Strange Behaviour from Leopard

[Lyn W]

I've been a bit baffled/concerned by the behaviour of Lola my leopard recently.
He hasn't been as active as usual, and while I know they do slow down as temps drop and light changes, Lola hasn't been this inactive for the last 2 winters.
Everything in his room is the same, but he has been taking himself off to his hide early afternoons and 3 days this week he hasn't moved an inch all day until I come home, take him out and give him a good long soak. He has passed a lot of urates this week but all of them white, very fine and floaty in his water - no grit or change of colour.
I thought he was constipated as he hadn't been for about 12 days, then he had a massive poop on Tuesday and was quite active afterwards so I thought that had solved the problem. But the last 2 days he hasn't moved out of his hide again and all his food has been left untouched.
After his soak he does eat and looks for food, basks for a short while but then he goes back to bed again for another 21 hours!
I'm going to try to see the herp vet tomorrow and ask for an xray to make sure there's nothing going on inside, but has anyone experienced anything like this with their torts? Would be grateful for any advice or opinions.

 

[Anyfoot]

I've been a bit baffled/concerned by the behaviour of Lola my leopard recently.
He hasn't been as active as usual, and while I know they do slow down as temps drop and light changes, Lola hasn't been this inactive for the last 2 winters.
Everything in his room is the same, but he has been taking himself off to his hide early afternoons and 3 days this week he hasn't moved an inch all day until I come home, take him out and give him a good long soak. He has passed a lot of urates this week but all of them white, very fine and floaty in his water - no grit or change of colour.
I thought he was constipated as he hadn't been for about 12 days, then he had a massive poop on Tuesday and was quite active afterwards so I thought that had solved the problem. But the last 2 days he hasn't moved out of his hide again and all his food has been left untouched.
After his soak he does eat and looks for food, basks for a short while but then he goes back to bed again for another 21 hours!
I'm going to try to see the herp vet tomorrow and ask for an xray to make sure there's nothing going on inside, but has anyone experienced anything like this with their torts? Would be grateful for any advice or opinions.

It will be the change in weather we are getting all of a sudden. Also the shorter day light hours. Well I hope so any way.
Let us know what the vet says, S/he may say he's lonely and it's imperative you go and get 3 females to perk Lola up. Haha.

 

[Anyfoot]

Also I would imagine your not letting him out to graze now, he may well be sulking. Or as we say up north "got the mardy's on".

 

[Lyn W]

It will be the change in weather we are getting all of a sudden. Also the shorter day light hours. Well I hope so any way.
Let us know what the vet says, S/he may say he's lonely and it's imperative you go and get 3 females to perk Lola up. Haha.

3 females? I don't think so!!! One tort is more than enough!
I have just come home from work and Lola is up and about, eaten all his food and wanting more! He has really perked up so you may be right. I'm going to leave the vets for now, as after worrying me all week he seems back to normal.
It may also be the be addition of an oil free radiator in his room that has spooked him. I bought it to reduce my bills so I could turn my heating off at night, but not used it this week as thought I would leave everything as Lola is used to. I'll keep an eye on him over the weekend and see how it goes.

Thanks anyway, Craig.

 

[Anyfoot]

3 females? I don't think so!!! One tort is more than enough!
I have just come home from work and Lola is up and about, eaten all his food and wanting more! He has really perked up so you may be right. I'm going to leave the vets for now, as after worrying me all week he seems back to normal.
It may also be the be addition of an oil free radiator in his room that has spooked him. I bought it to reduce my bills so I could turn my heating off at night, but not used it this week as thought I would leave everything as Lola is used to. I'll keep an eye on him over the weekend and see how it goes.

Thanks anyway, Craig.

Do you have a combi boiler?

 

[Lyn W]

Do you have a combi boiler?

No mines still an old Baxi which I think is at least 40 years old. When I have some work done on my house I will change it to something more efficient.

 

[JoesMum]

No mines still an old Baxi which I think is at least 40 years old. When I have some work done on my house I will change it to something more efficient.

It's worth doing. We had ours changed last year. The gas bill is down by 40% on the previous 12 months! We've saved about half the cost of the boiler already!

 

[Lyn W]

It's worth doing. We had ours changed last year. The gas bill is down by 40% on the previous 12 months! We've saved about half the cost of the boiler already!

Yup it's on the schedule with the rest of the stuff.
BG keep telling me you can't get the parts anymore if my Baxi breaks down,
- better stock pile Oil free rads.

 

[Anyfoot]

No mines still an old Baxi which I think is at least 40 years old. When I have some work done on my house I will change it to something more efficient.

