Lots Of Stool In Enclosure

[DrogonsDracarys]

At the moment, I have no dirt to refill my tortoise's enclosure. SO there is a LOT of poop in there. Is it dangerous for there to be a lot of poo in his enclosure?
I do occasionally scoop the poo out with a plastic spoon, but it is near impossible to get all of it out.

 

[daniellenc]

Ummmmm yeah fecal matter is not suitable substrate.

 

[DrogonsDracarys]

Ummmmm yeah fecal matter is not suitable substrate.

There is dirt mixed in..

 

[wellington]

It should be cleaned out if not daily then at least several times a week. That's part of our job of caring for them. In the wild they have lots of space to possibly never come across or have to live in their own poop. In captivity they don't have that option.

 

[Tom]

At the moment, I have no dirt to refill my tortoise's enclosure. SO there is a LOT of poop in there. Is it dangerous for there to be a lot of poo in his enclosure?
I do occasionally scoop the poo out with a plastic spoon, but it is near impossible to get all of it out.

You should be removing all poop at least daily, if not several times a day as you see it.

And you don't need dirt. For most species fine grade orchid bark works best. What size and species have you got?

Also, if you soak your tortoise more often, not only will the tortoise stay well hydrated, they will do all their pooping in the soaking water and you never have to clean it out of the enclosure.

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm not afraid of poop. When I go around to all the different enclosures to turn on lights, feed, water, etc. part of that 'chore' is picking up poop. If it is a contained enclosure, I just reach in and pick up the poop with my fingers and toss it into the plastic bag hanging over my arm. If your tortoise's poop is too moist to pick up with your fingers, the diet is not correct. It should be firm enough to pick up without squishing it. When I get to a yard (not a closed enclosure) I just reach for the poop scoop and rake and go around picking it all up. You poop then flush it away. Tortoise poop should be dealt with daily too. Naturally, I don't touch my face until I"ve had a chance to wash my hands.

 

[DrogonsDracarys]

You should be removing all poop at least daily, if not several times a day as you see it.

And you don't need dirt. For most species fine grade orchid bark works best. What size and species have you got?

Also, if you soak your tortoise more often, not only will the tortoise stay well hydrated, they will do all their pooping in the soaking water and you never have to clean it out of the enclosure.

HE is a Russian tortoise, I am not with him atm. So, I can't tell you his size.

 

[Jay Bagley]

When I rescued Sheldon late last year, he had been in his enclosure for 2 and 1/2 years. I was horrified to find out that his substrate was never changed, but more importantly never spot cleaned. It looked like a turd apocalypse.

 

[Hugo's Home]

What about all the poop in the burrows? Should I be climbing down there and pulling out all the poop? In the wild, I know we don't really know but don't the babies eat the poop when conditions aren't right and they can't forage? I always clean out his night box but not his burrow and I know there's alot of crap down there lol

 

[Levi the Leopard]

What about all the poop in the burrows? Should I be climbing down there and pulling out all the poop? In the wild, I know we don't really know but don't the babies eat the poop when conditions aren't right and they can't forage? I always clean out his night box but not his burrow and I know there's alot of crap down there lol

Poop will decompose in an outdoor enclosure and/or an inground burrow. That's very different than poop sitting in an artificial environment, like a tort table etc.

 

[orv]

Our three CDTs live in a year-around outdoor environment. More for appearances sake than health issues, either my wife or myself picks up the stools every few days. Additionally, I use a lawn rake to clean out their burrow and hide several times a year. I've yet to run accross any stool in their burrow (at least as far down as I'm able to reach with the rake), but regularly remove it from their hide. With an area as large as the one our tortoises live in I don't really believe the amount of excretement in their living area would be a health issue. I do, however check their stools for possible problems just to satisfy my own obsession about their health. I also have had their stools checked for parasites every few years. So far . . . no positive results.

 

[bouaboua]

We have a pair of small hand shovel, one in each hand and very easy to scoop "them" up. We pick-up poop all day long. we have 27 of them in various species. We love to keep their enclosure clean and that is part of having tortoises....

 

[Salspi]

Ummmmm yeah fecal matter is not suitable substrate.

I laughed at this one....