Russian tortoise poop

[alaskabeardogs]

Hi, my Russian tortoise is approximately 4 or 5 yrs old. He lives in doors in an 4x5 enclosure. He isn't the real lively, will sleep for a couple days, eat, pace around his enclosure, then sleep. Sometimes he has a big appetite, and times very little. I feed him red leaf lettuce, mustard greens, collard greens, carrots, little apple once a week, and now dandelion leaves and flowers. Not all these items are the same daily, I mix them up. Any way, I'm attaching a picture of his poop, its gross ans never seen this before!! Can someone identify it for me, or is this a vet thing?

 

[SinLA]

@Tom

 

[COmtnLady]

Those look like stones. Are they soft or hard? Are there rocks in his enclosure?

 

[alaskabeardogs]

Those look like stones. Are they soft or hard? Are there rocks in his enclosure?

No rocks in his enclosure, and yes they are soft.

 

[COmtnLady]

You said you feed apple sometimes - fruit is not good for Russians. It throws off their gut bacteria and they can't digest things well. Could this be undigested apple pieces?

 

[Tom]

Hi, my Russian tortoise is approximately 4 or 5 yrs old. He lives in doors in an 4x5 enclosure. He isn't the real lively, will sleep for a couple days, eat, pace around his enclosure, then sleep. Sometimes he has a big appetite, and times very little. I feed him red leaf lettuce, mustard greens, collard greens, carrots, little apple once a week, and now dandelion leaves and flowers. Not all these items are the same daily, I mix them up. Any way, I'm attaching a picture of his poop, its gross ans never seen this before!! Can someone identify it for me, or is this a vet thing?

What substrate is your tortoise on? What are the four temperatures? Warm side, cool side, basking area, and over night low? What bulbs are you using? What type of UV bulbs?

You are using the wrong foods. That is likely the primary issue. Read this for all the correct care info:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[alaskabeardogs]

You said you feed apple sometimes - fruit is not good for Russians. It throws off their gut bacteria and they can't digest things well. Could this be undigested apple pieces?

No, not undigested apple pieces. They only get maybe 3 or 4 tiny pieces. I'm wondering if this could be some kind of parasite???

 

[COmtnLady]

Has he had another poop yet? If so, what does it look like ? How long has he been having the lumpy kind?

How often do you soak him? For how long each time? Do you keep the water warm (mid-90s F) all the time he's soaking?

Because the pieces are different sizes and shapes, parasitical infestation doesn't seem as likely. Amoebic stuff wouldn't show to the naked eye, but It seems like you should be able to see larger parasites in the poop. I could have that wrong, but it seems like this is more if a digestive issue. The way to know is to take a fresh sample to your vet for analyses. (Call the vet and ask how they want it collected. There are some samples that need to be refrigerated and some not, some need to be in the tech's hands within an hour or two, some want a preservative in the sample, etc.)

Tortoises need warmth and exercise to move things around inside, and help digestion.

The sugars in fruit kill off some types of the gut biome and accelerate growth of others, creating an imbalance, and inability to digest/absorb nutrients the way the gut normally would.
So you have food entering one end, piling up in the stomach and upper GI tract. When it finally does move, it moves in various sizes of not-really-digested lumps, which fits with the look of the poop.



What kind of substrate is he on? What are the temps in his enclosure? Do you have a Tube-type UVB bulb or one of the screw-in ones?






Here are some threads talking about Russian Tort Foods. It might help inspire some ideas.

good diet for russian???

dose anyone know a good diet for a Russian tort

tortoiseforum.org

edible plants

This site is dedicated to providing exchange of ideas and information to create a better understanding of the care and breeding of the Russian Tortoise. (Testudo horsfieldii, horsfield, Agrionemys, Steppe)

russiantortoise.net

Russian Tortoise Diet

This site is dedicated to providing exchange of ideas and information to create a better understanding of the care and breeding of the Russian Tortoise. (Testudo horsfieldii, horsfield, Agrionemys, Steppe)

russiantortoise.net

 

[alaskabeardogs]

What substrate is your tortoise on? What are the four temperatures? Warm side, cool side, basking area, and over night low? What bulbs are you using? What type of UV bulbs?

You are using the wrong foods. That is likely the primary issue. Read this for all the correct care info:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

Thank you for all this information, but none of it helped in identifying this formation of poop.

 

[Tom]

Thank you for all this information, but none of it helped in identifying this formation of poop.

That is true. The poop looks like mucus or something undigested, which would both be caused by problems with the intestinal flora and fauna caused by improper diet.

Only you know what your tortoise has had access to.