Unusual behavior for the past week

vladimir

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Update: Yesterday Vlad ventured down, ate most of the day's turnip greens, then went to rest on the Kane mat for awhile. We added some collards once we noticed the food tray was getting low. He waited a bit, then went over to investigate and eat the majority of the collards. He then took a little walk around the enclosure, stopped at the Mazuri dish for a few bites of Mazuri, then headed back up to Box in the early afternoon.

This morning he didn't want to come out of Box in the morning, and he still hasn't come out as of 1:20 pm. He's just in there sleeping. I'm hoping he is more active tomorrow.

I did bump up the thermostat on his radiator by a few degrees, also.
 

Ray--Opo

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Update: Yesterday Vlad ventured down, ate most of the day's turnip greens, then went to rest on the Kane mat for awhile. We added some collards once we noticed the food tray was getting low. He waited a bit, then went over to investigate and eat the majority of the collards. He then took a little walk around the enclosure, stopped at the Mazuri dish for a few bites of Mazuri, then headed back up to Box in the early afternoon.

This morning he didn't want to come out of Box in the morning, and he still hasn't come out as of 1:20 pm. He's just in there sleeping. I'm hoping he is more active tomorrow.

I did bump up the thermostat on his radiator by a few degrees, also.
I really think it's the weather change. With the slight change in the weather down here it has thrown Opo off his routine.
 

Ray--Opo

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Was Vladimir getting the morning sun when he was outside?
I am losing the sun into Opo's hide. I noticed he will sit at the front of his hide and wait for the sun to shine on him. I have a basking lamp setup but after getting used to warming up by the sun. He doesn't care for the basking lamp. Finally he will come out after sitting in the sun for awhile.
 

vladimir

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Was Vladimir getting the morning sun when he was outside?
I am losing the sun into Opo's hide. I noticed he will sit at the front of his hide and wait for the sun to shine on him. I have a basking lamp setup but after getting used to warming up by the sun. He doesn't care for the basking lamp. Finally he will come out after sitting in the sun for awhile.

Because he doesn't have an outside night box yet, I would typically only get him out in the sun in the mornings on the weekends. But during the week he'd typically come out of box and start patrolling his enclosure in the morning.

All this week he's stayed in his box except for when I bring him out to soak him. He'll gladly eat when I show him food, but he's not making an effort to go out and look for any food on his own.

I think my main concern now is that he has only gone to the bathroom once since this all began, and it was very loose and runny. I've given him two cucumbers, cactus pads, and aloe, but nothing seems to be getting things moving again. Last night I coated about 6 Mazuri pellets with mineral oil and hand fed them to him, but still nothing.

Can pumpkin seeds cause impaction? Before this started he had eaten that small pumpkin, and I know he got a bunch of the seeds when he got to the insides.

Is there anything else I should try? How long should I wait before making an appointment with the vet?

Thanks in advance. We just can't wait for our little guy to feel better.
 

Maro2Bear

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Our now indoor Sully gets in moods like this, especislly since she was outside all Summer long, but now inside. Personally, i wouldnt be making any trips to the vet. Keep him warm, hydrated & fed. Even encourage some walking about - brighter & more lights, increase temps, etc. From my experience, pumpkin works like cactus & aloe, etc. He’s probably full, and warm and no need to venture about. So, imho, hold off on any vet visit. Good luck.
 

vladimir

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Our now indoor Sully gets in moods like this, especislly since she was outside all Summer long, but now inside. Personally, i wouldnt be making any trips to the vet. Keep him warm, hydrated & fed. Even encourage some walking about - brighter & more lights, increase temps, etc. From my experience, pumpkin works like cactus & aloe, etc. He’s probably full, and warm and no need to venture about. So, imho, hold off on any vet visit. Good luck.

Thanks - I really appreciate your input and experience. I may try blocking off the ramp to his box to force him to hang out downstairs and get some exercise.
 

Maro2Bear

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Thanks - I really appreciate your input and experience. I may try blocking off the ramp to his box to force him to hang out downstairs and get some exercise.

Again, i wouldn't block things off. Why get Vlad more upset/disoriented? He's warm, has food, etc. sometimes, in fact most times i think we tend to interfere too much, Some encouraging head pats, shell rubs, some warm water misting all help too.
 

vladimir

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Again, i wouldn't block things off. Why get Vlad more upset/disoriented? He's warm, has food, etc. sometimes, in fact most times i think we tend to interfere too much, Some encouraging head pats, shell rubs, some warm water misting all help too.

