# under weight tortoise



## dav3 (Feb 21, 2011)

my tortoise is 5,5 inchs long and weights 260. i know before anyone says its under weight. how can i get my tortoise to a healthy weight as he eats alot but dosnt seem to gain any

please help


----------



## coreyc (Feb 21, 2011)

Have you had a fecal done to check for worms or parasites?


----------



## CtTortoiseMom (Feb 21, 2011)

What does he eat a lot of. I agree re: the vet. Not just any vet though, an exotic pet vet. You may have to call around and ask if they do tortoises.


----------



## dav3 (Feb 21, 2011)

no i have recently just got him and not went to the vets for a check up, should I ??

he eats alot of lettuce and cabbage and recently just moving on to grass, i do know a local vet that specialises in reptiles so i will check it out, also i have weighed my tortoise wrong and he is 350g instead of 260g but even then he is still underweight and should i change his diet?


----------



## coreyc (Feb 21, 2011)

yes you should call around find a vet that knows torts have a fecal done to find out if he has any parasites or worms I also would start feeding him dark greens


----------



## CtTortoiseMom (Feb 21, 2011)

I think you should. Those are great questions for the vet. Also if it is underweight it might have worms and need a fecal test to determine that. Or if a diet change is in order they will want you to come back for a weight check to make sure the new diet is helping. It is always good to estblish a relationship with a good vet anyway. I see it as a win, win. Best of luck.


----------



## tyler0912 (Jul 16, 2011)

If you dont have alot of money..i use pumpkin and Butternut squash are both natural wormers if he/she has no worms and is still not putting on weight he will have to see a vet!


----------



## Terry Allan Hall (Jul 16, 2011)

What type of tortoise, and what are you feeding him/her?


----------



## Yvonne G (Jul 16, 2011)

Just a clarification on the pumpkin/squash comment. Its the seeds that have the de-worming properties, not the squash or pumpkin. You would dry the seeds and grind them up then sprinkle them over the food.


----------



## Terry Allan Hall (Jul 16, 2011)

emysemys said:


> Just a clarification on the pumpkin/squash comment. Its the seeds that have the de-worming properties, not the squash or pumpkin. You would dry the seeds and grind them up then sprinkle them over the food.



Do the seeds have to be dried 1st? 

I've always just put fresh seeds (and related goo) into a blender and hit the "puree" button. 

Also, I recently found out that stink gourds are very good for worming.


----------



## Madkins007 (Jul 17, 2011)

"Natural wormers"- it is the seeds, and they can be dried or fresh- as long as the animal can access the 'meat' inside the shell. For tortoises, it would be best to break the shell since seeds pass undigested through most tortoise's intestines. Pumpkin is best according to believers, but many other products supposedly work as well.

However, just because it the kind of jerk I am, I need to remind you that there is absolutely NO clinical evidence this does any good, and there have been several studies done on it (one vet's opinion here-http://www.animavet.com/NaturalDewormers.pdf). It certainly does no harm, and MAY have a role in prevention (those studies are not as clear.)


----------



## Yvonne G (Jul 17, 2011)

Hi Dave:

This is a leopard tortoise, right? If you want to put some extra weight on a tortoise, buy some pelleted food and feed it along with the greens every day. I don't know what brands you have available to you in Scotland, but try to find something with a lot of dried grasses and weeds in it.


----------



## wrmitchell22 (Jul 17, 2011)

tyler0912 said:


> If you dont have alot of money..i use pumpkin and Butternut squash are both natural wormers if he/she has no worms and is still not putting on weight he will have to see a vet!



I second the pumpkin and butternut squash, I even use this for dogs and cats, it works wonders and offers a lot of moisture. 



emysemys said:


> Just a clarification on the pumpkin/squash comment. Its the seeds that have the de-worming properties, not the squash or pumpkin. You would dry the seeds and grind them up then sprinkle them over the food.



I am so glad you told us, I had no idea! I have been in the dog business for 10 years and always gave my dogs canned pumpkin as a anti diahrea aid, it always worked so I never questioned it.


----------



## dav3 (Jul 19, 2011)

wrmitchell22 said:


> tyler0912 said:
> 
> 
> > If you dont have alot of money..i use pumpkin and Butternut squash are both natural wormers if he/she has no worms and is still not putting on weight he will have to see a vet!
> ...





thanks to everyone that commented, sorry forgot about this thread hes at a gd weight now 
anyone knows how i can close the thread?


----------



## GeoTerraTestudo (Jul 19, 2011)

Also, remember that about 70% of an animal's weight is water, so being underweight may be due to dehydration. Good ways to rehydrate animals are to bathe them, and feed them moisture-rich foods such as wet Mazuri Tortoise Diet, and leafy greens that have been rinsed and are glistening with water. Also, make sure the animal always has a water dish in case it wants to drink, and that is lives in an environment with the appropriate level of humidity.


----------



## GeoTerraTestudo (Jul 19, 2011)

Also wanted to mention that some turtles are underweight because they don't get enough calcium in their diet, resulting in a lower-density skeleton, including the shell (a kind of chelonian osteoporosis). Make sure your tortoise gets enough calcium and Vitamin D3 in its diet so that the shell can be of the right density.


----------

