Greek tortoise not defecating for two weeks

[Mom of Zitouna]

Hey, so I have a Greek tortoise which someone gave me less than two weeks ago. She is small, like 1,5 inches but I don't know her age. She's been healthy, active, and eating well, she also looks good. But she didn't defecate ever since she came home. She did urinate but never defecate. I mainly feed her lettuce.

Should I worry? I have no access to a vet where I live. Should I feed her something else? Hoping to get advice as soon as possible.

Thank you.

 

[Noelluene]

Aside form lettuce, what other vegetables do you give her? Lettuce alone isn't a good source of food.

Do you provide her with soaks daily? Young tortoises require daily soaking in warm water for around 30 minutes at least. Aside from hydrating them, it can also help with bowel movement.

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome,
This is the caresheet you need to make sure you are providing everything your baby needs to help him thrive.

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

My guess is that at that size he could be less than a couple of months old but there's no hard and fast rules for how torts grow. He is definitely a baby though so please read the caresheet to make sure he is warm enough and has UVB which they need to absorb calcium and other nutrients and will also help his digestive system. It also suggests foods for a varied diet - as previously mentioned lettuce alone is not a good diet.
Soaking in luke warm shallow water in a container large enough for him to walk about in will also encourage him to poop. The water should only come up to where the top shell meets the plastron (bottom shell) and should never cover his head.
Can you post pics of his enclosure and lamps you use so that we can help you make sure he is happy and safe?

 

[TammyJ]

I totally endorse what advice you have been given. Follow it and your baby will have the best chance!

 

[Mom of Zitouna]

Aside form lettuce, what other vegetables do you give her? Lettuce alone isn't a good source of food.

Do you provide her with soaks daily? Young tortoises require daily soaking in warm water for around 30 minutes at least. Aside from hydrating them, it can also help with bowel movement.

I tried feeding her carrots in very small bits but she didn't eat them. Aside from that I still didn't get to try other foods.

Is it okay to soak her even tho the weather is so cold? My home isn't always heated because we have problems with the heating system.

 

[Mom of Zitouna]

Hi and welcome,
This is the caresheet you need to make sure you are providing everything your baby needs to help him thrive.

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

My guess is that at that size he could be less than a couple of months old but there's no hard and fast rules for how torts grow. He is definitely a baby though so please read the caresheet to make sure he is warm enough and has UVB which they need to absorb calcium and other nutrients and will also help his digestive system. It also suggests foods for a varied diet - as previously mentioned lettuce alone is not a good diet.
Soaking in luke warm shallow water in a container large enough for him to walk about in will also encourage him to poop. The water should only come up to where the top shell meets the plastron (bottom shell) and should never cover his head.
Can you post pics of his enclosure and lamps you use so that we can help you make sure he is happy and safe?

I'm afraid I don't have such things as an enclosure and UVB lights I live in the third world and such things are rare but also I can't afford them....

I'll definetly try soaking her in lukewarm water and try my best to vary her diet as much as I can though!

 

[Karen(pebbles)]

hi and welcome, can you post pics of what you're keeping your tort in?
it would help people advise you on the best care.

 

[zolasmum]

I'm afraid I don't have such things as an enclosure and UVB lights I live in the third world and such things are rare but also I can't afford them....

I'll definetly try soaking her in lukewarm water and try my best to vary her diet as much as I can though!

Thank you for trying to look after her so carefully - if you can cook the carrot and then mash it up, you might find she can manage to eat it then. Do you have dandelions where you live? If the leaves have not been sprayed, they are a good food too.
Angie

 

[Sarah2020]

Hibiscus leaves and flower will be available wash them and chop small add to lettuce . Have a read of tortoise table to see if you can recognise something available locally.

The Tortoise Table - Home

The Tortoise Table plant database and resource site for Tortoise owners

www.thetortoisetable.org.uk

Ask questions as required.

 

[Lyn W]

I'm afraid I don't have such things as an enclosure and UVB lights I live in the third world and such things are rare but also I can't afford them....

I'll definetly try soaking her in lukewarm water and try my best to vary her diet as much as I can though!

What are you keeping her in to keep her safe and what are the temperatures/climate like in your country?

 

[Noelluene]

I tried feeding her carrots in very small bits but she didn't eat them. Aside from that I still didn't get to try other foods.

Is it okay to soak her even tho the weather is so cold? My home isn't always heated because we have problems with the heating system.

Soaks are vital to baby tortoises. If you can't get warm water from the taps then you can boil some water and add it to cold water until it is lukewarm. (~27C)

 

[Mom of Zitouna]

hi and welcome, can you post pics of what you're keeping your tort in?
it would help people advise you on the best care.

I'm not keeping her in one spot, I let her go around freely on my desk and on tables at home, and when she sleeps, I gently put her in a box where I installed a towel so that she doesn't get cold and sick.

 

[Mom of Zitouna]

Thank you for trying to look after her so carefully - if you can cook the carrot and then mash it up, you might find she can manage to eat it then. Do you have dandelions where you live? If the leaves have not been sprayed, they are a good food too.
Angie

HI, thanks for the advice, I'll try it! I think I might find dandelions if I look for them.

 

[Mom of Zitouna]

What are you keeping her in to keep her safe and what are the temperatures/climate like in your country?

I am putting her on tables and desk and let her roam freely where I can watch her where she's safe. And when she sleeps I gently carry her and put her in a cardbox in which I put a towel to maybe make it less cold. That's the absolute best I can do rn and I wish I could do more

Where I live, the temperatures right now go from 9 to 14 °C or 48,2 to 57,2 °F. But we sometimes have heating inside the house so the temperature can be a bit higher than those numbers I just gave.

