Constipated Tortoise

[worldmother]

I have a spur thighed tortoise who is bright eyed, alert; however, not eating, barely moving, and will not poop. I have soaked him in above 80 degree weather in a mineral oil bath and offered him wet kale, tortoise hay, watermelon, peaches, and other delectables to no avail. His substrate is calcium sand which he is also not eating. He has been in the warm weather for about a week. For the first time in 13 years this has happened and I'm not sure what to do. He has never been this constipated.
If you could take the time to give me any input or advice I would greatly appreciate it and so would my tortoise! Thank you!

 

[lismar79]

Sand is known to cause impactions, I would get rid of it asap and switch to coco core, fir bark, or even top soil. Cactus, aloe, and cucumber work as good laxitives. You may want to get a vet opinion though in case there's a blockage. Hopefully one of the experts chime in for you as well.

 

[dmmj]

If soaking does not move things, It could be a blockage of some type. Would you elaborate on his substrate, what do you mean by calcium.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Are you meaning, “Calci-sand" as the substrate? If so, this could very well be the problem. While originally seen as a great product when it first hit the market in the early '90's, further research has shown that not only can it contribute to the calcification of soft organs, but it also collects to itself very readily. This is nice when scooping waste from the enclosure, but that same clumping action takes place in the gut tract causing impaction when it's ingested. Trust me, it gets ingested.
Change out the substrate to organic, fertilizer free top soil, continue the daily soaks, and get some spineless cactus pads for him to chow down on. If, after a week after eating cactus with the soaks, you still have no bowel movement, get him to a vet ASAP. Surgery maybe in order or at the least a mineral oil or warm water rectal flush.

 

[mike taylor]

You can try the ole car ride . Every time I have to take one of my torts to the vet they poo everywhere .

 

[ascott]

Please remove the sand....it is likely the issue. When you offer up the soaks, are you doing them daily, are you making the soak last for AT LEAST an hour? I would offer a couple long ---long soaks each day..how long have you had the tort in your care?

 

[JoesMum]

You can try the ole car ride . Every time I have to take one of my torts to the vet they poo everywhere .

I agree, it does seem to have a laxative effect!

Please change the substrate, get rid of the sand. Put your tort on newsoaper temporarily if necessary. And until you have normal feeding and behaviour, I recommend twice daily soaking for a good 30 minutes in warm water - change the water if it cools off. Don't just save soaking for when the weather is above 80 degrees (I might be misreading your opening post)

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

Please discontinue "mineral oil baths" immediately. You run the risk of getting the oil into the tortoise's lungs and he'll die. Mineral oil is soft and slippery and a tortoise may not realize he's breathing it in.

Try foods with a laxative-type effect, like canned pumpkin (not pie mix), cactus, aloe, etc.

One really good way to help them poop is to put them into a large tub, even your bath tub, with warm water and just leave him in there. Eventually he'll get tired of being in the water and he'll start to scramble to get out. The scrambling and the water usually cause the tortoise to release his bowels. Don't worry about the water cooling off. It won't get colder than room temperature, and that's not too cold.

 

[Yvonne G]

I should have mentioned that the water should not be too deep...only up to the middle of the tortoise's sides.