Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 7:45 pm Re: Weird blood coming out of cloaca
Hi Steve,
I think it isn't the penis anymore. As I said, I never saw him putting it out. He's 11 years old. Same thing for his brother. Simply, I never saw it.
Some updates: Two days ago the bleeding much lesser. Yesterday, back to the usual. Today, less again. Tomorrow will be more. You know how I know this?
Because I changed his feeding habits. For th days that was less bleeding, I simply didn't gave him the same amount of food, but less. The normal days he ate normally during the day and in the previous night.
Today in the morning he was in a totally clean tank and I could see some poo, very soft, in small portions/balls, not forming normal poo. I think I might have lost some of his poo in the previous week because it does look like the pieces of pellets I usually find in his tank when I try to find him with that. He bites them, eventually, but not eating. So, the pieces goes to the bottom of the tank. So his feces. Very similar, but a little bit harder... So, yes, I might have lost some.
So I think it's something on his digestive system. He still wants to eat, not the pellets, but anything else. But when he does, he bleed more and this only happens at night when he relax enough.
My mother wasn't letting them too much time on the tank, because we had only one for one month or so; this was before I came here. Now they have three big tanks, since basically my second day here. So he is spending more time in water, without the others. I think the coagulated blood could be a result of less water time, less poo-events, so it concentrated. Can't say, but it could be.
So, it's not in the bladder or urine or something; he doesn't eat something hard (x-ray is clean); nothing in the lungs; never saw the penis can't confirm that; changing eating habits changes the bleeding.
Tomorrow he will spend more time out the water, with the others, so he won't be as active as usual. He usually stand still, following the female everywhere, and taking sun baths. I'll do this to test the relation between bleeding and muscular activity - because that's the last variable, I guess. It could be something like less activity = less bleeding. Or less food = less bleeding.
I'll try this out and call the vet tomorrow. After this last experiment I guess I have nothing else to do, and I'll have to trust these local vets, who seems to know less about turtles than I do.
What do you think?
If it's the digestive tract... could be a bacteria? an infection? The only thing that don't connects is the fact that the first bleeding was right after he felt, inside the tank, while trying to escape the tank. I found him with the belly up, and a small bleeding. That's the first event.
So maybe a mechanical impact? But strong enough to cause internal damage? I hardly think so...
About penises... Why I never saw one of them putting it out?
Sorry for my broken English and multiple questions. I'm writing this in a hurry. Thanks!