Plug up/impacted?

Hai

Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2018
Messages
130
Location (City and/or State)
Tucson az
I have a 3 year old sulcata. He seems to be plugged up real bad or impacted. He does poop up it's super soft. He keeps grunting like he's very uncomfortable and he has his butt up in the air. I been soaking him and giving him pumpkin, aloe, cactus and mineral oil hoping it would help pass whatever is there but with no luck. I'm not sure if you can give miralax or a child type laxative. I'm at a loss and wondering if my only option is taking to a vet. I'm real iffy on taking to the vet as I took him to a exotic vet before and they gave him a month of the same shot. So any advice would be appreciated.
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,658
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Put him in a large container like your tub with warm water and let him stay for an hour or so and try keeping him walking most of that time. Keep the water warm.
If this doesn't seem to help try a car ride. Most will poop in the car.
Then we need to know all the care you are giving. Diet, size of enclosure, substrate, heating, all temps(day, basking, night)humidity, everything you can think of. Something caused this. Example, a too small of an enclosure could cause this. Without enough exercise, the insides don't work properly.
 

MenagerieGrl

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Nov 11, 2020
Messages
1,163
Location (City and/or State)
El Sobrante, CA.
Put him in a large container like your tub with warm water and let him stay for an hour or so and try keeping him walking most of that time. Keep the water warm.
If this doesn't seem to help try a car ride. Most will poop in the car.
Then we need to know all the care you are giving. Diet, size of enclosure, substrate, heating, all temps(day, basking, night)humidity, everything you can think of. Something caused this. Example, a too small of an enclosure could cause this. Without enough exercise, the insides don't work properly.
I agree with wellington, the above info will help us figure out what's going on w/your Tort.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
I have a 3 year old sulcata. He seems to be plugged up real bad or impacted. He does poop up it's super soft. He keeps grunting like he's very uncomfortable and he has his butt up in the air. I been soaking him and giving him pumpkin, aloe, cactus and mineral oil hoping it would help pass whatever is there but with no luck. I'm not sure if you can give miralax or a child type laxative. I'm at a loss and wondering if my only option is taking to a vet. I'm real iffy on taking to the vet as I took him to a exotic vet before and they gave him a month of the same shot. So any advice would be appreciated.
If he's pooping and eating, then he's not impacted. It sounds like you might have a male "doing his thing".

Long soaks and car rides won't hurt anything to try though, just to be safe.

How large is the tortoise and what size is the enclosure? Is the tortoise coming out and walking in the morning and late evening in the summer heat? Does it have a self-dug burrow?
 

Hai

Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2018
Messages
130
Location (City and/or State)
Tucson az
If he's pooping and eating, then he's not impacted. It sounds like you might have a male "doing his thing".

Long soaks and car rides won't hurt anything to try though, just to be safe.

How large is the tortoise and what size is the enclosure? Is the tortoise coming out and walking in the morning and late evening in the summer heat? Does it have a self-dug burrow?
I'm not sure about measurements size but the last time he was weighed it was 50± lb. He lives in the backyard and he has a heated nightbox that's big enough to be a shed. He is coming out and wondering and he has a couple shade spots he goes and chills during the heat. There's 2 reasons why I think he's plugged up. The first is a couple months back he managed to climb up some bags of soil onto our raised garden bed and ate all our oriental long bean plants and they had plastic and metal ties on them. I have yet to see them be pooped out. The the second reason is hay. For the last year and a half I been trying and trying to get him to eat hay. Putting cut of pieces on the greens. About a month ago He finally started to eat the pile I had left out but I notice his poop was just full of hay. Like it's not getting digested. I'll try and get a video of the grunting he's doing. It sounds so miserable.
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,388
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
What you described in your first post in this thread is a young male discovering his manhood. When he does that if you get down on the ground and look under him you'll see his penis is out and he's rubbing it on the ground. They get over it after a few days and stop experimenting.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
I'm not sure about measurements size but the last time he was weighed it was 50± lb. He lives in the backyard and he has a heated nightbox that's big enough to be a shed. He is coming out and wondering and he has a couple shade spots he goes and chills during the heat. There's 2 reasons why I think he's plugged up. The first is a couple months back he managed to climb up some bags of soil onto our raised garden bed and ate all our oriental long bean plants and they had plastic and metal ties on them. I have yet to see them be pooped out. The the second reason is hay. For the last year and a half I been trying and trying to get him to eat hay. Putting cut of pieces on the greens. About a month ago He finally started to eat the pile I had left out but I notice his poop was just full of hay. Like it's not getting digested. I'll try and get a video of the grunting he's doing. It sounds so miserable.
An x-ray will confirm or deny the plastic and metal pieces.

The poops with the undigested hay are normal and that is how it is supposed to look. Adding opuntia to the diet a few times per week will help that pass. Long soaks will help too.
 

Hai

Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2018
Messages
130
Location (City and/or State)
Tucson az
What you described in your first post in this thread is a young male discovering his manhood. When he does that if you get down on the ground and look under him you'll see his penis is out and he's rubbing it on the ground. They get over it after a few days and stop experimenting.
Last year his thing was coming out And when it does he's usually on his tippy toes. This doesn't seem to be that to me.
 

Hai

Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2018
Messages
130
Location (City and/or State)
Tucson az
I went and got a x-ray and he doesn't seem to have any blockage but the bad news is he has a size of a baseball stone in his bladder. This is why hes been straining and pushing. Unfortunately the only thing they can do is surgery to get it out. Does anyone know of a place that helps with financial support for vet emergency? With a 3.2k bill you would think they would have some kind of payment plan...
 

Hai

Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2018
Messages
130
Location (City and/or State)
Tucson az

Skunkworks

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
Joined
Nov 7, 2021
Messages
186
Location (City and/or State)
Coeur D Alene,ID
Care Credit was a Lifesaver for me when my Amstaff was Diagnosed with a Carcinoma.I spent $6,800 for a surgery just to make her more comfortable before her passing knowing that she had only Months to live after her surgery. It was all worth it. Everyday with her was the Greatest.. You should do a Go Fund Me page. I will donate. I hope all the best for you and your tortoise.
 
Top