General Care Discussion :: Turtle poop

[MVB]

Sort of a weird subject, but I'm starting to worry about it.

So my baby sliders don't appear to be pooing. In all of the time I've had them, I've never seen anything that looks like it could be a turtle's stool. I do feed them separately in a smaller tank, however, and often the water starts to turn a greenish/browny colour when they're in it. Is it possible that at the hatchling age their poo is just not particularly visible, or liquid maybe?

Or is this bad and potentially dangerous?

-MVB

[johnrisky]

My turtles are a little bigger than hatchings, but their stools are visible. maybe you can just keep an eye on them after feeding, to see if they poop right or it's just they cloudied the water themselves.

[ataraxiamb]

I haven't seen any turtle poop in months, but my turtle is healthy, active, and growing. I think he just eats it all. They do like to do that.

[ljapa]

I see looser stool that could turn a small water volume greenish brown when the diet is heavy in lettuce.

It has not seemed to cause an issue, but I know others who have been concerned at loose stool.

[MVB]

It's not a lettuce problem, because my little guys won't touch greens yet, they barely eat pellets either, they're mostly only interested in mealworms, river shrimp and grasshopper bits. It's basically an entirely carnivorous diet. I put other stuff in there, but they don't seem interested.

[ataraxiamb]

Do you see extra pellets laying around? Because when they're just eating pellets, what comes out looks almost exactly the same as what comes out. So if you have spare pellets at the bottom, that may actually be the poop.

Rollo points this out in the Cleveland Show. He also thinks turtles are chick magnets:

http://youtu.be/aQES-VKIf8Q

[MVB]

Hm. The turtle pellets I give them are orange. Would their feces take on the colour of the pellets?

I do also feed them a lot of little worms and grasshopper parts.

[Tinky'sMom]

They might be eating it. I thought the fish in my tank were eating my turtle's poop, but he's the one who is eating it. After not seeing poop in his tank for a long time, I caught him taking a poop one day. I turned around to get the net to scoop it out, turned back around and he was chowing down on his poop. So, it might be that they are eating it.

[MVB]

Maybe they are eating it... but it should still be coming out somewhere, and I'm just not finding it.

I have had the babies for a few weeks now though, so I'm guessing they're going to be OK regardless. Maybe they're just pooping too small, or it looks too much like food fragments. I've been feeding them on brightly coloured Flucker pellets though, so I'd be surprised if it was that.

Thanks anyway guys!

[Ant]

If they are eating their poop you wont find it......because........they are eating it!!!!!! lol For instance, If I bought a cheeseburger, and I ate it, then my friend Dan tried to find it he would not be able too anymore. it wont be visible.

My turtle will eat his in seconds after producing it. If by chance he misses a piece, the goldfish get it.

Trust me when I tell you though, your turtle is pooping lol.