HELP! Piece of Styrofoam blew into tortoise enclosure

ZenHerper

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Dehydration is not so much an issue as stripping the digestive linings and borking the digestive flora (bad for digestion, absorption of nutrients, and immune vigor).

You want fiber to keep the intestinal walls doing their muscular contraction thing. So if you're feeding wet/soft foods exclusively, do mix back in regular high-fiber items. Bit by bit so you don't shock and produce a lot of (painful) gas.

If you haven't changed the regular ration (just added to it), then perhaps back off the wet stuff a bit and let the stool consistency be your guide.

Are you saving the bits so you can gauge how much you expect to find in total?
 

Shutterbug

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Dehydration is not so much an issue as stripping the digestive linings and borking the digestive flora (bad for digestion, absorption of nutrients, and immune vigor).

You want fiber to keep the intestinal walls doing their muscular contraction thing. So if you're feeding wet/soft foods exclusively, do mix back in regular high-fiber items. Bit by bit so you don't shock and produce a lot of (painful) gas.

If you haven't changed the regular ration (just added to it), then perhaps back off the wet stuff a bit and let the stool consistency be your guide.

Are you saving the bits so you can gauge how much you expect to find in total?
Yes I am. I kept feeding her her usual diet, just gave her as much cucumber, iceberg, and romaine as she wanted each day.
She has now decided she will be very fussy and only want to eat the cucumber, and romaine, and avoid the pile of healthy foods with hay/grass, but up until the past 2 days has been still eating her high fiber diet as well.

Yes I am!
 

ZenHerper

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Use a grater or chop the "candy" very fine so you can smear/mix it with her good foods. Like the jelly in a peanut butter sandwich. lol

Since foods in the wild are seasonal, she will eventually get back to good eating habits once everything resolves and you pull back on the sweet stuff.
 

Mrs.Jennifer

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The styrofoam has started appearing!
So far not tons, but all are bite size pieces, so hopefully tomorrow's poops yield more results and pass just as easily.
Should I keep feeding alot of wet foods, or start cutting back some? Don't want her dehydrating as her poops are quite loose now.
HALLELUJAH!!!!
 

Shutterbug

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No poops yesterday, and so far no poops today :(

Activity is normal, appetite is normal. She's basking and running around. No straining.

Vet time?
 

Cathie G

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No poops yesterday, and so far no poops today :(

Activity is normal, appetite is normal. She's basking and running around. No straining.

Vet time?
I'll hope with you that what actually got swallowed has come out. I find it hard to believe if the wind was strong enough to blow the thing in, that it didn't blow a lot of small broken pieces out also. And it does seem that what you are doing is working.?
 

Cathie G

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I'll hope with you that what actually got swallowed has come out. I find it hard to believe if the wind was strong enough to blow the thing in, that it didn't blow a lot of small broken pieces out also. And it does seem that what you are doing is working.?
Oh my garsh ?? by the time I posted the reply that dang tort did the duty ?
 

Shutterbug

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Oh my garsh ?? by the time I posted the reply that dang tort did the duty ?
Apparently, posting here helps..somehow ??.
There's was ALOT of styrofoam in this poop, enough I would say most of it has been pooped out. All perfect mouth shaped bits.
I'm just glad things are going through. Started worrying alot last night when she didnt poop in either soak.
 

Cathie G

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Apparently, posting here helps..somehow ??.
There's was ALOT of styrofoam in this poop, enough I would say most of it has been pooped out. All perfect mouth shaped bits.
I'm just glad things are going through. Started worrying alot last night when she didnt poop in either soak.
Yes it really does especially for moral support. That's why I'm still here. I still worry like that and I've had my little Russian several years. It helps so much to have all these people for their experiences to give their opinion. I'm so glad you got to clean up all that ???????
 

Shutterbug

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So far it's worked very well! Styrofoam poops been spread out over 3-4 days, and it's definitely helped keep it moving out steadily. Do you feel she can go down to 1, 1 hour bath a day? I've moved her down to 1 leaf of Romane and a 1/4 of a cucumber now.
Should I just keep the "routine" here for now till I see 3 or 4 stools without foam or what would be the next step?
 

ZenHerper

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The extra soak will never hurt.

Start cutting the cucumber back ~ 1/4 inch a day. The romaine is fine.

I'm really doubting she swallowed anything larger than bite-sized, so by the time you get the cucumber eliminated, it should be fine to return to As Usual routines.

I'm guessing you've estimated about the *right* amount of the missing chunks?
 

Markw84

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The extra soak will never hurt.

Start cutting the cucumber back ~ 1/4 inch a day. The romaine is fine.

I'm really doubting she swallowed anything larger than bite-sized, so by the time you get the cucumber eliminated, it should be fine to return to As Usual routines.

I'm guessing you've estimated about the *right* amount of the missing chunks?
I'd be adding more long fiber. That is what helps move things along in the gut for tortoises. A good bolus of fibery poop to move things along that the wet stuff can simply bypass.
 

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