Quote:
Originally Posted by Rambotron
Hi All,
My tortoise, Irwin , has reached maturity recently and sometimes displays himself (when urinating or for 'fun') the only issue is, I keep him on a mix of coco coir and loam and he ends up with substrate stuck on his bits
I assume this happens in the wild so I wouldn't be too worried except it seems to be uncomfortable for him and he spends a long time afterwards shaking his tail around and straining.
I dont want the force of him straining to shake off substrate to cause him a prolapse or anything.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Hes a 5-6 years old Mediterranean Spur Thigh, I adopted him 3 years ago.
I thought he was a female at first but the vet set me straight a while back. Hes not tried to hump anything yet lol, its like hes just discovered his junk and isnt too sure what to do with it.
As a bit of background, not long after I got him he passed an enormous urate mass that had been building since before i got him. He was treated by the vets for a while after to ensure no further build up but he tore his cloaca during the process of passing the stone and although healed no, it remains somewhat 'loose' and so soil enters easily.
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It sounds like he might have bladder stones again, I dont know if the vet told you, its a sign of dehydration. This time of the year your tortoise should be outside, where temps vary through out the day. When they are kept inside with the same temps all day, and the temps outside are high, there is more of a chance of dehydration. I think coco coir is a very dry substrate (sorry I have never used it) and could well be irritating him. The only other thing would be to get it checked by a vet, he might well need a stitch to help keep things in more easily:0)