Ingested pebbles

[Zabbi0]

So if its not one thing- it's another I guess. I went outside to feed Sami today & I saw her swallowing the little pebbles I had in her enclosure. See I had her in a pool made up of 3 different substrates like a pie: cypress mulch, peat moss & pebbles. Well needless to say- i dumped it all out & started over and used bigger pond rocks instead of the pebbles. It was an idiot move on my part.

In any case- what should I do? I don't know how often she has been doing this. I got one out of her mouth. She has seemed fine for the most part. I'm a worry wart though and am very concerned now.


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[wellington]

Just for my own knowledge, why have stones in the enclosure at all? A large rock or two for decoration and or for walking or eating on if flat or to even try to nibble on I understand. I wouldn't have anything that they could fit in their mouths they aren't suppose to have. Most likely if she were able to swallow it easily, it will pass. Just keep an eye on her and maybe soak a little more.

 

[Zabbi0]

I read on here numerous times they were good for keeping nails trimmed which is why I got em. They could ingest just about anything, really. I know Sami probably has ingested who knows how much cypress mulch along with her food even though I serve it on a large feeding dish. She just moves so much stuff around and roams then comes back to it that it happens. But in any case- there's no way she could swallow these. They're too big.
I figured I would give a few more frequent soaks to see if she passes them but what if she ingested too many?


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[lkwagner]

If she keeps pooping I wouldn't worry too much. Only if she stops and becomes compacted.

 

[Linzbragg]

Don't worry until more time has passed, even though I know it's hard not to with these precious creatures. Frequent, warm soaks should help. I have about 5 pool ball sized, roundish rocks in my sulcatas' enclosure that he loves to move around.

 

[Zabbi0]

Thanks. Ill be watching closely.


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[Tom]

This is fairly common. As long as you see them passing in the stool, it should be okay. I see this most commonly in tortoises that are fed mostly grocery store foods, although there are exceptions. There is a product called MinerAll that usually brings this to a halt. It seems there is a mineral deficiency or imbalance. Calcium alone won't usually fix it. MinerAll does. Give it every day or every other day for a week or two, then cut back to twice a week for maintenance. You can also offer cuttle bone. Sometimes they will gnaw on the cuttle bone instead of the pebbles. Try to increase the amount of fiber in the diet. Lots of grass, some mulberry and hibiscus leaves, cactus pads, etc...

How much grass and weeds is Sami getting?

 

[Zabbi0]

That's probably exactly it. I've mostly just been rotating between kale, collard greens, mustard greens and the ZooMed Grassland food. I can't find hay anywhere and our grass is fertilized too much. So I just buy food from the store. Ill pick up some cuttlebone though


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Oh & I've tried a few times with the cactus pads but she won't really eat em


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[GeoTerraTestudo]

Chelonians don't have a gizzard like crocodilians or birds, so they're not "supposed to" swallow pebbles, because they don't need them for grinding up food in their stomach. As Tom said, pebble-eating appears to be a response to a mineral deficiency, so just follow his advice, and the cravings should stop.

 

[Tom]

You need to find places to scrounge weeds, leaves and grass. It's a big world out there. Fertilizer that has worked it's way into the ground and been utilized by the plant for growth is okay. You don't want to feed actual fertilizer but plants grown with it are fine. Make sure it's not one of those "weed n feed" concoctions that are so common nowadays. Pesticides and such are a different story, especially those with residuals.

Friends and family often have rose bushes, mulberry trees or hibiscus bushes that don't have chemicals on them. There are literally dozens of good weeds. Grape vines and African hibiscus are easy to grow... You get the idea...

 

[Zabbi0]

Thank you much!
Plucked some hibiscus & grass from the front yard and fed tonight.
Will go to the garden center tomorrow & get a hibiscus plant and some other stuff. Going to have a seperate little section to start growing stuff for Sami. Thanks much.


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[lkwagner]

This is fairly common. As long as you see them passing in the stool, it should be okay. I see this most commonly in tortoises that are fed mostly grocery store foods, although there are exceptions. There is a product called MinerAll that usually brings this to a halt. It seems there is a mineral deficiency or imbalance. Calcium alone won't usually fix it. MinerAll does. Give it every day or every other day for a week or two, then cut back to twice a week for maintenance. You can also offer cuttle bone. Sometimes they will gnaw on the cuttle bone instead of the pebbles. Try to increase the amount of fiber in the diet. Lots of grass, some mulberry and hibiscus leaves, cactus pads, etc...

How much grass and weeds is Sami getting?

Tom,
Where do you get the MinerAll? Mine tries to eat rocks outside so I should probably give it a try.

 

[Zabbi0]

^ yes, where? I checked Petsmart, Petco, & Walmart. No idea where this would be? Meant to ask that earlier.


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[Tom]

Tom,
Where do you get the MinerAll? Mine tries to eat rocks outside so I should probably give it a try.

I buy it directly from the source when I see her at the reptile shows. You should be able to find it online pretty easily.

I haven't checked but possibly at tortoisesupply.com.

 

[Zabbi0]

Sounds good. Thanks!!
She is passing the pebbles in her poopies. I've been checking. I give her a little praise dance every time I see her do it. She probably thinks I'm crazy.


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