My RT eats his poo.

[chris1810]

I walked in today looked at my rt and found him eatin his poo,He had a bowl of food so was not hungary..Is this ok for him and why would he do it iam doing something wrong food wise.

 

[ascott]

Ewwwww....I have never heard if such a gross nasty icky thing such as this......

Ok, so just kidding....the little gross poo eaters are common....seems to me they love the poo......

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Coprophagy is not uncommon, and can stem from several reasons. In nature, tortoise have been known to eat the dung of other animals, but in captivity, it probably depends on what you offer him, and how much exercise he gets.

If all he ever gets is one type of food, he might try to eat his own dung as a means of trying to eat something else. Also, if he is getting food that is hard to digest, there might still be a lot of nutrients in the dung, so he might smell this and consider it food. Finally, if his enclosure is too small, or he does not get a lot of time outside of it, he may become bored and resort to eating his own waste for something to do.

Do you think any of this applies to your little guy?

 

[chris1810]

I feed him diffrent leafy greens and weeds,He has a big table with rocks 2 wooden bridges and a upstairs i cant let him out in the garden cause in manchester in rains for 9 months out of the year but i soak him every other day.As soon as i get in i will upload some pics so you can point out if i have done anything wrong.I did not know why he would eat it ,I clean it up as soon as i see he has poop i didnt want it to harm him.

 

[cemmons12]

So far my girl hasnt ate her poo.... But Cooper, a sulcata, tried it. Now he gets enough baths that the poo comes out in the soak, not in the habitat!

 

[JoesMum]

Eating poo isn't uncommon. Some torts do it more than others. Don't worry; it's said to improve gut flora!

As for Manchester and rain... I know what it's like having spent my university days in Lancaster. There's a reason that the Lakes are where they are!

Rain doesn't harm torts... Joe loves it. They've got a waterproof shell What harms them is cold. If you have a sunny day, get him outside and leave him out as long as the temperature isn't too cold. UV can pass through cloud, so it's still beneficial for him.

A cold frame (like a mini greenhouse) with a hole cut inside makes a great shelter and because of the clear roof it gets really warm inside.

 

[chris1810]

This is my set,him outside and having a bath.

 

[ascott]

Very cool...have you tried creating a spot somewhere in the enclosure with actual dirt/soil...they love to dig . Perhaps adding some substrate to the second level would be fun too (but don't know how tall the walls are on the second level, would not want him to get out)...

What is the substrate in the enclosure now? In the pic I can not tell.... And very beautiful

 

[chris1810]

I put topsoil in and had it half n half but he still went digging in the wood chippings (which are reptile bark for tortoises) i have rocks that go on the 2nd floor which i have took out to clean, he likes doin his soiling up there.

 

[dmmj]

Gross but normal, I know they sell a spray for dog poo to make it taste bad, I wonder if there is a tortoise version available? Of course one wonders poo already tastes bad so how can one make it taste worse?

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

I feed him diffrent leafy greens and weeds,He has a big table with rocks 2 wooden bridges and a upstairs i cant let him out in the garden cause in manchester in rains for 9 months out of the year but i soak him every other day.As soon as i get in i will upload some pics so you can point out if i have done anything wrong.I did not know why he would eat it ,I clean it up as soon as i see he has poop i didnt want it to harm him.

Looks like a nice setup, and sounds like a reasonably good diet. However, it looks like your little guy is developing some pyramiding, which can be caused by low humidity, or by a diet that is rich in calories, but lacking in vitamins and minerals. Since you live in England, I doubt if humidity is a problem, so it must be the diet, and maybe that's why he's eating his poo. Maybe he's not bored, but instinctively trying to get as much nutrition as he can. Could you be a bit more specific about what you feed him and how often? Do you use a vitamin and mineral supplement? Maybe we can troubleshoot the diet, and fix both the growth problems and the coprophagy simultaneously.

 

[chris1810]

This is his diet this week,i also dust his food daily next week i will change it to something diffrent the things in the tub is weeds well Dandelion which he loves,But if theres any thing which you think is wrong please let me know..Thanks..

 

[Arizona Sulcata]

Every animal I've ever raised eats poop. Very common. Not saying its good for them, just common. Your diet isn't to blame.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

This is his diet this week,i also dust his food daily next week i will change it to something diffrent the things in the tub is weeds well Dandelion which he loves,But if theres any thing which you think is wrong please let me know..Thanks..

Hmm ... other than the dandelions, seems like he's getting many different types of lettuce (romaine, baby, etc.). Lettuce in and of itself is not bad, as long as it is only part of a more diverse diet. Lettuce contains fewer nutrients than many other plants, so it should not form the majority of the diet. It's good that you're using a diet supplement, but that won't fully compensate for not having a diverse diet. I recommend incorporating the following weeds and groceries into your tortoise's diet:

- Arugula (roquette)
- Collard greens
- Mustard greens
- Endive
- Escarole
- Chicory
- Clover

You can also include commercial foods, like Mazuri, Grassland, red sticks, Fluker's, RepCal, Trex, etc. Offering your tortoise a variety of foods is fun, too. Just buy different items each time you go to the grocery store. Get arugula one time, endive another, lettuce another. If you do, I bet your tortoise will become a more enthusiastic feeder. His shell growth should even out as well. And he probably won't be interested in eating his own poo anymore, either.

 

[chris1810]

Thats the food i have got him this week,every sunday i get diffrent stuff for him he loves dryed up weeds and mustard greens,I always try to mix his diet up as much as i can.Thank u for your advice because there is things there i have nit herd of and will defo get them this week.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Thats the food i have got him this week,every sunday i get diffrent stuff for him he loves dryed up weeds and mustard greens,I always try to mix his diet up as much as i can.Thank u for your advice because there is things there i have nit herd of and will defo get them this week.

Okay, cool. Maybe there are some nice weeds out there in your garden, besides dandelion, that your tortoise might enjoy. In the wild (see attached article), Russians' favorite family of plants to eat from is the sunflower family, followed by the cruciferous family. They also like poppies, buttercups, and occasionally grass. Plenty of fun stuff to chose from out there.

 

[JoesMum]

As you are in the UK, have a look at this plant list and The Tortoise Table Plant Database. You may be surprised by how much that is growing around you that makes excellent tortoise food.

Dandelions and sow thistles are Joe's favourite. He also likes bindweed, bittercress, clover and he also likes buttercup flowers if he can find them.