scared me to death. Hence I need to get a move on with outdoor enclosure, and stop kids playing nerf near the new enclosure. Lucky escape.


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## sibi (Jan 25, 2016)

Anyfoot said:


> Mine once tried eating a nerf bullet that my kids left on the grass. I caught it just in time, I just managed to get the end and pull it out of her mouth. Scared me to death. Hence I need to get a move on with outdoor enclosure, and stop kids playing nerf near the new enclosure. Lucky escape.



Wow! How were able to grab it out of her mouth? I know you said you were able to grab the tail end of it, but when my Billy goat tort tried to eat a large stone, he was so quick to swallow it down that I couldn't grab it in time. He also tried to swallow a facecloth, and when I ran to get it out of his mouth, it was nearly down his throat by then. Scared me half to death.


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## Anyfoot (Jan 25, 2016)

sibi said:


> Wow! How were able to grab it out of her mouth? I know you said you were able to grab the tail end of it, but when my Billy goat tort tried to eat a large stone, he was so quick to swallow it down that I couldn't grab it in time. He also tried to swallow a facecloth, and when I ran to get it out of his mouth, it was nearly down his throat by then. Scared me half to death.


 The nerf bullet is about 3" long. Her mouth was open with the orange nib trapped between beak, the rest down her throat. Dread to think what would have happened if didn't see her. 
Also it's another reason for the neighbours to think I'm a nutter, watching me scour the garden for foreign objects. Lol. 
So up to now my neighbours watch me pick flowers out of the weed bed, listen to me talking to the torts, watch me collecting slugs and worms with a torch at night, watch me scour garden. God knows what they are going to think when I'm going up to my new Tortoise house in Bermuda shorts and vest in the middle of the winter. Lol.


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## sibi (Jan 25, 2016)

Anyfoot said:


> The nerf bullet is about 3" long. Her mouth was open with the orange nib trapped between beak, the rest down her throat. Dread to think what would have happened if didn't see her.
> Also it's another reason for the neighbours to think I'm a nutter, watching me scour the garden for foreign objects. Lol.
> So up to now my neighbours watch me pick flowers out of the weed bed, listen to me talking to the torts, watch me collecting slugs and worms with a torch at night, watch me scour garden. God knows what they are going to think when I'm going up to my new Tortoise house in Bermuda shorts and vest in the middle of the winter. Lol.



LOL Sounds like me. I have pretty much removed all foreign debris from the yard. So, what does my billy goat do? I usually throw old, sometimes moldy hay outside from their pens. Billy goat finds the moldy hay and swallows it down before I can stop him. He's still recovering from some intestinal illness and is on meds from the vet. What's a girl to do?


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## MichiganFrog (Jan 30, 2016)

Well, I guess we can add part of a foam soccer ball to the list of items consumed thus far. Just one more thing to keep out of the yard...


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## sibi (Jan 30, 2016)

Well, there goes his entertainment time! He used to love attacking the ball, buy never thought he'd bite a chunk off...LOL


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## Maggie Cummings (Jan 30, 2016)

One of my desert tortoises was basking and spotted a bluebelly lizard sleeping on the cement wall, the tort caught him and ate him. Another of mine, digs thru his substrate when he's having to be inside and eats the shower curtain liner, yea, he craps it out so far


sibi said:


> Well, there goes his entertainment time! He used to love attacking the ball, buy never thought he'd bite a chunk off...LOL



Bob's favorite toy was a 5 gallon metal bucket. Can't eat it but can beat the heck out of it....


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## sibi (Jan 30, 2016)

maggie3fan said:


> One of my desert tortoises was basking and spotted a bluebelly lizard sleeping on the cement wall, the tort caught him and ate him. Another of mine, digs thru his substrate when he's having to be inside and eats the shower curtain liner, yea, he craps it out so far
> 
> 
> Bob's favorite toy was a 5 gallon metal bucket. Can't eat it but can beat the heck out of it....


Bob sounds like my Beasty Boy. He' the explorer, protector of his domain, billy goat, and yet, he' so obedient and super smart. Was Bob like that?


