Weird Poop?

[Merilyn (Tortoise lover)]

Hi peeps,
For the past few days, when my tortoises poop the poop isn't one big poop it's little pieces of poop, or I guess you could call it tiny clumps of poop. Sometimes the poop is just a tiny speck...I'm pretty sure this is bad. Is it dirreah???
Thanks

 

[JoesMum]

It is an indication that your tort isn't getting enough fiber in its diet

What exactly are you feeding your tort?

 

[Merilyn (Tortoise lover)]

@JoesMum
I'm feeding them Romaine lettuce, Western Petunias, Western Petunia leaves, Dandilion greens, Kale, and Yellow Squash

 

[JoesMum]

Is the Romaine the main part of the diet? It doesn’t have much fiber - and few nutrients too. You need to get more fibrous weeds into your tort’s diet.

Squash should be an occasional treat not a regular feed. It too can cause digestive problems if fed too often.

It’s bedtime here in the UK. I’m just going to tag a couple of people in later time zones to see if they are around to chip in. @Yvonne G, @Tom

 

[Merilyn (Tortoise lover)]

I have been feeding them a lot of lettuce recently...

Should I be giving them tort pellets?

 

[Bambam1989]

Do you have a yard or access to a yard that has not been sprayed with pesticides or had any recent fertilizers added?
You can take photos of your weeds and we can help ID them. A surprising amount of wild plants are edible and can help give your tort a more varied diet.

 

[JoesMum]

I have been feeding them a lot of lettuce recently...

Should I be giving them tort pellets?

Lettuce can be part if the diet, but “a lot” is bound to cause loose bowel movements.

Your tortoise needs better quality greens and more variety.

Your tortoise cannot digest sugars properly - they cause digestive and kidney problems - so sweet foods like fruit, bell pepper, tomato and carrot should only be fed very sparingly and very occasionally if at all. Include squashes and pumpkin in the fruit list.

You need to write a list of all the greens that grow around you and those that you can buy... all of them, not just the lettuces, ... and look them up on The Tortoise Table Plant Database for suitability to feed.

It’s very easy. Go to the website and search. Of you click on the plant description it explains why it has made its recommendation so you get to understand why things are good or not.
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/

In the winter months few of us manage without supplementing with a good quality pellet like Mazuri. Get the standard version not Mazuri LS which seems to be universally loathed by tortoises.

However, there is no substitute for putting some effort in to find out what your local supermarkets, grocery stores, green grocers and markets sell. Your tortoise must have going quality greens. This is going to be problem every winter for the next 50 or more years; so the sooner you work out what is sold where the better