Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello, I have a yearling Hermanns who is active and healthy. I went out of town and the caretaker for the 3 days feed him and all was well. I have not seen any stools though, but he is uraniating well. I soak him twice a day and he seems to stay in the pool for a long time.
He moves around and is not sluggish at all. Eating fine.
What foods are like tort ex-lax.
Thanks
terry

Normal cycle is 10 to 15 days in to out. I guess you can try melon or squash.

>>Hello, I have a yearling Hermanns who is active and healthy. I went out of town and the caretaker for the 3 days feed him and all was well. I have not seen any stools though, but he is uraniating well. I soak him twice a day and he seems to stay in the pool for a long time.
>>He moves around and is not sluggish at all. Eating fine.
>>What foods are like tort ex-lax.
>>Thanks
>>terry
-----
Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

Tortoises have very slow digestion compared to most other animals. He may just not be ready yet. Lack of enough fiber is a common problem in captive tortoises. Store-bought vegies are far lower in fiber (and nutrients too, by the way) than wild plants are. Also, I don't know what you feed him, but man-made foods like Mazuri will also slow down the digestion and can cause problems with hard stools that take forever to be expelled. Soy is notorious for causing constipation in people as well as other animals.

Most fruits are good laxatives. Strawberries, grapes...even grated apple usually work pretty well.