Not Pooing in Heatwave?

[Mabelthetort]

Hi everyone, we have a heatwave in the UK and our homes are designed terribly so the temp inside has been around 30-36 nearly constantly for three days.

Mabel hasn’t pooped this entire time. She normally poos once or twice daily while soaking.

During this time I’ve been keeping the blinds closed to block out as much heat as possible and trying to keep one side of her enclosure cooler by mixing cold water into the coir but it doesn’t last long and the surface temperature is still reaching 28-30 at the hottest point of the day. She has been using her water saucer to soak independently which she never normally does but there’s not been any poo in it any of the times I’ve cleaned it. I’ve let her have her basking lamp only very early in the morning for her to wake up in the way she’s used to and then have turned it off once she’s up and about.

Yesterday we finally had a thunderstorm and temperature is now 27 but I’ve been sat with her for half an hour while she soaks and still no poo!

Shall I keep her soaking until a poo comes or take her to the vet? Will her digestive system return to normal now that the temperature is getting under control? Do I keep feeding her the normal amount? I’ve given her cucumber as I don’t have any opuntia pads but it’s hasn’t helped.

 

[Tom]

Hi everyone, we have a heatwave in the UK and our homes are designed terribly so the temp inside has been around 30-36 nearly constantly for three days.

Mabel hasn’t pooped this entire time. She normally poos once or twice daily while soaking.

During this time I’ve been keeping the blinds closed to block out as much heat as possible and trying to keep one side of her enclosure cooler by mixing cold water into the coir but it doesn’t last long and the surface temperature is still reaching 28-30 at the hottest point of the day. She has been using her water saucer to soak independently which she never normally does but there’s not been any poo in it any of the times I’ve cleaned it. I’ve let her have her basking lamp only very early in the morning for her to wake up in the way she’s used to and then have turned it off once she’s up and about.

Yesterday we finally had a thunderstorm and temperature is now 27 but I’ve been sat with her for half an hour while she soaks and still no poo!

Shall I keep her soaking until a poo comes or take her to the vet? Will her digestive system return to normal now that the temperature is getting under control? Do I keep feeding her the normal amount? I’ve given her cucumber as I don’t have any opuntia pads but it’s hasn’t helped.

28-30 C is just a normal day here. That would make your tortoise more active and not cause constipation. Is she eating and moving around normally? My best guess is that the heat and activity made her poop in the enclosure somewhere.

Also, I too have to sometimes turn off het lamps when temps here are 37+ all day, but they still need light. Are you replacing the heat lamp with a bright LED? With the blinds closed and the heat lamp off, its probably too dark in the enclosure.

 

[Mabelthetort]

28-30 C is just a normal day here. That would make your tortoise more active and not cause constipation. Is she eating and moving around normally? My best guess is that the heat and activity made her poop in the enclosure somewhere.

Also, I too have to sometimes turn off het lamps when temps here are 37+ all day, but they still need light. Are you replacing the heat lamp with a bright LED? With the blinds closed and the heat lamp off, its probably too dark in the enclosure.

Hi Tom, thanks for your response. Yes LEDs are on. I have searched through her substrate and hides and can’t see any poo. Obviously it is easy to miss so I may have missed one…but three/six?

The problem with heat in the UK is that our houses are designed to trap heat inside to keep us warm due to the weather the other 90% of the year. Vulnerable people and pets die each year as we’re just not accustomed to/prepared for it.

I know marginated tortoises are from hotter parts than the UK, but I’ve read on this forum lots of times that it’s more dangerous for them to be too hot than too cold?

Her activity levels and eating is all normal. Could she be dehydrated?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hi Tom, thanks for your response. Yes LEDs are on. I have searched through her substrate and hides and can’t see any poo. Obviously it is easy to miss so I may have missed one…but three/six?

The problem with heat in the UK is that our houses are designed to trap heat inside to keep us warm due to the weather the other 90% of the year. Vulnerable people and pets die each year as we’re just not accustomed to/prepared for it.

I know marginated tortoises are from hotter parts than the UK, but I’ve read on this forum lots of times that it’s more dangerous for them to be too hot than too cold?

Her activity levels and eating is all normal. Could she be dehydrated?

I’m late to this thread, but did Mabel eventually poop ok? I wouldn’t worry about the warmer weather as long as temperatures inside the enclosure itself are staying in a safe range

 

[Mabelthetort]

I’m late to this thread, but did Mabel eventually poop ok? I wouldn’t worry about the warmer weather as long as temperatures inside the enclosure itself are staying in a safe range

Hi, her pooping has still not gone back to pre-heatwave levels and she has stopped pooping when she’s soaked entirely!

Otherwise she is happy, healthy, has a good appetite and enjoys roaming around and climbing in her enclosure.

I’ve done more research into tortoise poop and have realised that the way she was pooping when I first brought her home was actually not healthy. They were as long as her shell and very smelly. I thought it was normal for poo to smell because, well, it’s poo! Research has suggested otherwise, though. I think maybe she’s was originally stressed to be in a new environment and to be having soaks daily (the breeder I got her from told me soaking daily is too stressful so I don’t think she experienced it much previously). Maybe now she’s used to it and the stinky poops have gone away because of this?

I don’t think she going daily at the moment, but I will say that one morning, when I was in a rush for work, I noticed a poo in her substrate and planned to spot clean when I got back but then the poo was gone - so maybe she’s eating it? Online it says this is normal too?

So basically, she’s pooping smaller, harder, less often, may well be eating it, but seems okay.