Help! please he ate a sock

mannie root

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my 125 lb 11 year old male ate one of my daughters ankle socks... this was a week ago and i could not grab it in time. when i reached for it he swallowed. i had hoped he would pass it... but so far i have not seen it ... he has been eating well the last week. today he looks a bit sluggish.

anyone else have a large tortoise eat something like that and pass it ok?001.JPG
 

ascott

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my 125 lb 11 year old male ate one of my daughters ankle socks... this was a week ago and i could not grab it in time. when i reached for it he swallowed. i had hoped he would pass it... but so far i have not seen it ... he has been eating well the last week. today he looks a bit sluggish.

anyone else have a large tortoise eat something like that and pass it ok?View attachment 150232

Personally I would plan a trip to the vet for an xray if that sock does not show up in a week...you will really needto squash through all poo Iin the event it is compressed some...I also would soak the tort for an hour or soa couple times a week..I also would try to offer us wet foods to offer hydration...squash, romaine and the like..
 

Maro2Bear

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Interesting. Hopefully it will just come out in due course. In the mean time, id make sure to soak him more often to ensure he is well hydrated. Perhaps a few extra pads of opuntia to grease the skids. Good luck.
 

ascott

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my 125 lb 11 year old male ate one of my daughters ankle socks... this was a week ago and i could not grab it in time. when i reached for it he swallowed. i had hoped he would pass it... but so far i have not seen it ... he has been eating well the last week. today he looks a bit sluggish.

anyone else have a large tortoise eat something like that and pass it ok?View attachment 150232

Also meant to say...what a beautiful tortoise..have you had him since he was small? What part of the world do you live in?
 

mannie root

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We had a female 6 year then someone stole her when she got out we recently adopted Fred and he is a bit hard to soak at 125 lbs the hose is about the only option ..have been giving him lots of wet food probly gonna get him a watermelon as they are still in season here in AZ
 

ascott

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We had a female 6 year then someone wallow her when she got out we recently adopted Fred and he is a bit hard to soak at 125 lbs the hose is about the only option ..have been giving him lots of wet food probly gonna get him a watermelon as they are still in season here in AZ
Sounds good...also, you can use a kids plastic pool for soaking the biggies ( you can cut the height down a little so the tort can walk in and out)...or dig out a big enough soaking spot in the ground and run the hose into it...
 

wellington

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Wow, I don't think I would wait too long to take him to the vet. A sock can easily rot inside and that could be unrepairable. I would think if it were going to pass, it would have by now. If it hasn't, it could very well be causing damage.
 

leigti

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We had a female 6 year then someone stole her when she got out we recently adopted Fred and he is a bit hard to soak at 125 lbs the hose is about the only option ..have been giving him lots of wet food probly gonna get him a watermelon as they are still in season here in AZ
If you are already giving him a lot of wet food and it's still not working I would definitely take him to the vet.
 

dmmj

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normally I would say if they can eat it they can pass it. but in this case I don't think it will happen I would also plan to visit a vet soon I wouldn't wait no more than 7-10 days
 

TardisTortoise

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I would take him to the vet. If it is lodged somewhere, it will cut off circulation and that part of the GI tract will die. It is a very painful way to die.If he already is acting uncomfortable, you should not wait. Good luck.
 

Len B

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Try pumpkin, the watermelon or something else that you could see the seeds when they are passed, I have a large male sulcata the same size as yours and know how large the poops can be,,. Would a sock show up on a xray ? Also what size shoe does your daughter wear ? just to give an idea on how big the sock is.
 

mannie root

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Well I have not seen the sock yet ...but he ate half a watermelon and was running around like normal again... the sock was small not even over the ankles small .... I will be calling a vet but seems back to his old self
 

mannie root

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Oh yeah. ...he also has taken quite a large and normal looking crap today I mat need to go search for the offending sock tomorrow morning under the big fig tree were he likes to hang out
 

Tom

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I once found an entire plastic Doritos bag in my 12" sulcatas poop. It must have blown in on the wind, so I have no idea how long it took to pass, but he never showed any sign of having any problem. Had I not seen it in my daily poop pick up, I would have never known.

I have had some things take several weeks to run through them. At my old house my tree would drop its leaves in their pen every fall. They would eat these leaves. Once all the leaves were off the tree, I would go through and rake up every last leaf. No joke, 6 weeks later they were still making poops packed full of those particular leaves and I picked up their poops daily, so the poop wasn't being "recycled" either.

I'll bet a 125 pound sulcata could eat a whole pack of full size socks and pass them fine.

Spineless opuntia cactus pads are very slimy when eaten and also offer some natural lube.

I know that soaking a big one is a pain, but surgery is really a pain. A dead 125 pound tortoise would really really be a pain. You need to find a large enough tub, get some help, and start doing hour long soaks with this guy every day until that sock re-appears. Seriously. Not kidding. Figure it out. Your tortoise's life might depend on this and you took on the responsibility and resultant hassle own owning a giant. Soaking will help get the poop flowing and the extra hydration will also help.
 

wellington

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Yup. .... love the kiddy pool idea...
I hope it all comes out, literately, do the soaks, cactus, everything meantioned to help pass it through. However, one sign of discomfort or no pooping for more then a day, two tops and I think I would at least call a vet and see if they can offer up something to help pass it. Please keep us posted. If he passes it, we want a pic of it:D. Good luck.
 

Alaskamike

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There is a gal on here that writes " Frankie Tortoise Tales" with a large Sulcata that has eaten her sock ( among other things, not on the menu). She laughingly refers to the aftermath as being on " poop patrol" to find the offending item

Toms advice is spot on. Two adaults should be able to safely lift a 125lb Sulcata into an $8 kiddie pool ( that's what they cost at Wallmart ).

Optimistic cactus pads , squash , watermelon, aloe , all can provide " lubrication".

Beautiful Sulcata you have. Sorry about the loss of you female.
Good fortune with poop patrol !
 

mannie root

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much appreciate all the help and suggestions. we are heading to Walmart now to get a pool. Poop patrol will be interesting with the large fig tree i mentioned. but yes well worth the effort... since it was a black sock i am hoping i did not already miss it. all the extra attention won't hurt, in fact, i am sure that Fred will love it,he will just grow a bigger " i am the king" ego. ( which he already has ) ... we will defiantly add pics as we get them...
 

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