Urgent Care :: Turtles bowel comming out of Body when passing

[daimo]

Hi all, one of my Turtles seems to push her bowel out of her body when going to the loo...it then goes back in itself and she seems fine, shes a year and a half old and seems very happy otherwise, have any of you guys / gals seen this before ?

Thanks a mill -

Daimo - Ireland

[Hoooneylynn]

If it goes back in by itself, it is probably its penis, and its perfectly normal.... How many inches is your turt? If you see something come out and stay out, that means its a prolapse and it needs to be taken to a vet...


and you said "she" , are you absoulety sure she is a girl? You cannot tell the sex until it is four inches.

[iac637]

Are you sure that it is a female? you need to take her to the vet that is a very serious thing. I have seen pictures of that happening and the turtles have had to have surgery.

[daimo]

Thanks Jessica, she's a she so it looks like a trip to the vet, thanks for your advise

[Hoooneylynn]

Your welcome... and do any other turts live with her in the tank? Ive heard stories... of other turts trying to bite at intestines which can be dangerous or even fatal. If you do have other ones, separate them asap..

[daimo]

Will do, i'll take her boyfriend out, have you heard of this before, I'm hoping it will be a straight forward procedure ? Cheers

[Hoooneylynn]

here is something on prolapse from this site:

Prolapse
The appearance of a turtle's intestinal, usually colon and/or reproductive organs, through the cloaca (the opening on the underside of the tail) is a prolapse. Ingested gravel or some other impaction may cause this situation but may not necessarily be a factor. If the male merely exposes his reproductive organ, then it's referred as "fanning" and is not a prolapse. In any case, the organs return to their normal position and there should be no cause of concern. If the organs cannot retract, then that turtle should be isolated immediately. Soaking a turtle in clean, warm water might help correct the situation. However, if it does not or if the organ(s) has been bitten, injured or scratched by another turtle, then a vet visit is immediately required. The area must kept clean and wet until proper medical attention is given.

how many times has this happened? If this is happening frequently, I would suggest going to a vet... has anyone else experienced prolapse and can help?

[daimo]

It seemd to go away for a while and has come back again, might be best to get the vet to check her out - thanks again

[iac637]

thats what I would do just to make sure

[daimo]

I'll stick up a post after the visit to the vet, as it seems quiet common

[steve]

Hi all, one of my Turtles seems to push her bowel out of her body when going to the loo...it then goes back in itself and she seems fine, shes a year and a half old and seems very happy otherwise, have any of you guys / gals seen this before ?

Thanks a mill -

Daimo - Ireland

Does it always happen? Does it quickly retract? Does it only happen when solid waste is produced?

[marisa]

I once had a RES (male) who experienced an intestional prolapse. It happened only once that I saw, but was quite scary because he started kicking at it and it started to bleed. I put him in clean water and turned out his lights so he'd calm down and sleep. The next morning, the piece that had come out had retracted. He subsequently saw a vet just to be checked out.

Several factors are thought to contribute to prolapses. If it's repeatedly happening when she poops, she really should be seen by a herp vet.