RT with runny poop

[Niki]

My RT has really runny poops. She has been living in her burrow a lot because the temps here are 112. I feed her a plate of either dandelion greens, spring mix, ( no spinach) and sometimes I do give her romain hearts. ( her favorite ) she eats every morning and goes back into burrow.
Yesterday I pulled her out to soak her and make sure she was ok... I barely see her! She did poop in her water and it was pretty firm. When I took her out I did give her a little extra food and she ate it all and then had a horrible runny poop. Is there something I can do? Did I feed her too much? Otherwise she seems healthy. Thx!

 

[JoesMum]

Are we talking runny green poop or runny white poop?

Runny white poop is normal and is just urate being ejected.

Runny green poop suggests you need to cut back on the Romaine and get more fiber in the diet. It may be a one off, or only happen occasionally. It's only a problem if it happens all the time.

 

[Tom]

The foods you are feeding don't have enough fiber and you need to expand your dietary horizons. More broad leaf weeds, mulberry and hibiscus leaves, grape leaves, spineless opuntia cactus. You can also finely chop some grass or grass hay and mix it in with what the tortoise is used to eating to get them started. Most russians aren't big grass eaters, but if you mix it in this way, it will add the needed fiber.

 

[Niki]

It's runny dark green... I do have hibiscus in her enclosure I will start giving her that. I also have grape leaves. I will buy a mulberry plant and plant it in there too. She is picky... I grew the RT seed mix from Carolina pet sup. and it's growing everywhere in her enclosure but she ignores it. She does like to eat the grass in the yard. She also ignores prickly pear. I will definitely change her diet up. Thanks!

 

[JoesMum]

Grass is good for fiber, so let her eat that.

Torts are so good at making us feel guilty and being picky eaters.

You have to be as tough with them as you do with a child that only wants to eat candy... stand firm and show them who's in charge! A hungry tort will eat properly. Going without for a few days or even a couple of weeks until they realise that no alternative is on offer will do no harm

 

[Niki]

Grass is good for fiber, so let her eat that.

Torts are so good at making us feel guilty and being picky eaters.

You have to be as tough with them as you do with a child that only wants to eat candy... stand firm and show them who's in charge! A hungry tort will eat properly. Going without for a few days or even a couple of weeks until they realise that no alternative is on offer will do no harm

Everything in her enclosure is edible... So I am not going to bring her a plate of food this morning. Curious to see if she will go and fend for herself.

 

[Niki]

Just an update... I didn't leave her normal plate of food out this morning. At 1:00 I went out to water down her enclosure.... and look who is out eating the weeds and grass in her enclosure! Miss Greta. Thank you for the suggestions!