looking for help. (diarrhea)

[Ayrrow]

I know this is about lighting but I need help! We brought Mikey our Greek tort hm Sat. He now seems to have diarrhea. He has a UVB lamp a heating lamp and a night lamp. We live n north Texas and we "walk" him for 20min a day in our backyard. He is active and loves to eat from my hand. He looks at us when we talk to him. Eyes, nose and vent are clear, his shell looks great. He has rocks to bask on a log hide and water.
Please help!
Thanks
Baryn nervous new mom

 

[samsmom]

RE: [split] looking for help.

i'm sorry i can't help, i don't have a clue about greeks, i'm sure someone will come along and give you the information you need to help Mikey

 

[mainey34]

RE: [split] looking for help.

My question would be what have you been feeding?

 

[Ayrrow]

Romaine lettuce, a mix of baby greens, and Zoo Med Natural Grassland Tort food. Also he goes outside for about 20 min a day, we live in north Texas, it is very hot here rt now so I don't want him to over heat.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

Personally I wouldn't be concerned about the stool yet.
It could be stress from the move or something he ate before you got him on Sat. You can take a sample in to a vet to check for parasites. This too could be a cause. Up to you on if you want to that now or wait to see how he settles in first.

His enclosure could use some work though.
His water dish is a lizards or snakes water dish. You did sink it into the substrate which is better than just sitting on top but he still might be uncomfortable enough to avoid using it. Tortises need shallow dishes with good traction. Replace it (or return it for your $$ back) with a $2 terra cotta saucer. The clay dish that sits under a flower pot.

I notice his lights are over the water. He needs the lights over his substrate and ideally with a nice flat stone or piece of slate under them. This way he can lay on the stone (warm from the lights) and bask.
I do see a stone thing over the water. Is this where you said he will bask? Does he actually use it?

What UV bulb did you buy? Spiral, coil bulbs are not recommended. To many eye issues assocciated with them. In TX you won't need any UV light indoors as long as he gets some real sun exposure a few hours a week.

There are better substrates out there than the bark chips. There are also worse ones. Consider trading it out for a more "dirt like"bedding.

Hope this helps!

Heather
Sent from my Android TFO app

 

[Ayrrow]

Thank you so much for your help. We are in the process of building a tort table to expand his area and we will get some slate this weekend. His area has changed a bit since that pict was taken but he loves his water dish he gets in and sprawls out for several min many times a day and he crawls on the rock under his basking light.
He has a 60wt blue Zoo Med basking light aReptisun 10.0 UBV light and red light for night.

 

[WillTort2]

The reason that water dish is ill advised is the drowning hazard. There have been cases reported of tortoises flipping over while climbing into or out of the deep sided water dishes. Once flipped in that type water vessel the tort cannot turn over and cannot get his head above the water level.

Good luck.

 

[Ayrrow]

Ok I will look into a new dish
We only put a 4th of an inch of water in the dish. Is that to much?

 

[Laura]

runny stools can be Dietary, Parasites, or illness... if it continues... get a fecal test at the vet.. take in a Fresh sample.. you can also try canned pumpkin for extra fiber.. NOT the pie filling.. just plain.

 

[Ayrrow]

He is all good now! I think he was stressed out about being moved from one place to another and the change in diet. But we r all good now and his new tort table is fin and he moved in tonight. I'll post Picts tomorrow.