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Hi i have a Sulcata tortoise he will only eat green leafy food. He has red dots on his skin and is passing a white substance in his urine, I also noticed feces on the bottom of his shell so i think he may have had diarrohea. I need help with theese conditions as all the vets near me only treat small furry animals, can i get some ideas as what i can try to feed him aswell Thanks
Optional Information: Pet's Sex: Male Pet's Age: 3
Hello,
Can you tell me about the set up?
Diet Veggies?
Substrate?
Heat source and temp?
Supplements?
UVB light? How old? Type coil or tube?
Joan
Cant get him to eat any veggies what type would you recomend,
Substrate is beach wood,
Heat source is 100w 12 inches above enclosure not shure of temp
I have not used any supplements other than kuttle fish bone do you reccommend any ?
uvb light is a coil and 12 inches above enclosure
any help with his condition and diet will be great
Please stand by while I type your answer. Joan
Thanks youve been great
You need to get your Tortoise on a higher fiber diet which will help with the stools. The white hard part is urates and very normal, beside the liquid urine. I suggest Oxbow Salad Style which is a high fiber diet specially formulated for tortoises. http://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/products/type/detail?object=1532 This is a combination of Hay, weeds and grasses that are needed to keep things moving smoothly. You also add some uncooked Butternut squash or some canned Pumpkin into the diet which is usually readily accepted and is also a high fibet food and great as a treat for your tortoise. You can give some soaks with some Plain Pedialyte to add some electrolytes into the system. They do need a dish of water available at all times. This care sheet should also help. http://www.sulcata-station.org/basics.html I suggest changing the UVB to a tube type since the coil can cause some eye issues called Photo Kerato Conjunctivitis. The cuttle bones are great, but you can also get some calcium powder that can be dusted on the leafy greens. I have a link for Herp Vets for you and will post below. This link goes over Diet and will also help with some alternatives: http://sulcata-station.org/diet.html One last thing I would like to see is that you try and get your tortoise on a Probiotic like BenBac or forte flora. The BenBac can be gotten at most pet shops and the Forte Flora can be gotten through most Vets. Please hit reply for further help. Joan
UK Herp Vets: http://www.livefoods.co.uk/vets.php
UK Tortoise Vets: http://www.britishcheloniagroup.org.uk/vetscorner/vetlist.htm
Hi i will do everything you said and should this help with his skin ?
I am not sure what we are dealing with as far as the red dots. That may be mites, or it may be a bacterial infection, so that will need to be addressed by a Herp Vet since they can examine him. I do suggest cleaning all the bedding out and replacing it. When you clean the habitat, I would wash well with bleach and water and rinse well. This way we can give him a clean area. I suggest using some clean hay for bedding, as that is digestible as well as safe. Joan
Experience: I have been doing Reptile Rescues for 15+ Years
thats great thankyou ill take him to a vet tomorrow and while hes out ill clean out the whole enclosure
Thanks
I hope all works out well. They are great pets and can wrap you around their Little Feet and steal your heart. Joan