Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I think my RES may be constipated and I don't know what to do. He is almost 3 years old and usually eats Reptomin. My boyfriend fed him bacon about a week ago (against my advice) and since then he has looked lethargic, is not eating or pooping, and seems to be "straining". I am not sure the bacon caused this, but that is my best guess because I have never seen him act quite like this before. No signs of respiratory problems, so I am assuming it is his stomach.

Any advice?

First - please tell your boyfriend that it may be cute to give the turtle goofy things to eat but if he cares at all whether or not the animal will live or die he should avoid feeding it things that will cause it to get impacted or cause it systemic upset. Your animal may now have an instestinal blockage and should be brought to the vet immediately for an evaluation. Do not wait. If he does have a blockage he could die without medical assistance.

This is the price that, unfortunately (as I am sure it was never the intention of your boyfriend to harm the turtle), that gets paid when we do something that we think is amusing without regard for possible consequences. Good luck.

If he does have a blockage, is there a way for the vet to treat it? I have already talked to my vet and he said that he could take an x-ray and give the turtle a laxative, but I did not get the impression that he had done this before (even though he is a herp vet). Does this sort of thing require surgery???

That would be the best course of action at this point. Get an x-ray to get a picture of what is going inside and see if a laxative can help. I imagine they do have surgical procedures as well but the least invasive things are always the best to try first and you have determine (x-ray) if he has a blockage before you try to fix it. So I would go with what the vet is telling you. It makes sense.

i also hope you know that you shouldnt 'just' feed your turtle reptomin sticks... he needs a variety of food such as fruits and vegetables. pellets should only be fed about every other day (for turtles of a few years old and older). if you arent doing this, i suggest you start. the turtle needs a good variety of food in their diet in order to be healthy and happy! i am not sure if you meant in your first post that you ONLY feed him reptomin, or if that is one of the things u feed him. hope this helps!
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~ Evie

Pets:
German Shephard {Dusty}
German Shephard/Collie mix {Shadoe}
2 RES turtles {Booger and Snot}
African Clawed Frog {Bingo}
Snail {Gary}

Perhaps Honuman will clarify here(because he knows his turtle stuff) but I don't think there are too many fruits on the list of "good for turtles". I know it can be done, but pretty rarely I think. I don't think it is something that would be part of their "natural" diet.

well i know that i feed my turtles strawberries and grapes, and they love them... i am not sure what other fruits they would eat though, but i know that these fruits are not bad for them. i am also not sure if there are any fruits that ARE bad for turtles!
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~ Evie

Pets:
German Shephard {Dusty}
German Shephard/Collie mix {Shadoe}
2 RES turtles {Booger and Snot}
African Clawed Frog {Bingo}
Snail {Gary}

How large is the turtle? An x-ray wouldn't hurt, and would at least offer some ideas. Are you sure it's a male? Males have long front nails.

Katrina