Good point, I'll avoid anything that might add stress. I guess I'm just anxious for him to be his usual self.
 

Maro2Bear

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Good point, I'll avoid anything that might add stress. I guess I'm just anxious for him to be his usual self.


I just checked on our sully in her “brandy new” indoor night box. It’s 6 x 3 feet, two feet tall. Large Kane mat on the furthest inside (away from entrance), 120 RHP above, both connected to a LL Reptile thermostat. I lifted the lid, Sully looks up at me and says - “...really, you are checking on me AGAIN?” I IR temped Sullys head, feet, carapace - all at about 83-85F. To the far right is the exit/entrance. Sully comes out, eats, mozies about, then back into her “den” - warm, cozy and full.
 

Ray--Opo

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As big as Vladimir is I wouldn't think the pumpkin seeds would bother him. I would take Marks advice but you know Vladimir. It just might be the weather change.
 

Dovey

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Keep in mind how different ectotherms are and how slowly their metabolism changes compared to ours. If he is getting sick, it will take much longer to present real symptoms. If he is actually well and just reacting to seasonal changes, that too will take a while to reveal itself. So often, the answer is just to breathe deeply, hold on, and wait for the situation to develop further one way or another. If you have a fellow that's been like clock work until now, this can be particularly hard to do, but you can do it! I keep snakes, lizards, koi and tropical fish, a sonoran desert tortoise, and a room full of tarantulas. They are so much more challenging to my personality than my mammals, because so often I find myself having to wait on them to eventually reveal to me what it is that they want or need. That's just how it goes. Breathe, and wait.
 

vladimir

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Thanks everyone. At this point I don't think he's pooped in 8 or 9 days. Granted much of that time he was sleeping in box, but the long streak of not going has me concerned. How long before it becomes a problem? He's still interested in food at this point.

Today, He came down and ate this morning once I went in to greet him. He had some more aloe, escarole, and a few mazuri pellets before heading back up to box, where he peed all over :) I gave him a soak and let him splash around for a while, but still nothing.
 

Maro2Bear

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Thanks everyone. At this point I don't think he's pooped in 8 or 9 days. Granted much of that time he was sleeping in box, but the long streak of not going has me concerned. How long before it becomes a problem? He's still interested in food at this point.

Today, He came down and ate this morning once I went in to greet him. He had some more aloe, escarole, and a few mazuri pellets before heading back up to box, where he peed all over :) I gave him a soak and let him splash around for a while, but still nothing.


How long of a soak? As large a container/tub as you have AND maybe make it deeper and warmer than you normally do.
 

vladimir

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How long of a soak? As large a container/tub as you have AND maybe make it deeper and warmer than you normally do.

Thanks. I put him in the big 40 gallon and added a few extra gallons more than usual. He's just relaxing in the tub currently. He did devour a cucumber this morning when I offered it to him, so he definitely still has an appetite. He just doesn't seem to be motivated to go out and seek food.

I'm going to try to keep him in there with warm water for a few hours hopefully and see what happens.
 

Maro2Bear

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Thanks. I put him in the big 40 gallon and added a few extra gallons more than usual. He's just relaxing in the tub currently. He did devour a cucumber this morning when I offered it to him, so he definitely still has an appetite. He just doesn't seem to be motivated to go out and seek food.

I'm going to try to keep him in there with warm water for a few hours hopefully and see what happens.

Just keep replacing the water - nice n warm . Keep him paddling about a bit too.
 

vladimir

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After almost two hours he's getting to the "I'm annoyed, let me out of here" phase. I keep refreshing his water with warm water as the temperature drops. Still nothing.
 

vladimir

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At this point I'm thinking I should call the Vet and get him checked out. It's been at least 11 days without pooping at all.

Could ingesting dirt cause impaction issues? I'm trying to think what he might have eaten that would cause a problem. Back in October he was grazing outside a lot, and because the ground was so soft there were times I caught him tearing up grass and the clump of roots and trying to eat it all. I grabbed it whenever I saw this but I'm not sure if maybe he managed to eat too much of the soil with the grass?

:<3: thanks again for everyone's continued feedback and concern.
 

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