Sulcata stopped drinking water

Cscoffee1

New Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2020
Messages
18
Location (City and/or State)
Miami Texas
My 5 year old sulcata used to drink water about every other day. A little over 2 months ago, he developed a respiratory infection and our vet prescribed Baytril injections. His respiratory issues resolved, however he hasn't drank since!
Took him back to the vet, due to him straining to have a bowel movement. She said he was compacted and pulled out alot of dehydrated feces. She reccomended that I feed him watermelon, cucumbers, bell peppers, basically food with high water content. Has anyone had this happen? Any tips on how to make him drink water again?
 

nicoleann2214

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2020
Messages
917
Location (City and/or State)
NY
My 5 year old sulcata used to drink water about every other day. A little over 2 months ago, he developed a respiratory infection and our vet prescribed Baytril injections. His respiratory issues resolved, however he hasn't drank since!
Took him back to the vet, due to him straining to have a bowel movement. She said he was compacted and pulled out alot of dehydrated feces. She reccomended that I feed him watermelon, cucumbers, bell peppers, basically food with high water content. Has anyone had this happen? Any tips on how to make him drink water again?
@Tom
 

KarenSoCal

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jul 8, 2017
Messages
5,750
Location (City and/or State)
Low desert 50 mi SE of Palm Springs CA
Do you soak him? He might drink in the soak. Also, spritz water on his food so he gets it while eating, and do feed him the high water content foods the vet recommended, along with regular foods and greens. Mazuri has decent fiber, does he eat it?

Keep in mind that if he "eats" lots of water, the less he'll feel the need to drink.
I don't know what else to suggest, but I'm sure others will have more help to offer.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,270
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
My 5 year old sulcata used to drink water about every other day. A little over 2 months ago, he developed a respiratory infection and our vet prescribed Baytril injections. His respiratory issues resolved, however he hasn't drank since!
Took him back to the vet, due to him straining to have a bowel movement. She said he was compacted and pulled out alot of dehydrated feces. She reccomended that I feed him watermelon, cucumbers, bell peppers, basically food with high water content. Has anyone had this happen? Any tips on how to make him drink water again?
FIrst, understand why the tortoise got sick in the first place and correct that problem. Vets tend to treat symptoms and never deal with the CAUSE. RIs are usually caused by low night temps. This tropical species needs it to be 80 or higher 24/7 all year long. How are you housing it, and how are you heating its night quarters? What is the usual overnight low?

Second, never use injectable Baytril. It is caustic. It burns the injection site like bleach and its extremely painful. There are now other meds that work just as well without the burning side effects. We all used Baytril 30 years ago. Now we know better. Well... Some of us do.

Third: Soak this tortoise every day for a while. Use warm water in a warm area. Soak for an hour. You'll need a large tub ad the water needs to stay warm for the whole soak.

Next, go to any Mexican grocery store like Vallarta or Tres Sierras, and get some spineless opuntia pads. AKA: Nopales. These are excellent tortoise food and the slimeyness really help move things through the GI tract. I highly recommend you start growing your own opuntia. This should be a regular part of the diet for any large sulcata that eats a lot of grass hay.

Finally, what size is your tortoise, and what are you using for a water dish? Pics will help.
 

Cscoffee1

New Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2020
Messages
18
Location (City and/or State)
Miami Texas
Do you soak him? He might drink in the soak. Also, spritz water on his food so he gets it while eating, and do feed him the high water content foods the vet recommended, along with regular foods and greens. Mazuri has decent fiber, does he eat it?

Keep in mind that if he "eats" lots of water, the less he'll feel the need to drink.
I don't know what else to suggest, but I'm sure others will have more help to offer.
Do you soak him? He might drink in the soak. Also, spritz water on his food so he gets it while eating, and do feed him the high water content foods the vet recommended, along with regular foods and greens. Mazuri has decent fiber, does he eat it?

Keep in mind that if he "eats" lots of water, the less he'll feel the need to drink.
I don't know what else to suggest, but I'm sure others will have more help to offer.