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## MPRC (Jan 30, 2016)

I've mostly found sticks and bark and a small rock, my iguana was another story. Cute stringy undies with lace can travel nearly unharmed through a 13lb lizard. Needless to say I got really good about cleaning up my laundry. That was way gross.


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## Razan (Jan 30, 2016)

motero said:


> Plastic grocery bag that blew into the yard. Yes they passed it fine. It was shredded and mixed in with the grass when it came out.



The blown in plastic grocery bags are menace to our poor daft sulcata's who cannot seem to resist them. Fortunately they seem unfazed and just pass it out in the end. Mine did, I mean, my sulcata did


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## Maggie Cummings (Jan 31, 2016)

LaDukePhoto said:


> I've mostly found sticks and bark and a small rock, my iguana was another story. Cute stringy undies with lace can travel nearly unharmed through a 13lb lizard. Needless to say I got really good about cleaning up my laundry. That was way gross.



But funny!!!!


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## MichiganFrog (Jan 31, 2016)

sibi said:


> Bob sounds like my Beasty Boy. He' the explorer, protector of his domain, billy goat, and yet, he' so obedient and super smart. Was Bob like that?


BTW, one of my nicknames for Beasty Boy is Tarzantor, as in "this is my domain and I eject those who come here, for I am tarzantor, lord of the tortoise pen".


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## aimeerusko (Mar 6, 2016)

First week with our Russian he ate the foot right off my three year olds Barbie. I thought for sure my kid would be mad but she thinks it's cool. tells everyone Barbie was attacked by shell monster. My husband taped a little bit of wood to the Barbie leg and now she is a pirate. Also the Barbie bits passed out no problem but I scared.


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## gamera154 (Mar 6, 2016)

hair l long hair not from me but his poop was connected by only one long hair


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## sibi (Mar 7, 2016)

I've got something else Beasty Boy eat. His outside yard is fairly clear of debris except for some old flower pots and whatever moss that was in one of them. Well, I just noticed that half the moss was gone, and I probably wouldn't have notices it if it were for Baby Runt trying to bite some of it too. Of course, she couldn't, but then I looked at it and realized why Beasty Boy may be sick with intestinal problems, again! Poor baby Apparently, the stuff could have caused a blockage. In fact, not knowing what was making him sick, I brought him to our vet where x-rays showed an area of intestinal tract bulging out. The vet said she was concerned about that area but could not see what was causing the bulging. I now know what it is and as he tries to poop some of it out, I find it to be hard and compact. I believe he'll poop it all out eventually, but if he lived in the wild, I think his belly will be his doing in!!!


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## Anyfoot (Mar 7, 2016)

sibi said:


> I've got something else Beasty Boy eat. His outside yard is fairly clear of debris except for some old flower pots and whatever moss that was in one of them. Well, I just noticed that half the moss was gone, and I probably wouldn't have notices it if it were for Baby Runt trying to bite some of it too. Of course, she couldn't, but then I looked at it and realized why Beasty Boy may be sick with intestinal problems, again! Poor baby Apparently, the stuff could have caused a blockage. In fact, not knowing what was making him sick, I brought him to our vet where x-rays showed an area of intestinal tract bulging out. The vet said she was concerned about that area but could not see what was causing the bulging. I now know what it is and as he tries to poop some of it out, I find it to be hard and compact. I believe he'll poop it all out eventually, but if he lived in the wild, I think his belly will be his doing in!!!


 I've seen our reds eating moss off the rocks in our garden.


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## sibi (Mar 7, 2016)

Anyfoot said:


> I've seen our reds eating moss off the rocks in our garden.


But, the moss on broken branches are small amounts. The amount beasty boy ate was huge amounts. That could be a problem.


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## Anyfoot (Mar 7, 2016)

sibi said:


> But, the moss on broken branches are small amounts. The amount beasty boy ate was huge amounts. That could be a problem.


 I was just thinking moss on rocks has little or no soil. Maybe your beasty ate a lot of soil with the moss.


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