Ok, just something for you to think about later down the line. With a combi boiler you can have thermostats on each individual radiator except one, there always has to be one radiator without a thermostat. So when your main boiler stat switches the system on it will only send hot water to the one none stat rad and any other rads that have their stats turned up. In your case you'd be better having the none stat radiator in your Tortoise room.
This way for example you could have your boiler stat set at 25°c making your tort room rad come on most of the time but all your radiator stats could be set at let's say 16°c so they won't be on until each individual room drops below 16°c.
You will save a small fortune.
Hope that makes sense.

 

[JoesMum]

Yup it's on the schedule with the rest of the stuff.
BG keep telling me you can't get the parts anymore if my Baxi breaks down,
- better stock pile Oil free rads.

Get a local heating engineer to quote for the replacement. BG was stupidly expensive for us.

Of the other two, we didn't choose the cheapest. We chose the guy who spotted that our gas meter had a dangerous regulator and had Network Gas out to us in under two hours to replace it (free of charge because it was supply side). A bit dramatic, but he was the only one who noticed!

 

[Lyn W]

Ok, just something for you to think about later down the line. With a combi boiler you can have thermostats on each individual radiator except one, there always has to be one radiator without a thermostat. So when your main boiler stat switches the system on it will only send hot water to the one none stat rad and any other rads that have their stats turned up. In your case you'd be better having the none stat radiator in your Tortoise room.
This way for example you could have your boiler stat set at 25°c making your tort room rad come on most of the time but all your radiator stats could be set at let's say 16°c so they won't be on until each individual room drops below 16°c.
You will save a small fortune.
Hope that makes sense.

It certainly does - I didn't know that - thanks Craig!

 

[Lyn W]

Get a local heating engineer to quote for the replacement. BG was stupidly expensive for us.

Of the other two, we didn't choose the cheapest. We chose the guy who spotted that our gas meter had a dangerous regulator and had Network Gas out to us in under two hours to replace it (free of charge because it was supply side). A bit dramatic, but he was the only one who noticed!

Sound like a good chap to know!
I had an astronomical quote from BG too - they are always trying to get me to change it and I find they try to worry you into it. I don't like those sort of sales techniques. If I was a man or if there was one here I wonder if they would do the same.

 

[Lyn W]

Been keeping a close eye on Lola today.
Let him get up in his own time - about 12.30.
He ate most of the food I put down and basked a while.
I gave him his warm soak and he passed 2 lots of urates,
but these were different to usual.
They were pale pink in colour so I panicked and immediately did a search here.
Calmed down when I read that it could just be the dandies or red foods he's had.
But what concerns me is that the first lot were like a rubbery blob that sank and broke up when touched - not gritty though - and the second lot seemed to been encased in a clear plastic like skin.
I have saved them to take a vet if I can find one open on a Sunday.

Anyone seen anything like that with their torts?

(He continued eating well after the soak and tried to barge me off his floor when I sat in his room,
after basking a while he went back to bed by 3.30.)

 

[MPRC]

My bearded dragon had similar issues with his urates for a bit - he had parasites that we treated for and the issue was resolved.

 

[Lyn W]

My bearded dragon had similar issues with his urates for a bit - he had parasites that we treated for and the issue was resolved.

Thank you - I am trying to find a vet practice open tomorrow but will definitely go on Monday .

 

[Lyn W]

No herp specialist in the vets I found open today and they won't do xrays/bloods on a Sunday,
so will be tomorrow now.

 

[Lyn W]

Lola stayed in hide again all day today - no food touched, no wee.
Had a good soak, and a wee in the water - normal urates passed, and then he ate well after it before heading back to his hide.
I am looking for another vet who may be more willing to run tests and do xrays,
but in the mean time should I remove the hide during the day so that I can make sure
he is getting uvb from his bulb? He has had so little this last week and I'm worried about digestion etc.
Or would that be cruel - just like denying a sick man his bed?

Maybe a whacky idea but I'm just wracking my brain trying to do my best for him.

 

[TammyJ]

A visit to a good herp vet is the best thing, I think. It may very well be internal parasites.

I wish Lola all the best!

 

[Lyn W]

Lola update.
He is still being strange - keeps making his way to cooler corners rather than his snug hide or warmer spots.
Can anyone throw any light on why he is doing this, please?
Wee clear and Urates back to normal and once up and about is eating.
No poop for 13 days - been giving usual laxatives aloe, cucumber, squash or watermelon
Long warm soaks and even a drive in the car tried but nothing...
Nearest Herp vet can't see me until a week Tuesday - looking much further afield now.

 

[wellington]

My leopards right now is being very lazy/weird too.
My concern more with yours though are the amount of Urates you see. Leopards don't pass Urates a lot like some other species. My leopards are 5 and 6 years and I have never seen a urate. Do you have a high level of humidity in the enclosure? I would bump up the soaks and do it in a large container so he has room to roam. A bath tub works good, easy to keep warm by adding more hot water. Then bump up humidity in the enclosure. Also be sure the area is brightly lit during the day.
Just to make clear. Not that leopards don't/can't have Urates, it's just not as common to see them like other species.