Urgent Care :: RES throw up and lots of poop

[angelaaa]

Hi, I urgently need advice and help. I have two RES around ~20 years old/5.5 inches.
One of them, Muddy, was fed on Monday night and threw up Tuesday afternoon. He threw up all his food and this morning (Wednesday) he also pooped a lot. He has always had the same feeding regimen (ReptoMin pellets 1X/week). I don’t know what would be the cause of vomiting as I’ve never seen a RES vomit. The pellets are not expired.
Can a RES vomit due to respiratory infection? I also don’t understand why he pooped so much either. Muddy has no RI symptoms other than some days I hear a cough? No open mouth breathing. He basks a lot.

If I were to bring him to a vet, does anyone have recommendations based in Bay Area California? How does a vet check for signs of RI? Thank you for the help. Happy to answer any questions.

[steve]

Not sure if it's RI, but it's good that there are no other symptoms. It would be a good idea to go for that vet visit, I would suggest asking https://tortoise.org/ for local vets in your area.

An XRay might be able to detect fluid in the lungs for RI, and a blood test might find signs of infection. Has anything like this happen before? Is he kept separate from the other turtle?

[angelaaa]

Hi Steve, thank you for always helping the community with your expertise. Yes, both of my turtles are kept separate. I remember once they’ve both had lots of poop for a few days. But never seen them throw up. I’m hoping it’s from over-eating. Muddy is on the overweight side in which I am concerned…when he basks he has fat drooping from his side of the leg. But we only feed them 1X/week and I know to feed them how much can fit “inside their head.” Maybe next time I’ll use a measuring spoon to be more consistent. Like 1 teaspoon?
Do you also know how often do RES poop? Appreciate all the help! I’ll look into vets around my area. Do you know the average cost it takes to see a turtle at a vet?

[steve]

You can also half that amount and spread it out. Also offer some veggies on non-pellet days.

As for how often they poop, it varies based on the turtle. I had one turtle who would poop right away and another its always a guess.

I have no idea about current vet costs. I'd imagine the price has risen since I've last had to use one, and seeing a new vet might have some extra office-related fees tacked onto the first visit.