Gritty urates or cuttle bone being passed? Or what?

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Oh paraffin oil, then I might be able to find, of course no colourants etc.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Agree w Wellington.. lot of hydrating foods lettuce, cactus, cucumber, maybe even a lil watermelon. And id layoff any mazuri until hes back to normal. Good luck!

I haven't gotten the mineral oil yet, but I have a question, since I laid the pellets of I have given him even more lettuce. I have had to feed him more often and he seems hungrier than usual when eating. On Friday he weighed 500g, but today only 475g, these were both after the soak. My dad took care of him in the weekend, and on Sunday he weighed 465 g (This was unfortunately before the soak, as I wasn't apparently clear enough about weighing.

Could this fluctuation be because I laid of the pellets, so he lost the weight he had gained back by eating the lettuce with pellets vs without + me and my dad underestimating how much lettuce is needed to take the loss of the pellets into account?

 

[Chubbs the tegu]

I haven't gotten the mineral oil yet, but I have a question, since I laid the pellets of I have given him even more lettuce. I have had to feed him more often and he seems hungrier than usual when eating. On Friday he weighed 500g, but today only 475g, these were both after the soak. My dad took care of him in the weekend, and on Sunday he weighed 465 g (This was unfortunately before the soak, as I wasn't apparently clear enough about weighing.

Could this fluctuation be because I laid of the pellets, so he lost the weight he had gained back by eating the lettuce with pellets vs without + me and my dad underestimating how much lettuce is needed to take the loss of the pellets into account?

How often do you usually feed the pellets? I would still feed him more variety other than just the lettuce ( just adding more lettuce for moisture content) you can still feed mazuri a couple times / week. You dont want to only feed lettuce for to long or he will be hard to get back on healthier options.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

How often do you usually feed the pellets? I would still feed him more variety other than just the lettuce ( just adding more lettuce for moisture content) you can still feed mazuri a couple times / week. You dont want to only feed lettuce for to long or he will be hard to get back on healthier options.

I used to feed him the Agrobs pellets 3 times a week. Would that still be a fine amount? I do still offer some weeds (about 1/2 lettuce and 1/2 weeds) but he will eat all the lettuce and leave some weeds behind. I do fear that it will be hard to get back to healthier options since before he came to me, grocery store foods were all that he would get.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

I used to feed him the Agrobs pellets 3 times a week. Would that still be a fine amount? I do still offer some weeds (about 1/2 lettuce and 1/2 weeds) but he will eat all the lettuce and leave some weeds behind. I do fear that it will be hard to get back to healthier options since before he came to me, grocery store foods were all that he would get.

Agrobs pellets have no nutritional additives and low on protein, unlike classic Mazuri. I think they are safe to feed on daily basis. You can switch to lettuce + pellets one day and weeds on another. This way you will even out lettuce poor fiber/nutrition composition.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Agrobs pellets have no nutritional additives and low on protein, unlike classic Mazuri. I think they are safe to feed on daily basis. You can switch to lettuce + pellets one day and weeds on another. This way you will even out lettuce poor fiber/nutrition composition.

I will do that. Silly me thought that cutting off the pellets was to cut off extra fiber and thus make it easier to pass urine and feces Yes, the protein content is only 8,8% and on the hay pellets I sometimes give it is 12%.

 

[Chubbs the tegu]

I used to feed him the Agrobs pellets 3 times a week. Would that still be a fine amount? I do still offer some weeds (about 1/2 lettuce and 1/2 weeds) but he will eat all the lettuce and leave some weeds behind. I do fear that it will be hard to get back to healthier options since before he came to me, grocery store foods were all that he would get.

Sorry, i thought u meant mazuri.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Edward is back to his normal weight and has been acting normal all this time, appetite, peeing, pooping and activity levels have all been normal. I haven't found any more stones. I have still been giving him iceberg lettuce or cucumber every other day and continuing with the 30 min soaks daily. His weight is back to normal after starting the pellets again.

But something concerning happened yesterday. He was in his indoor enclosure when he stormed out of his hide head bopping. At first I thought it was because the window was open and my dad was mowing outside, so I closed the window and continued observing. Edward paced around his enclosure, wagging his tail on and off trying to poop. Then he started kicking his tail while walking, almost like trying to scratch it. He stopped this after a while, but was still trying to poop. I didn't get it on video, but it was like what is pictured on this threads post #3: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/advice-please-tail-rubbing.131774/

I poured him a soak, fed him some lettuce and later took him in his outdoor enclosure, where he finally pooped after 2 hours of on and off trying. The resulting poop had some undigested leaves and long fibers, possibly coco coir.

