Urgent Care :: Cuttlebone of Doom?

[anthonyammo]

Hello all. I hope you can help. I've been reading this board for years.

About a month ago I noticed that my turtle was breaking off and eating small chunks of corkbark. I did a search here and I saw some people recommending cuttlebones for turtles to bite instead.

I bought my turtle a cuttlebone and dropped it in the tank. He loved the thing. But then the other day I noticed the base of his tail was growing very thick. Then I realized I hadn't seen a dropping in quite a long time.

I've come to find out that artificial cuttlebones are a thing. Upon inspection of the cuttlebone, it turns out my RES has eaten a good portion of PLASTIC that I had been completely unaware of that was attached to one side. I've since fed him a bit to see if he would poop (I turned off the filter and hung out with him for many hours) to no result.

I am fairly convinced his intestinal track is blocked by the plastic bits.

I live in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Does anyone have any experience with a good herp vet in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, or even the Bronx? I've done a lot of internet searches, but you almost never see reviews that specifically mention turtles or any other reptiles. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

[steve]

Some vets some of us NYers have used...

Animal Medical Center - http://amcny.org
The Center for Avian and Exotic Medicine - http://avianandexoticvets.com
St Marks Veterinary (ask for Dr. Luk) - http://stmarksvet.com
Old Country Animal Clinic in Plainview (ask for Dr. Monaco) - http://oldcountryanimalclinic.com

You will be looking at an initial visit + administrative cost + X-ray and I think your bill might be around $200

So you have seen no poop at all?

[anthonyammo]

I haven't seen anything at all

I cleaned out the filter a couple of weeks ago, which would have been after this problem likely started (although I didn't notice at first). I'm wondering if I can find any traces of fecal matter in there. If I do, that might mean he's been pooping and I've missed it.

Thank you for providing those links, and especially which doctors to ask for!

Here are some images of his tail showing how large it is getting. Unfortunately, a good photo from beneath that really shows the growth has been hard to get. Don't mind the water looking so bad. I had the filter off for two days hoping I'd find some poop, and he was just splashing all around as I lured him with my fingers. The filter's back on now and the water is clear.

http://imageshack.us/a/img822/985/t3bu.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img850/459/gk1r.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img401/4061/d6n9.jpg
http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/997/tm95.jpg

[steve]

So he's still eating his regular portions of food? The tail does look a little thick but that doesn't necessarily mean anything.

[anthonyammo]

He's still eating like crazy if I feed him. I've been withholding for the past week because I didn't want to cause any damage. I fed him a bit again last night with no poop.

EDIT - I just fed him a lot of food. I'm making him an appointment for tomorrow or Monday. I figure if I give him a ton of food today--much more than I have been--and he doesn't poop, that is probably meaningful. And if he does poop then I can cancel the appointment.

[anthonyammo]

Welp, that plan seems to have worked out.

I fed him a ton of food... more than I ever have before. And he passed a huge turd. It was more solid that I've ever seen from him. I inspected it, and it wasn't the typical mush ( but maybe that's because I got to it immediately after he dropped it). I inspected it, and there were definitely some small hard parts, although they were more sandy in feeling than large chunks of plastic.

I'm hoping this is the end of this chapter, but I'm only being cautiously optimistic.

Thanks Steve. Your last post put the slightest doubt in my mind that he was blocked up, and that's what inspired me to give him a huge portion of food.

[ljapa]

Congrats, that's great news.

I'd love to see an after picture of the tail.

On the cuttlebone, they do actually come from a cuttlefish. That hard backing is part of it. I take a pocket knife and worm under the backing and flick it off.

[anthonyammo]

Thanks!

From what I've read recently, a lot of the cuttlebones that are available now are artificial. The one I bought has a cockatiel on the box, so it was intended for birds. It had plastic backing. But to just look at it, without being told there is a harder plastic part, there would be no reason to suspect it.

I think a natural cuttlebone from an actual cuttlefish wouldn't need to have anything detached.

[steve]

Great to hear! I'm not sure if the backing is plastic but I do think it is put there to prevent it from falling apart when a bird pecks at it. There is a product called "Turtle Bone" but I think it's the same as the one for birds, backing and all, but at a slightly higher price.

[Into_the_Mystic]

I always use a knife and break that part off before giving it to mine. I cut the cuttlebone into tiny bite size pieces and feed it a couple times a week. I remember reading on here somewhere about the backing and how it could be dangerous.

[anthonyammo]

Great to hear! I'm not sure if the backing is plastic but I do think it is put there to prevent it from falling apart when a bird pecks at it. There is a product called "Turtle Bone" but I think it's the same as the one for birds, backing and all, but at a slightly higher price.

that seems to be a running thing with turtle specific products, doesn't it?

I always use a knife and break that part off before giving it to mine.

Just started doing this today. I'm also giving it in moderation instead of all at once.

[Into_the_Mystic]

Good deal. I only give him about 10 tiny pieces at a time. Sometimes he won't touch it, but on the "not pellet days", I give them to him and let him think he's getting something yummy.