Mateya.sarne
New Member
Hey all! I would really appreciate any help or advice!!!
Last I posted on here, Timmy was not able to poop. After a visit to the vet & an increase in fiber he did poop & his activity/appetite has increased! Yay!
Although, we have come across another problem. A few days after he pooped he passed two large urates, the biggest one was pea sized & stone hard. I kept a close eye the next week & he had only passed one smaller (but still hard) urate the day after he passed the 2 large ones. Since then (about 2 weeks ago) I have seen no urates but he is peeing! Obviously, this consistency of a urate is not good. I decided to get him an x-ray at the vet a week ago. The vet detected a bladder stone shown in the picture attached. Although, they did not give me much advice on what to do next. The stone appears small & I’d imagine he should be able to pass it on his own, so I’d like to do everything that could help him pass it before it gets bigger!
Since the poop scare I have adjusted his diet to a higher fiber diet with Timothy hay & the zoo med grassland pellets. Including the pellets & hay, I combine green leaf lettuce, dandelion & bok choy (all rotating daily). I soak all of his food before I feed to ensure he is getting water in his system. As well as continuing to soak him every day for a minimum of 30 minutes. Since I last posted I have also increased the humidity in his enclosure by using spagnum moss (hidden from him to eat). I have also added an additional basking light so his enclosure has a warm & cool side keeping ambient temperature of no lower than 80 F. He has full 24/7 access to clean drinking water. I’ve done research about bladder stones in tortoises & know that sulcatas are more prone to them. I also know that high oxalate foods are bad for one with a bladder stone. I’d like to know more types of foods I can feed him that are low in oxalates. As well as anything else I can do to help him pass it on his own! Is there anything I need to stop doing? Anything I should start or change?? I’m trying to avoid a surgical procedure but I do know if it gets too big that will be needed.
PLEASE HELP! It is all appreciated, even the constructive criticism.
I will also add, I brought a fecal sample to a lab yesterday to test the level of parasites which had come back normal.
Last I posted on here, Timmy was not able to poop. After a visit to the vet & an increase in fiber he did poop & his activity/appetite has increased! Yay!
Although, we have come across another problem. A few days after he pooped he passed two large urates, the biggest one was pea sized & stone hard. I kept a close eye the next week & he had only passed one smaller (but still hard) urate the day after he passed the 2 large ones. Since then (about 2 weeks ago) I have seen no urates but he is peeing! Obviously, this consistency of a urate is not good. I decided to get him an x-ray at the vet a week ago. The vet detected a bladder stone shown in the picture attached. Although, they did not give me much advice on what to do next. The stone appears small & I’d imagine he should be able to pass it on his own, so I’d like to do everything that could help him pass it before it gets bigger!
Since the poop scare I have adjusted his diet to a higher fiber diet with Timothy hay & the zoo med grassland pellets. Including the pellets & hay, I combine green leaf lettuce, dandelion & bok choy (all rotating daily). I soak all of his food before I feed to ensure he is getting water in his system. As well as continuing to soak him every day for a minimum of 30 minutes. Since I last posted I have also increased the humidity in his enclosure by using spagnum moss (hidden from him to eat). I have also added an additional basking light so his enclosure has a warm & cool side keeping ambient temperature of no lower than 80 F. He has full 24/7 access to clean drinking water. I’ve done research about bladder stones in tortoises & know that sulcatas are more prone to them. I also know that high oxalate foods are bad for one with a bladder stone. I’d like to know more types of foods I can feed him that are low in oxalates. As well as anything else I can do to help him pass it on his own! Is there anything I need to stop doing? Anything I should start or change?? I’m trying to avoid a surgical procedure but I do know if it gets too big that will be needed.
PLEASE HELP! It is all appreciated, even the constructive criticism.
I will also add, I brought a fecal sample to a lab yesterday to test the level of parasites which had come back normal.