I finally found some mineral oil yesterday and offered it with Yvonnes method (rolled up in lettuce, mixed in with his pellets). I also tried to smear it on his cloaca but he wouldn't let me. I made a thread about this concerning behaviour: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/help-weird-pooping-behaviour.216620/ and I was recommended an x-ray.

The problem is, I am a student and my budjegt is tight. My parents still have some influence over my money matters, and my dad isn't convinced on the x-ray, he seems to be against it for now at least, these are his reasons:
1) X-rays are expensive, at least 100€ for 1-4 photos + some for the clinic visit
2) Edward pooped after all and was back to acting normal
3) He isn't convinced that this is related to the bladder stones. He thinks it was just caused by the coir and undigested food, possibly a tummy ache at worst
4) Edward had made one normal poop earlier that day and passed normal urates the previous day
5) Even though a x-ray was done, and it revealed something, there is no vet that could do anything, especially if surgery was needed. My dad basically thinks that x-ray is only needed when considering euthanasia.

Here is a photo of the resulting poop and the fibers I have been collecting from his substrate:

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Edward passed a normal consistency urate today in his soak. His behaviour, pooping, and appetite have been normal.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Okay, I have a few stupid questions:
1. Is it normal for tortoise stomachs to gurgle? As far as I remember, Edward has always been making this kind of sound while soaking.
2. Edward has been recently flashing while soaking. Could this be a sign of strain on it's own? He is still pooping and peeing.
3. After I started soaking him 2 times a day he has gained 30 grams over his maxium weight in just a couple of days. Could he be over hydrated?

 

[Megatron's Mom]

I would think the soaking is helping to get things moving inside. It could be why you're hearing the gurgling. It could also make him weigh a bit more. But if the soaking is moving whatever is inside of him (maybe a stone) keep giving him the mineral oil. Just a few drops with his food. Until what ever he is straining to get out is out.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Yes, I have been still giving him mineral oil, once a day wrapped in lettuce with his pellets and after the last soak of the day I smear some on his cloaca with a q tip. I really hope that what ever this is will pass. What do you think about the flashing?

 

[Megatron's Mom]

Yes, I have been still giving him mineral oil, once a day wrapped in lettuce with his pellets and after the last soak of the day I smear some on his cloaca with a q tip. I really hope that what ever this is will pass. What do you think about the flashing?

Maybe do to the straining, but maybe it's his new found toy

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

To my knowledge he should be over the teenage phase, even though I don't know the exact age. I saw him flash the first time in April, then I was vacuuming the room around his enclosure. Now the flashing has been more frequent and only while soaking.

I guess I won't have to worry about the flashing unless there are signs of prolapse.

 

[Megatron's Mom]

Have you seen him flash before April? Maybe due to not feeling well he never felt like it.
I'm just guessing though, so just keep tabs on him.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Have you seen him flash before April? Maybe due to not feeling well he never felt like it.
I'm just guessing though, so just keep tabs on him.

No I haven't, but I only got him in February. After that occurance in April I haven't seen it again until recently. But I we I'll be sure to keep tabs on him. When do you think he will be "in the clear" if ever after he has had bladder stones once?

 

[Megatron's Mom]

No I haven't, but I only got him in February. After that occurance in April I haven't seen it again until recently. But I we I'll be sure to keep tabs on him. When do you think he will be "in the clear" if ever after he has had bladder stones once?

If you keep him well hydrated I think that reduces the chance but it may never be a 0% chance.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

I was just wondering, since some sources say that if the stones aren't surgically removed and the bladder flushed, some crystals will remain and therefore aid the chance of new stones.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

I was just wondering, since some sources say that if the stones aren't surgically removed and the bladder flushed, some crystals will remain and therefore aid the chance of new stones.

I think it's like with kids "Grow-A-Crystall" kits - there should be a base for crystallization in saturated media. So any particles in bladder like older stones will "attract" growth. See no problem with smaller ones (gritty urates is how it looks) as they are flushed out easily. Good hydration will ensure that concentration of uric acid won't get past crystallization point.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Edward passed some gritty urates in his soak today, like there was fine sand in his urates.