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Old 22-01-2017, 04:36 PM   #21
sandy
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He's having plenty of baths. He's not eaten anything since he came back from the vets (5 days now). However he has passed a lot of poo. All of the poo has a gritty consistency. Today a whopper came out that contained several large pieces of the white grit found within tortoise life.... He seems to be moving more and more now. I just wish he would eat something!!
Five days is nothing for a tortoise to go without food:0)
They can go weeks without it, but need the hyrdration.
Its our human thinking that we need to eat every day that gets in the way of thinking tortoise:0)
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Old 22-01-2017, 06:09 PM   #22
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Thanks for the update, glad he is on the mend - awful stuff that substrate but at least doesn't blow up like wood chip, CB
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Old 22-01-2017, 09:25 PM   #23
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Thanks all for the encouraging words. I'm sure there will be more grit to come. I am having a catch up with the vet tomorrow as they want to know how he's doing. All I can do for now is bath as often as I can to keep up the hydration, and always offer food!

I can't imagine how painful it must be to pass a wood chip!
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Old 23-01-2017, 08:48 PM   #24
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Well, tonight he ate his first bit of food. Managed to eat about 3-4 leaves of lambs lettuce!
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Old 23-01-2017, 08:55 PM   #25
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Originally Posted by t.doyle View Post
Thanks all for the encouraging words. I'm sure there will be more grit to come. I am having a catch up with the vet tomorrow as they want to know how he's doing. All I can do for now is bath as often as I can to keep up the hydration, and always offer food!

I can't imagine how painful it must be to pass a wood chip!
good to hear the lambs lettuce was eaten it seems lots of torts love that. Shame we don't grow much of it in England but its so tender and struggles with the weather.

Unfortunately they don't pass the wood chip which is why its' so lethal , it blows up with the fluids and expands to the point they implode. Count yourself lucky with the grit even though it's terrible stuff ! anyway onto a good note as he is clearly masses better and so kind of your to post that as some don't and we always wonder what happened. CB
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Old 23-01-2017, 10:24 PM   #26
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Lambs lettuce is a firm favourite with our two leopards. I'm conscious not to over feed it, however.

I'd really like to keep our torts on a natural substrate again but so confused about what the 'right' substrate should be! So many people seem to be using a combination of soil/loam/sand. Is this not nearly identical to tortoise life? Surely I might run the risk of running into the same problem again?
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Old 24-01-2017, 09:45 AM   #27
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Lambs lettuce is a firm favourite with our two leopards. I'm conscious not to over feed it, however.

I'd really like to keep our torts on a natural substrate again but so confused about what the 'right' substrate should be! So many people seem to be using a combination of soil/loam/sand. Is this not nearly identical to tortoise life? Surely I might run the risk of running into the same problem again?
The correct substrate is what they use in the wild:0)
Soil:0)
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Old 24-01-2017, 01:05 PM   #28
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Totally agree with Sandy soil is the best if you are in doubt have a look ar pictures on the web as to where they come from and try to replicate it as best you can.
The amount of time I get asked as to what you should use is unbelievable but even then people still get talked into whatever the so say experts in shops say is best which is normally straw/grass pellets tortoise life wood chips etc etc.
Only last year I had a lady saying that the baby hermans I had sold her had bad legs and couldn't walk when I asked her what substrate she was using she said straw pellets so when I asked why she was using them she said that's what the pet shop said was best my reply was blunt and to the point and amazingly the next day when she put soil in it was up and running around as apposed to trying to walk on What must be like giant marbles to a tiny tortoise.

Rant over
This is not aimed at you

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Old 24-01-2017, 01:38 PM   #29
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Totally agree with Sandy soil is the best if you are in doubt have a look ar pictures on the web as to where they come from and try to replicate it as best you can.
The amount of time I get asked as to what you should use is unbelievable but even then people still get talked into whatever the so say experts in shops say is best which is normally straw/grass pellets tortoise life wood chips etc etc.
Only last year I had a lady saying that the baby hermans I had sold her had bad legs and couldn't walk when I asked her what substrate she was using she said straw pellets so when I asked why she was using them she said that's what the pet shop said was best my reply was blunt and to the point and amazingly the next day when she put soil in it was up and running around as apposed to trying to walk on What must be like giant marbles to a tiny tortoise.

Rant over
This is not aimed at you
You tell um G!

I agree soil is best!
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Old 24-01-2017, 06:44 PM   #30
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Yup, top soil. Pet shops/exotic shops recommend all these rubbish substrates as it means they get repeat custom. I'd take anything you hear from them with a pinch of salt, do your own research and you can't do better than ask on here.
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