help with russian tortoise poop

[r.tortoise]

I just got a new russian tortoise. it is very active, and eats well. I rarely find its poop, and when i do it is about and inch long half a centimeter thick ,and is very dark brown. Is that normal? I am feeding it a mix of collard greens mustard and turnip greens and a bit of spinach.

 

[jwhite]

It sounds about right depending on the size of your tort. I would cut out the spinach from the diet it isn't the best thing for them. Make sure you are soaking your tort a couple times a week, this is where mine usually ended up going poop.

 

[r.tortoise]

oh its 4 inches and female

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi R.Tortoise:

Welcome to the forum!!

 

[tortoisenerd]

Welcome to the group!

Poop has a tendency to hide, and in some cases torts eat it (Russians more rarely though). As long as you know her system is working (she is pooping), I wouldn't worry about the frequency. Just feed a good varied diet and keep the tort hydrated. Your diet as it stands if you only feed those three greens leaves a lot to be desired for variety. Spinach and mustard greens are high in oxalic acid, which bind to calcium, and can cause increased urates and even stones. I'd keep greens higher in oxalic acid down to less than 50% of the diet, and cut out the spinach which is highest.

Can you grow any greens? A chemical-free diet of weeds/greens/grasses/flowers is best. In a pinch, feeding organic spring mix for a good part of the diet and rotating through a list of other greens like the turnip/mustard/collard/radish/dandelion greens for a slightly smaller part of the diet, and then about 5% treat foods like pumpkin, butternut squash, cactus pads, and Mazuri Tortoise Diet or Grassland Tortoise Food if you choose to you commercial foods. Even only feeding grocery greens, I can still feed 20+ food items over the course of a couple months. You just have to be creative, visit lots of local stores that sell organic produce, and focus on variety over time. Rotating through brands of spring mix helps increase the variety. I try to buy spring mix without the spinach, but if it has it, I pick it out and make my family's salad out of it (Google image search so you know what it looks like, as every once in awhile the package will not call it out but I have found some, and it does vary in color and texture).