# Sulcata eating his own stool..



## Nicole edwards (Jan 21, 2016)

Is this normal? My baby sulcata is around 100g and is very healthy and growing but he tends to eat his own poop and it really grosses me out. I try to get it out as soon as I noice it but sometimes it's too late. Any suggestions? 
Sorry there's really no better way to explain it


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## sibi (Jan 21, 2016)

All my babies did the same thing. It's typical of little ones to do that. Remember, sulcatas are eating machines. I have one who ingested a plastic glove laying around in the yard. I only found out cause he pooped it out! I was horrified. I have to make sure everything, plastic caps, ties, stones, or anything he could bit off and eat is removed. My yard has only grass, weeds, and drinking pans all around.
Going back to the poop. All that you've been doing is the only thing that can be done. It's better that he eats recycled turd than to eat the turd of some other animal which may have many bad things in it for sure. Eventually, he'll outgrow it. That's the good news. The bad news is that when he gets bigger, he'll eat whatever he finds in the yard. So, make sure you find a way to keep the fencing high to keep most other critters' poop out. Stray cats are of particular concern. You don't know what they've eaten or what chemicals they've ingested. If your sully gets a mouthful of that, he may get sick. But, when he gets too big to keep in the house, maybe you could start thinking now of an outdoor enclosure that can minimize those concerns. Best to you.


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## W Shaw (Jan 21, 2016)

In case no one more experienced weighs in on this, I don't think it's anything to worry too much about. Coprophagia's pretty common across many species. I don't believe it's likely to do him any harm. Maybe someone more experienced with it specifically in tortoises will add some info, but in the meantime, I wouldn't worry about it.


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## MPRC (Jan 21, 2016)

Tortoises love a good turd to munch on. Mine seem to prefer hunting for the leavings from other animals. Yuck. Nothing to worry about if it's his own poop.


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## Tom (Jan 22, 2016)

Nicole edwards said:


> Is this normal? My baby sulcata is around 100g and is very healthy and growing but he tends to eat his own poop and it really grosses me out. I try to get it out as soon as I noice it but sometimes it's too late. Any suggestions?
> Sorry there's really no better way to explain it



You should be soaking that baby daily, and if you do that, then they will poop in their soaking water and not have access to eat it. If they do eat it, its normal and not a big deal.

What substrate are you using, and what foods do you typically feed?


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## Nicole edwards (Jan 22, 2016)

Tom said:


> You should be soaking that baby daily, and if you do that, then they will poop in their soaking water and not have access to eat it. If they do eat it, its normal and not a big deal.
> 
> What substrate are you using, and what foods do you typically feed?


He soaks twice a day and uses the bathroom in his soak but he goes two to three times a day so they all don't make it in the soak. He eats a mixture of kale, turnip greens, mustard greens, a little parsley, and Mazuri when he wants (which isn't much)


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## Nicole edwards (Jan 22, 2016)

Tom said:


> You should be soaking that baby daily, and if you do that, then they will poop in their soaking water and not have access to eat it. If they do eat it, its normal and not a big deal.
> 
> What substrate are you using, and what foods do you typically feed?


And this is his substrate


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## Tom (Jan 22, 2016)

How long do you soak him? What sort of tub?

I asked about the substrate because the poop sticks to it, and if you were using a soil/sand mix, it could be a problem.


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## Nicole edwards (Jan 22, 2016)

Tom said:


> How long do you soak him? What sort of tub?
> 
> I asked about the substrate because the poop sticks to it, and if you were using a soil/sand mix, it could be a problem.



I soak him for 20-30 minutes in the morning and at night I put him in the sink with Luke warm running water. He loves to sit under the water and relax. The bowl he soaks in the morning is just a glass bowl about a foot wide. I sit it under his heat lamp so it stays warm also.


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## dmmj (Jan 22, 2016)

it's gross it's disgusting its stomach turning but its normal. They recycle nutrients in the poop. you should see 1 go after dog poop its like chocolate to them.


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## W Shaw (Jan 25, 2016)

One of the chimps I worked with liked to haze newcomers by putting poop in her mouth and making a big show of chewing with her mouth open to freak them out. I was no exception. When she did it to me, I told her it looked really yummy, and begged her to share. She looked at me like I was an absolute nutcase... but I was her favorite person from that moment on. I always suspected that she respected me for seeing through her little "game."


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## dmmj (Jan 25, 2016)

W Shaw said:


> One of the chimps I worked with liked to haze newcomers by putting poop in her mouth and making a big show of chewing with her mouth open to freak them out. I was no exception. When she did it to me, I told her it looked really yummy, and begged her to share. She looked at me like I was an absolute nutcase... but I was her favorite person from that moment on. I always suspected that she respected me for seeing through her little "game."


are you sure it wasn't brain damage?


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