Urgent Care :: please respond asap

[redearninjaturtles]

my turtle looks constapated, i gave him corn...like the dumb vet said before my turtle died......someone said it clogs their intestine......

he also EATS EVERYTHING!!!! he ate his own sheding skin, and puked it out.....he ate some glue from the fake rock where plants used to be....(had to take them out) and he puked it out. i say that he looks constipated because his tail is really fat...

please respond asap so i can know waht to do........

[RunninWideOpen]

feed him some romaine lettuce or something else high in fiber. that helps constipation. I've never heard of the tail getting big when constipated though......

you need to take out anything he can eat that he shouldn't. he can only eat what you leave in his tank for him to eat.

is he acting funny in any way?

[untsmurf]

What is his diet?
How old is he?

[SpotsMama]

Where did you hear about corn clogging a turtle's intestines? I hadn't heard about that.

Can you post a picture of his tail?

How big is he (ie, how long is his straight shell length from front to back)?

[marisa]

If your RES is big enough to sex (shell length without the curve) and you're sure he's a male, a tail with a thick/fat-looking base, doesn't sound out of the ordinary.

Corn isn't the best thing to give, I don't think it would clog his intestines, though.

Is he kicking his butt/base of his tail with his hind legs? If so this would be a symptom of constipation. If he's doing this, put him in a container of water that's a bit warmer than normal (but don't go overboard). The heat will relax his insides and help him poop.

What else do you feed him?

[redearninjaturtles]

i feed him pellets, and ocasionaly that purple lettuce(dont know what its called) i havent seen any poop, im guessing he eats it....

i do notice he basks alot....he still eats.....hes about 3 inches....his tail doesnt look as fat anymore.....he acts wierd for awhile, throws up something he shouldnt eat and then hes fine......and then eats his thrown up pellets...GROSS he acts fine today....

[marisa]

How big are the pellets? When my turtles were small, if I gave them regular-size Reptomin, they'd try to eat it and wind up spitting a lot of it back. I would break the pellets into smaller pieces to make it easier for them to eat and would also use smaller-size pellets (like Reptomin Baby).

Purple lettuce---do you mean red leaf lettuce?

[ZombieTurtle]

sounds like he needs a better diet. he should be getting lettuce everyday.

[redearninjaturtles]

oh i guess my sister said that she saw my turtle kicking his butt.....so i gues hes constipated......i give him half of a pellet (the size) it might be too big.....

to confirm.....put him in warm water and give him romaine lettuce......is this correct, or anything else????

[SpotsMama]

That's right. The lettuce can be leaf lettuce or romain - just something to give him fiber.

Be sure the water isn't too hot - remember, his body temp right now is probably below 80 so water will feel warmer to him than to you. But it needs to be warm enough to do him some good.

If he's still blocked tomorrow you'd probably better contact a vet. A vet can administer a laxative that may get him going.

[marisa]

If you put him in warm water that's just a bit warmer than his tank water, it should help relax him. Since you say he has a good appetite, it really doesn't matter what he's given to eat.

[redearninjaturtles]

Thank you Thankyou ALL! I just put my Turtle in warm water and about 10 min later......A BIG POOP! I never thought I would be happy to see poop! LOL
Funny, I didn't think the warm water was going to work....but it DID!
He turned and tried to take a bite of the poop, but I got him before he did.

From now on No more corn, red lettuce every day and pellets.

Thanks again guys!

[SpotsMama]

I'm celebrating with you!

[octpusgirl8]

Hooray for poop

[industrial_girl_2000]

YAY!!!!