*I wish I could edit my post*
Since he hasn't been drinking, I've been soaking about 5 days a week. He usually drinks water when he soaks, but nothing in 2 months :(
He love mazuri, thanks for the reminder.
In the summer, he grazes outside, eats grass with the occasional treat of fruit/vegetables. Fingers crossed he gets back on track soon :)
 

Skip K

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2020
Messages
407
Location (City and/or State)
Virginia
Personally...I’m not a fan of Mazuri. Our 3 baby Sulcatas came to us extremely dehydrated and with a baggy filled with Mazuri that the breeder used as their diet. I dropped the Mazuri from their diet and switched to Zoomed Grassland which I’ve always had good results with. I’m sure that it wasn’t “just” the Mazuri that got the babies so dehydrated...but husbandry conditions as well at the breeders. I had to put in much effort...providing proper humidity levels and no food that was dry. Even the greens or hibiscus flowers were super wet and the Zoomed soaked into a mash. Cactus was added to the diet and also on occasion gave melon for hydration. Slowly the urate issues became less and less...till they stopped. I’ve only on very rare occasions seen them drink...not even when soaking. After a few months with zero problems...I was temporarily outta Zoomed and thought I’ll just give them soaked Mazuri once...till the zoomed order arrives. 2-3 days later...I saw two urate deposits in the enclosure. Zoomed order arrives...haven’t fed Mazuri since...and no urates for two months since that last episode. Many people swear by Mazuri and how they have gotten great results ....but I’ll never feed it to any of our torts again. I simply like the ingredients in Zoomed better.
 

Cscoffee1

New Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2020
Messages
18
Location (City and/or State)
Miami Texas
FIrst, understand why the tortoise got sick in the first place and correct that problem. Vets tend to treat symptoms and never deal with the CAUSE. RIs are usually caused by low night temps. This tropical species needs it to be 80 or higher 24/7 all year long. How are you housing it, and how are you heating its night quarters? What is the usual overnight low?

Second, never use injectable Baytril. It is caustic. It burns the injection site like bleach and its extremely painful. There are now other meds that work just as well without the burning side effects. We all used Baytril 30 years ago. Now we know better. Well... Some of us do.

Third: Soak this tortoise every day for a while. Use warm water in a warm area. Soak for an hour. You'll need a large tub ad the water needs to stay warm for the whole soak.

Next, go to any Mexican grocery store like Vallarta or Tres Sierras, and get some spineless opuntia pads. AKA: Nopales. These are excellent tortoise food and the slimeyness really help move things through the GI tract. I highly recommend you start growing your own opuntia. This should be a regular part of the diet for any large sulcata that eats a lot of grass hay.

Finally, what size is your tortoise, and what are you using for a water dish? Pics will help.
Larry weighs 17lbs. His temp ranges from 77 to 85 and he grazes grass during the day with the occasional fruit/veg treat.
One evening, our teenager forget to bring him inside while she went to a football game. (I wasn't in town) The night temp dropped to 69 with high winds. He was out in the heavy winds aprox 4 hrs. We believe that's why he ended up with RIS. :(
Weve tried several different bowls, terracotta saucers etc. its so odd, he drank from them before but not know. He has stopped drinking during his soaks also ?‍♀️
I was soaking every other day prior, bumped it up to 5-6 days a week. However, I've only been soaking aprox 30 minutes before the water gets cool. How do I keep it warm for an hour?
Here's a few xrays, not sure if that helps.
(our vet works with the zoo, however she not a herp. The nearest Herp is 6.5 hrs away)
Actually, were not even sure if Larry is indeed a he either. Lol
 

Attachments

  • 20201026_135048.jpg
    20201026_135048.jpg
    2.1 MB · Views: 28
  • 20201026_135131.jpg
    20201026_135131.jpg
    1.5 MB · Views: 27
  • 20201026_134956.jpg
    20201026_134956.jpg
    2.1 MB · Views: 34
  • 20201002_152139.jpg
    20201002_152139.jpg
    2.6 MB · Views: 36

Cscoffee1

New Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2020
Messages
18
Location (City and/or State)
Miami Texas
Personally...I’m not a fan of Mazuri. Our 3 baby Sulcatas came to us extremely dehydrated and with a baggy filled with Mazuri that the breeder used as their diet. I dropped the Mazuri from their diet and switched to Zoomed Grassland which I’ve always had good results with. I’m sure that it wasn’t “just” the Mazuri that got the babies so dehydrated...but husbandry conditions as well at the breeders. I had to put in much effort...providing proper humidity levels and no food that was dry. Even the greens or hibiscus flowers were super wet and the Zoomed soaked into a mash. Cactus was added to the diet and also on occasion gave melon for hydration. Slowly the urate issues became less and less...till they stopped. I’ve only on very rare occasions seen them drink...not even when soaking. After a few months with zero problems...I was temporarily outta Zoomed and thought I’ll just give them soaked Mazuri once...till the zoomed order arrives. 2-3 days later...I saw two urate deposits in the enclosure. Zoomed order arrives...haven’t fed Mazuri since...and no urates for two months since that last episode. Many people swear by Mazuri and how they have gotten great results ....but I’ll never feed it to any of our torts again. I simply like the ingredients in Zoomed better.
That's good to know! I'll get Zoomed as well! Ty!
 