 

[Mom of Zitouna]

Soaks are vital to baby tortoises. If you can't get warm water from the taps then you can boil some water and add it to cold water until it is lukewarm. (~27C)

Thank you, I'll do it! Should I do it once every day?

 

[Lyn W]

I'm not keeping her in one spot, I let her go around freely on my desk and on tables at home, and when she sleeps, I gently put her in a box where I installed a towel so that she doesn't get cold and sick.

Torts are cold blooded and will get cold without a heat source like the sun or lamps etc, They aren't like us mammals with body heat and clothes and blankets etc.
What are your temperatures at the moment in your part of Algiers?
That is an important factor in keeping him healthy. Do you still have warm sunny days?
Because you said can't provide the things he needs maybe @Tom or @Yvonne G @ZenHerper or @zovick can suggest the best things to do for this baby.

I'm guessing your friend found this tort in the wild but it may be too late /cold now to put him back.

Please read the caresheet and try to follow it as closely as possible. I worry that your baby will not survive without your help.

 

[Mom of Zitouna]

Torts are cold blooded and will get cold without a heat source like the sun or lamps etc, They aren't like us mammals with body heat and clothes and blankets etc.
What are your temperatures at the moment in your part of Algiers?
That is an important factor in keeping him healthy. Do you still have warm sunny days?
Because you said can't provide the things he needs maybe @Tom or @Yvonne G @ZenHerper or @zovick can suggest the best things to do for this baby.

I'm guessing your friend found this tort in the wild but it may be too late /cold now to put him back.

Please read the caresheet and try to follow it as closely as possible. I worry that your baby will not survive without your help.

Where I live, the temperatures right now go from 9 to 14 °C or 48,2 to 57,2 °F. But we sometimes have heating inside the house so the temperature can be a bit higher than those numbers I just gave.


Can I just use a regular lamp to heat her up? Like you know, the white neon lamps? I really don't have anything better unfortunately :'(


Actually, my aunt got her without telling me from some shop and now I can't just throw her in the wild because she's so small and would probably die if I did... So I'm just trying to manage with what I have...


But do you know if not being properly heated is what's causing her to not poop??

 

[Lyn W]

Where I live, the temperatures right now go from 9 to 14 °C or 48,2 to 57,2 °F. But we sometimes have heating inside the house so the temperature can be a bit higher than those numbers I just gave.


Can I just use a regular lamp to heat her up? Like you know, the white neon lamps? I really don't have anything better unfortunately :'(


Actually, my aunt got her without telling me from some shop and now I can't just throw her in the wild because she's so small and would probably die if I did... So I'm just trying to manage with what I have...


But do you know if not being properly heated is what's causing her to not poop??

They need heat and uvb for all bodily functions, to work properly.
Most wild torts hibernate when it gets too cold, but they stop eating a while before so that there is no food in their gut to rot and kill them. I don't know if this is still an option for your tort - hopefully one of the other members I've tagged will know more about that and will also be able to suggest a type of household bulb you could use. I don't think a neon light will give heat. See what the others say.
Putting her in the wild will be a certain death sentence.

 

[Mom of Zitouna]

They need heat and uvb for all bodily functions, to work properly.
Most wild torts hibernate when it gets too cold, but they stop eating a while before so that there is no food in their gut to rot and kill them. I don't know if this is still an option for your tort - hopefully one of the other members I've tagged will know more about that and will also be able to suggest a type of household bulb you could use. I don't think a neon light will give heat. See what the others say.
Putting her in the wild will be a certain death sentence.

She's eating very well, so I'm constantly thinking about this "food rotting in her stomach" possibility. Could be happening right now since I don't see where all the food she's been eating is going... Is it safe to stop feeding her?



To be honest with you, I had a baby tortoise before this one... And she died recently because of a respiratory infection. That's why my aunt got me Zitouna without even asking, because she saw how sad I was.

Now I don't think I'm good enough for the responsibility of raising a tort. I don't have the means financially nor there are facilities where I live. We don't have reptile vets and even regular vets aren't taught about tortoises in vet school/ university (a family member who is a vet told me that). We don't have shops which sells proper things for torts like food or that calcium I see people talk about.


If anyone here can give me any thing I can do that I truly can, I will do my absolute bestest to make it a reality... I don't want this innocent baby to die.

 

[Tom]

She's eating very well, so I'm constantly thinking about this "food rotting in her stomach" possibility. Could be happening right now since I don't see where all the food she's been eating is going... Is it safe to stop feeding her?



To be honest with you, I had a baby tortoise before this one... And she died recently because of a respiratory infection. That's why my aunt got me Zitouna without even asking, because she saw how sad I was.

Now I don't think I'm good enough for the responsibility of raising a tort. I don't have the means financially nor there are facilities where I live. We don't have reptile vets and even regular vets aren't taught about tortoises in vet school/ university (a family member who is a vet told me that). We don't have shops which sells proper things for torts like food or that calcium I see people talk about.


If anyone here can give me any thing I can do that I truly can, I will do my absolute bestest to make it a reality... I don't want this innocent baby to die.

Read the care sheet that Lyn linked in post number three. You should be able to find an incandescent flood bulb and a fixture for it in your country. This tortoise needs a warm area directly under the lamp where it can warm up during the day. Use a thermometer to get the temperature directly under the lamp up to 36-37C for at least 12 hours each day. You can do the daily soaks under this lamp too to keep the water warm, and also keep adding more warm water as it cools.