Homes hingeback tortoise pooped some slimy green thing.

16rash

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My 15yrs homes hingeback tortoise haven't been eating for last couples of weeks. he felt very light and eyes looked dry. no discharge from the nose though. so i soaked him in water ,i also added some salt & fruit puree in the water to get him extra minerals if he is dehydrated. he looked kind of relaxed and soaked for almost 6 hours. while cleaning the tub i noticed some slimy green thing in the water. i haven't fed him greens in last couple of days and he hasn't eaten in couple of weeks . not sure what that green slimy thing is. Do i need to see a vet ? please advise.
 

jsheffield

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If he hasn't been eating or pooping much lately, it could just be waste still in his gut from earlier eating.

I had good luck with my homes hingeback with incredibly long soaks (8-10 hours)... they seemed to stimulate his system and/or help him hydrate, and he began eating and drinking and exploring again.

I think I'd stick to something like Gatorade or pedialyte mixed 1:1 with warm water, or carrot/sweet-potato babyfood mixed 1:3 with warm water... too much salt added to the mix could exacerbate the dehydration.

One of the foods that got mine going again was butternut squash, which I buy cubed and frozen from my local supermarket... it's still a favorite of his.

Good luck!

Jamie
 

16rash

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appreciate your response. He seems to be little active after the soak. i will continue to soak him every alternate day. Butternut squash and kiwi are his favorite . i am hoping he get back to normal health. Thanks!
 

Yvonne G

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He just MIGHT possibly have a load of flagellate-type parasites. That sometimes shows up as slimey excrement.
 

zovick

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My 15yrs homes hingeback tortoise haven't been eating for last couples of weeks. he felt very light and eyes looked dry. no discharge from the nose though. so i soaked him in water ,i also added some salt & fruit puree in the water to get him extra minerals if he is dehydrated. he looked kind of relaxed and soaked for almost 6 hours. while cleaning the tub i noticed some slimy green thing in the water. i haven't fed him greens in last couple of days and he hasn't eaten in couple of weeks . not sure what that green slimy thing is. Do i need to see a vet ? please advise.
Have you tried feeding him live earthworms? They love them.
 

16rash

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Have you tried feeding him live earthworms? They love them.
i feed him live earthworms every week(around 8-10) to get enough protein but last couple of weeks he is not even eating earthworms :(..no food in last 3 -4 weeks.
 

zovick

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i feed him live earthworms every week(around 8-10) to get enough protein but last couple of weeks he is not even eating earthworms :(..no food in last 3 -4 weeks.
Sorry to hear that. It doesn't sound great. Perhaps he does need to see a vet.
Good luck!
 

16rash

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Sorry to hear that. It doesn't sound great. Perhaps he does need to see a vet.
Good luck!
Thanks.i will continue the soaking and if he wont start eating again in a day or 2, will take him to vet.
 

16rash

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hi all..quick update on my hingeback Zura..he is back to his normal self :) happily roaming and eating. I haven't taken him to vet (couldn't get the appointment ) but he is scheduled to have annual checkup done on July 31 .

i would like to thank everyone for quick and valuable response . :)
 

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