Cscoffee1

New Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2020
Messages
18
Location (City and/or State)
Miami Texas
FIrst, understand why the tortoise got sick in the first place and correct that problem. Vets tend to treat symptoms and never deal with the CAUSE. RIs are usually caused by low night temps. This tropical species needs it to be 80 or higher 24/7 all year long. How are you housing it, and how are you heating its night quarters? What is the usual overnight low?

Second, never use injectable Baytril. It is caustic. It burns the injection site like bleach and its extremely painful. There are now other meds that work just as well without the burning side effects. We all used Baytril 30 years ago. Now we know better. Well... Some of us do.

Third: Soak this tortoise every day for a while. Use warm water in a warm area. Soak for an hour. You'll need a large tub ad the water needs to stay warm for the whole soak.

Next, go to any Mexican grocery store like Vallarta or Tres Sierras, and get some spineless opuntia pads. AKA: Nopales. These are excellent tortoise food and the slimeyness really help move things through the GI tract. I highly recommend you start growing your own opuntia. This should be a regular part of the diet for any large sulcata that eats a lot of grass hay.

Finally, what size is your tortoise, and what are you using for a water dish? Pics will help.
I need to plant some Nopales :)
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,270
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Larry weighs 17lbs. His temp ranges from 77 to 85 and he grazes grass during the day with the occasional fruit/veg treat.
One evening, our teenager forget to bring him inside while she went to a football game. (I wasn't in town) The night temp dropped to 69 with high winds. He was out in the heavy winds aprox 4 hrs. We believe that's why he ended up with RIS. :(
Weve tried several different bowls, terracotta saucers etc. its so odd, he drank from them before but not know. He has stopped drinking during his soaks also ?‍♀️
I was soaking every other day prior, bumped it up to 5-6 days a week. However, I've only been soaking aprox 30 minutes before the water gets cool. How do I keep it warm for an hour?
Here's a few xrays, not sure if that helps.
(our vet works with the zoo, however she not a herp. The nearest Herp is 6.5 hrs away)
Actually, were not even sure if Larry is indeed a he either. Lol
Keep the temp 85+ 24/7 for at least a few weeks to help fight the RI.

Keep the water warm by replacing it, trickling in more warm, or by keeping the soaking tub somewhere warm/hot.

4 hours at 69 should not cause an RI. I suppose its possible, but I suspect something else is going on.

If you have someone hold Larry with his shell up against their chest and his nose pointed toward the sky, and then take a picture of the tail and anal scutes, we can sex him/her. We'll need to see the tail clearly.
 

Skip K

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2020
Messages
407
Location (City and/or State)
Virginia
That's good to know! I'll get Zoomed as well! Ty!
Just a heads up about Zoomed. Mazuri uses “cane molasses” ( basically liquid sugar) to elicit feed responses. I don’t like sugar of any kind in a diet...except for the occasional but infrequent hydrating melon. I’ve seen too many torts develop sweet tooths. I’ve had rehomes that had been feed Mazuri and had issues getting them to change to a more varied diet ( had one rehomes that initially would only eat Mazuri and nothing else). Be patient with trying/switching to Zoomed. We have many torts/turtles..many species...and they eat whatever I put in front of them now. “Picky eaters” is not in our lexicon anymore.
 

Cscoffee1

New Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2020
Messages
18
Location (City and/or State)
Miami Texas
Keep the temp 85+ 24/7 for at least a few weeks to help fight the RI.

Keep the water warm by replacing it, trickling in more warm, or by keeping the soaking tub somewhere warm/hot.

4 hours at 69 should not cause an RI. I suppose its possible, but I suspect something else is going on.

If you have someone hold Larry with his shell up against their chest and his nose pointed toward the sky, and then take a picture of the tail and anal scutes, we can sex him/her. We'll need to see the tail clearly.
Thank you for your help! ❤
 

