More questions about stones in RT poop

[kallista]

A friend of mine saids that when she put her RT in the tub to soak, when she pooped, there was 1-1 1/2 inch pieces of hay and that she found small stones as well in her poop. When mixed in the water the RT poop falls apart and is a dark green to brownish in colour she said..

Now i know when i got a bag of kids play sand, mine to have small stones in it..

Is there something that can be done for this? is this harmful?

 

[Yvonne G]

As long as the stones pass, it will be ok. But stones DO cause impaction. Your friend needs to get down on hands-and-knees and go through the pen picking up all the rocks and debris that is small enough for the tort to eat. I tell sulcata people this all the time, but I've never heard of RF tortoises eating stones. Put a piece of cuttlebone in the pen. Maybe the tortoise is looking for a calcium supplement.

Yvonne

 

[kallista]

As long as the stones pass, it will be ok. But stones DO cause impaction. Your friend needs to get down on hands-and-knees and go through the pen picking up all the rocks and debris that is small enough for the tort to eat. I tell sulcata people this all the time, but I've never heard of RF tortoises eating stones. Put a piece of cuttlebone in the pen. Maybe the tortoise is looking for a calcium supplement.

Yvonne

I am worried too, cause she has the same bag of kids play sand as me, and theres all kinds of small stones in it.. Also she does have a cuttle bone in hers too.

She said when she soaks hers, it poops and its falls apart right away, nothing really solid. And i noticed as well that mine as also kind of like that too.

What about the pieces of hay that comes out 1 inch long or a 1/2 inch long.?
Is that normal to poo whole pieces of hay?

 

[kallista]

Everyone is gone lol
come back i say come back
hehehe

 

[Yvonne G]

Sorry...I only turn on my computer once a day, so I missed the hay part. Yes, its quite common for the hay to come out the other end just like it went in. That's why some tortoises eat feces...they are recycling. A tortoise that only eats grass and hay will have dark brown pellets that look like compressed hay/grass. Sorry, I thought we were talking about a redfoot, but realize now your friend has a Russian. Russians aren't big on eating hay. They prefer round or broad-leafed plants, such as dichondra, clover, dandylion, mallow. My Russians only eat grass when its in its brand new-just-popped-out-of-the-ground stage. After it gets to be a couple inches tall they don't eat it anymore.

Yvonne

 

[elle]

Rather than getting down on hands and kneew it mite be easier to sieve the sand to remove stones. This is also easier if the sand is totally dried out first, by spreading it out on a large tray and allowing water to evaporate.