# Can feces buildup in the shell cause problems?



## bourgeoiscaesar (Nov 1, 2017)

Gave my sulcata a soak and a cleaning today and noticed a good bit of feces built up in the shell. It wasn’t dried or impacted or anything, just very fiber-y, I’m assuming from the grass he eats outside. Is this anything to worry about? I managed to clean it out without issues, and he can poop without any issues, so it doesn’t seem to be affecting him. Just wanted to make sure there isn’t any kind of sanitation issue or anything this could cause.


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## JoesMum (Nov 1, 2017)

They have a bad habit of walking through their fresh poop. Regular soaks will loosen it and keep him clean. Otherwise don’t worry about their total lack of hygiene - at least he wasn’t eating the poop (they do sometimes!)


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## Yvonne G (Nov 1, 2017)

Yes, it can. Baby desert tortoises are prone to having this problem. I'm referring to feces stuck around the vent (cloaca) area. A baby will poop and it doesn't drop off, but stays in place and hardens. Then he poops again. Eventually this poop causes him to become constipated because he is unable to get any more poop out. Many's the time I've had to clean stuck on poop off a baby desert tortoise's tail. Soaking daily helps keep the poop off.

If you're just talking about odd bits and pieces of poop stuck to the bottom of the shell (plastron), no, it probably won't cause any harm. Try to keep the poop picked up daily and it's easier to keep it off the tortoise.


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## TammyJ (Nov 1, 2017)

A regular warm early morning soak is a good way to get them to poop - in the water, and help mitigate this problem.
I don't know how often a tortoise should poop, I guess it depends on what kind he is and what he eats, temperatures, etc.
I would think that the desert tortoises in the wild would be more likely to have the poop sticking problem due to their dry environment..?


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