General Care Discussion :: i just found out something really upsetting

Taking care of your turtle's overall health.

Post Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 11:52 am   i just found out something really upsetting

So...this morning i was feeding Turtley his very favorite meal, an Aquatic Turtle Yummy. He loves them so much, and i was telling my roommate how they were his most favorite thing to eat, and this is what she said:

"oh, i know, i fed him one once when i was drunk and didn't take the plastic off and he ate it all, even the plastic"

My first impulse was to jump across the room and throw her through the window, but i restrained myself.

So, i confirmed that yes indeed she gave him the wrapped yummy and he ate the entire plastic wrapper. I tried to stay calm (and not smack her) and explained to her (once again) that she can't ever give him food unless it's in his food bowl that i measure out for the day, and that she could have killed him. She said it was a few months ago, and he's seemed fine, he's pooping and eating plenty. I've never found a wrapper in the tank though, so i don't know what to think. I can't imagine that he would have been able to digest it, does it mean that it's still hanging around in his system somewhere? I'm really worried and i don't know what to do. I'm so mad at that girl that i can't even stand to look at her. I don't know what to do :( :( :(
Any advice?
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octpusgirl8
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Post Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 11:53 am   

I would say as long as he's eating, pooping and acting as normal, don't worry about it. I would hide all food however.. Drunk people + pets = bad news
The things that come to those who wait may be the things that were left by those who got there first - Steven Tyler
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jenaero
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Post Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 12:03 pm   

Oh yes, that's been taken care of. It's just really frustrating because i know she doesn't get it, and she's not going to get it, and i can't be around all the time to make sure she's not doing something to kill or otherwise injure my animals. I'm sure she's been feeding him more pellets and treats than he should be getting, which sucks because i work really hard to make sure his diet is top-notch. She's probably even been giving him people food that he should never be eating at all. I'm just soooo frustrated, trying to explain things to her is like talking to a rock. A dumb rock. I just hope he's ok.
Adrienne!
2.0 RES: Turtley and Samson
1.0 Lutino Cockatiel: Lilly
assorted fish, hermit crabs, bugs etc.
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octpusgirl8
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Post Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 12:41 pm   

I know how you feel. My friend has a leopard gecko that's been slowly dying from some unknown disease while the other does fine. I told her she should see a vet and her response was, "CJ, it's a lizard." Not kidding. Some people are ill.
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Nettle
 
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Post Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 1:41 pm   

I was once married to a dumb rock..he did the same thing.. the result was pyamiding, which is just now (3 years later) evening itself out.
The things that come to those who wait may be the things that were left by those who got there first - Steven Tyler
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jenaero
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Post Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 4:11 pm   

Do you remove his poo or just let him re-eat it? If you removed it, I'd imagine that little pieces of plastic have been slowing coming out and you just haven't seen it. I doubt it's still in him, and it's apparently not blocking anything. And if she was drunk, she might have pulled off the plastic and not remembered, drunk people's memories suck and all.

Is there any way you can lock the room he's in or lock his tank somehow?

Having roommates is rough, I'm sorry!
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TheComputerGremlin
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Post Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 4:15 pm   

Roommates suck!!! I can totally commiserate.

They have such a thing as a "nanny cam" that you can put near the tank that will record all the activity going on in the tank. I don't know if you want to do something like this, but it may confirm if your roommate is bothering your turtle or feeding extra food.

If it all continues, you may need to get a different roommate. Sorry!
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industrial_girl_2000
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Post Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 7:04 pm   

Lol i don't even think i want to see what goes on when i'm not around! I can't lock the room (but i am going to keep the food in a locked cash box), it's in the living/dining room area. He's a very social turtle, so i like having him in a location that lets him get plenty of attention. I'd move his tank to my room, but my room is barely big enough for my bed, let alone a 75 gallon tank! I'm keeping an eye out for somewhere else to live (i can't kick her out), but none of my friends that i would want to live with need a roommate right now, and i'd really rather not move back home with my parents!
I suck out the poo sometimes, but not all the time. It usually breaks up pretty quickly. I could have missed it if it came out in little pieces i guess. Plastic like that wouldn't show up on an x-ray, would it? I guess even if it did and it was in there not much could be done about it...i guess i'll just try and relax, and keep an eye on him.
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octpusgirl8
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Post Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 7:46 pm   

uhhhh you mean this is what i have to look forward to next year?! i'll have 3 roomates and two turtles, a newt and hopefully a few rats in my room. Dang! i'll have to put a lock on my door....
- Jessy
"Every breath we take is linked to the sea."
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zoologist
 
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Post Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 8:20 pm   

Yeah...it's best to keep your animals in your own room if possible. I hope you get better roommates than i have :D
Adrienne!
2.0 RES: Turtley and Samson
1.0 Lutino Cockatiel: Lilly
assorted fish, hermit crabs, bugs etc.
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octpusgirl8
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Post Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 10:04 pm   

i'm so glad i don't have roomates! all i have is a well-trained hubby now! all the feeding is MY JOB. lol. i never had a roomate screw with my pets though, i did have one run up a $2000 phone bill though...
1 Male RES, 16 yrs. "Krueger"
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mzkitty23
 
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Post Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 2:28 pm   

It's pretty tough to ask people not to interact with a pet you have around. I can't tell you how many (stupid) arguments I've gotten into. All I ask is that they be careful around them and that is a surprisingly hard thing for some people to understand.
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steve
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Post Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 7:19 pm   

ugh people are so dumb when it comes to animals. I can't tell you how many times I have yelled at my brothers friends for messing with my dog. they get a kick out of barking at her. Someone actually grabbed her front feet in one hand and her back legs in the other hand and had her on her back rolling her back and forth. And this is a shy dog who didn't know this person. I couldn't restrain myself, I yelled at her.I had to make a sign FOR INSIDE THE HOUSE about leaving ashtrays & butts ON THE FLOOR saying I was gonna make who ever was caught doing it pay to have my dogs stomach pumped if she ate one. I even had to tell one of my friends not to feed my bird random stuff. When I got up one morning when our friend was staying with us I looked at Ziggy and he was chowing down on "something" I looked and it was a Ritz peanut butter sandwich cracker...I didn't even have any of those in the house. My frined had it in his pocket or something! I don't normally feed Ziggy highly processed foods like that, and Ritz is too high in salt for him.
1.0.0 RES
1.0.0 Russian Tortoise
0.1.0 Eastern Box Turtle
1.0.0 Bearded Dragon
0.1.0 Leopard Gecko
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0.1.2 Parakeets
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imderanged
 
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Post Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 11:06 pm   

I'm glad i'm not the only one that's had this kind of problem! I'm also glad nobody's used my turtle tank as an ashray (i hope not anyway!). I talked to her about it again today (now that i've calmed down a little) and hopefully she got the message this time. I don't mind her interacting with him or my other animals, i just need to make it really clear that she shouldn't feed them anything or take them out of their cage/tank.
Adrienne!
2.0 RES: Turtley and Samson
1.0 Lutino Cockatiel: Lilly
assorted fish, hermit crabs, bugs etc.
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octpusgirl8
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Post Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 4:27 pm   

Some of the reptile tanks have locks for the screened tops. I wonder i there is some way to rig up a locked screen for an aquarium? .... hum any inventors out there to do an idiot safe pet protector :)
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