Bob Cummings

[Maggie3fan]

I've done what I thought was a bunch of research on a bladder stone since Bob died, and I thought that I was really doing right by him, and I have my male / female named Mary Knobby... so anyway Bob had a big bladder stone and died from the surgery, so I've been real conscious about soaking and diet. Mary K used to break through a cinder block wall to go into the box turtle pond and she drank and she'd hang out in there.... I realize it's mixing a whole bunch of different species but sometimes that's just tough poop... anyway Mary and I were working in her pen and I was just a few feet away from her and all the sudden I heard this noise... a really really loud and kinda hollow... kind of scared me and then I turned around looked at her cuz nobody else was around and she was up on all fours and she was pushing out the biggest pile of urates you ever saw... to make this long story short I walked over and I picked up that pile of urates with two fingers and you know just my hand it was that not solid but it wasn't right and I started poking around it and then I found three bladder stones that are just a little bit bigger than a marble, now I'm hauling water from my house down the stairs out there to soak her in warm water. So I'm scared and what is the reason so I'm scared is for what I just told you about Mary and I have experience with bladder stones... you know why...because next Monday is August 15th and that means it's exactly seven years since my Bob died and Bob died from a big bladder stone. Frankly...there are no words. This was the best Sulcata ever...

 

[jaizei]

Do you feed her Mazuri? I'd think about dropping that for a while, using Zoo Med if you really want to offer a 'chow' type food.

 

[Yvonne G]

If he/she has bladder stones it more than likely started before the tortoise came to you. He/she had a pretty bad start in life.

Spritz water over that big pile of ROS blossoms you feed her. Take every chance you can to make sure she gets water. Maybe even dig a big hole in his/her yard and keep it filled with water since he/she seems to enjoy the box turtle pond so much.

Go to our FAQ section and read the two links I've put up referring to bladder stones and see if there's anything new in there for you to try.

(And Neener, Neener - Dudley's gulars are bigger than Bob's!!!!!)

 

[Maggie3fan]

Do you feed her Mazuri? I'd think about dropping that for a while, using Zoo Med if you really want to offer a 'chow' type food.

No, I rarely feed her Mazuri...most of her food is grown, (ROS, grape leaves, weeds, grass, hay) I add Minor-all twice a month...I think it's a dehydration thing...

 

[Maggie3fan]

If he/she has bladder stones it more than likely started before the tortoise came to you. He/she had a pretty bad start in life.

Spritz water over that big pile of ROS blossoms you feed her. Take every chance you can to make sure she gets water. Maybe even dig a big hole in his/her yard and keep it filled with water since he/she seems to enjoy the box turtle pond so much.

Go to our FAQ section and read the two links I've put up referring to bladder stones and see if there's anything new in there for you to try.

(And Neener, Neener - Dudley's gulars are bigger than Bob's!!!!!)

That's cuz Dudley is more 'wild' than Bob...and Dudley is years older than Bob was at death...and yeah, I noticed...lol

If he/she has bladder stones it more than likely started before the tortoise came to you. He/she had a pretty bad start in life.

Spritz water over that big pile of ROS blossoms you feed her. Take every chance you can to make sure she gets water. Maybe even dig a big hole in his/her yard and keep it filled with water since he/she seems to enjoy the box turtle pond so much.

Go to our FAQ section and read the two links I've put up referring to bladder stones and see if there's anything new in there for you to try.

(And Neener, Neener - Dudley's gulars are bigger than Bob's!!!!!)

actually I have just finished rereading those, (and that's where I found the photo)

 

[Tom]

Diet, hydration, locomotion. These are the main factors in bladder stone formation, or that lack thereof. Proteins, which are necessary, is where the urates come from. Adequate water helps pass the urates before they concentrate into "stones". Regular soaks encourage them to release their bladder contents, thus flushing urates and any forming stones out. Locomotion helps keep everything "down there" moving. As time passes, the more I see around the country and at the TTPG conference, I'm convinced that small enclosures play a part in this. Completely anecdotal at this point, but I see what I see.

Your diet sound great.

I don't know the water situation. Does she drink often? Do you soak her ever? I've seen pics of her sloshing around in deep puddles, but how often does that happen?

That leaves locomotion. How active is she? Mine get less active in the heat of summer. They sit in one spot in the shade waiting out the heat of the day, but they move around a lot in the cool mornings and evenings as the sun dips down. How large is the enclosure? Remember how I'm always bitching and whining about people keeping them cooped up in shed's or basements in cold climates? This is why. She's out roaming around in the warm summer weather right now, but when did those "stones' form? How long has she been carrying them?