Expert: Tina Beatty- Quiao - 11/7/2007

Question
my 19month old totoise eats well and is lively but has not pooed for about a week, is thids normal??? i have only had her for just over a month so still learning

Answer
Dawn,                                                        What substrate do you have him on. He needs to be on sand and bed a beast which is a soft brown moss you mix with water. You need this to keep him hydrated. The first thing you needed to do was take a stool sample to your vet. They are shipped in lumps no matter what is wrong with them.They need plenty of room to burrow. If you are going to keep him caged in the winter he needs 2 by 4 feet of space. He will love walking around outside in the summer... give him a kiddy pool half with sand half with water. You need to keep uva and uvb light on him to promote calcium production. I would recommend a compact light. Don't forget got put calcium and herptivit on his food at least 2 times a week. If you have him on the wrong substrate he may have eaten some. In that case give him mineral oil and hope he passes it... give it to him every day. About 1/2 teaspoon a couple times a day. They are very prone to mbd...metabolic bone disease especially young. This make their bones weak . When we take them out of regular sunlight they are not getting the uv light they should. Putting them by a window doesn't it filters out the uv. You can help this in the summer but right now you have to replace it.Don't forget lots of veggies collard greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens...lots of this you can look it up.. Good Luck,Tina