Olivertort1

Member
Joined
Sep 14, 2018
Messages
37
Location (City and/or State)
North Charleston SC
Personally...I’m not a fan of Mazuri. Our 3 baby Sulcatas came to us extremely dehydrated and with a baggy filled with Mazuri that the breeder used as their diet. I dropped the Mazuri from their diet and switched to Zoomed Grassland which I’ve always had good results with. I’m sure that it wasn’t “just” the Mazuri that got the babies so dehydrated...but husbandry conditions as well at the breeders. I had to put in much effort...providing proper humidity levels and no food that was dry. Even the greens or hibiscus flowers were super wet and the Zoomed soaked into a mash. Cactus was added to the diet and also on occasion gave melon for hydration. Slowly the urate issues became less and less...till they stopped. I’ve only on very rare occasions seen them drink...not even when soaking. After a few months with zero problems...I was temporarily outta Zoomed and thought I’ll just give them soaked Mazuri once...till the zoomed order arrives. 2-3 days later...I saw two urate deposits in the enclosure. Zoomed order arrives...haven’t fed Mazuri since...and no urates for two months since that last episode. Many people swear by Mazuri and how they have gotten great results ....but I’ll never feed it to any of our torts again. I simply like the ingredients in Zoomed better.
I agree. I use the Zoomed Forest Tortoise for my Redfoots. They love it and it has better ingredients imo
 

Skip K

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2020
Messages
407
Location (City and/or State)
Virginia
I agree. I use the Zoomed Forest Tortoise for my Redfoots. They love it and it has better ingredients imo
Yep...only Zoomed Forest for our Redfoots too ...as well as the Grassland for the Leopards and Sulcatas. I use Zoomed Water Turtle diet for our semi aquatic black wood turtle. I was given a half empty 25lb bag a Mazuri but won’t feed it to any of our torts...but do feed it on occasion to our rescue boxies. Best thing I like about the Zoomed tort diets...if I run out of one type...I can substitute either for any tort if needed short term
 

Cscoffee1

New Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2020
Messages
18
Location (City and/or State)
Miami Texas
Yep...only Zoomed Forest for our Redfoots too ...as well as the Grassland for the Leopards and Sulcatas. I use Zoomed Water Turtle diet for our semi aquatic black wood turtle. I was given a half empty 25lb bag a Mazuri but won’t feed it to any of our torts...but do feed it on occasion to our rescue boxies. Best thing I like about the Zoomed tort diets...if I run out of one type...I can substitute either for any tort if needed short term
[/QUOTEi)
In the past, I gave Larry the "Gourmet".
Should I switch to "grassland"?
 

Attachments

  • 20201111_103333.jpg
    20201111_103333.jpg
    1.6 MB · Views: 14

Cscoffee1

New Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2020
Messages
18
Location (City and/or State)
Miami Texas
Yep...only Zoomed Forest for our Redfoots too ...as well as the Grassland for the Leopards and Sulcatas. I use Zoomed Water Turtle diet for our semi aquatic black wood turtle. I was given a half empty 25lb bag a Mazuri but won’t feed it to any of our torts...but do feed it on occasion to our rescue boxies. Best thing I like about the Zoomed tort diets...if I run out of one type...I can substitute either for any tort if needed short term
I also read this was good, thoughts?
 

Attachments

  • 20201111_103949.jpg
    20201111_103949.jpg
    1.5 MB · Views: 14
  • 20201111_104018.jpg
    20201111_104018.jpg
    1.2 MB · Views: 14

moyamomof03

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2012
Messages
1
Is the Zoomed Forest for any tortoise? I have a California Dessert Tortoise...
 

Skip K

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2020
Messages
407
Location (City and/or State)
Virginia
I also read this was good, thoughts?
Never tried that. Looks a lot like Zoomed pellets. Are the ingredients pure Timothy grass? No additives like vitamins etc...that might me geared for a mammal? Pure hay would be great. One of the reasons I like Zoomed is it is helping train our baby Sulcatas. Our Leopards will graze on grass and dried hays...but our baby Sulcatas because of hydration problems have been only fed “wet” foods including soaked Zoomed. But I overfeed them so there is Zoomed left over...which dries overnite...making mulched, little pieces of dry “hay”. Then by not feeding them in the morning...their only option is to eat the dry Zoomed hay. I’ve found with the babies...larger pieces of natural hay...are harder for babies to eat...and they have a tendency to ignore it somewhat. The horse pellets look chopped up enough for the babies...which is good and it’s processed which I like. I’ve read articles about “feed store” hay and maybe an issue. I don’t remember all the particulars but there is some impurity ( maybe a fungus ) that is present in most...but in low acceptable levels as per government regs. For most torts...this fungus? doesn’t cause a problem...but to the ones that it does effect it causes a respiratory infection that is hard to diagnose and treat. Think like how some people are affected by say gluten or dairy or peanuts. You could have a family with parents and siblings and one member has an issue and the rest don’t. This is why I prefer “processed” hays and I’m uncomfortable with say feeding a bale of hay or grasses for livestock. But this is just me.
 
Last edited:

New Posts

Top