Urgent Care :: red in stool in baby RES!

[bwilson]

I just got a baby RES and i noticed his stool was white with red in it. I read online that this should be a serious concern, but it did not say what to do for it. I have him in a big bowl w/bridge he does bask and eat well, however I just am using a regular light, today after work i wanted to get him proper lighting and bigger tank, but not about everything what to do. Should i be worried? Will he live? What should I do? I appreciate any and all advice thank you so much!

[marisa]

Welcome. Please read up on what you need to get your hatchling so s/he has a proper habitat.

Is the poop well-formed or runny? Does the red look like blood at all? Their poop can resemble what they've eaten. Do you know what the seller was feeding the turtle?

If he's acting normally, eating well, swimming and basking, I'd keep an eye on him and his poop and see if it becomes more normal looking in color.

What are you feeding your turtle, how much and how often?

Please get your turtle a better set-up.

[bwilson]

the poop did not look runny it looked solid white with the end was red. To me the red did not look like blood/was not wet but do not know. I do not know what the seller fed him, I just bought him on Sunday from a oriental festival by sloans lake, in colorado, he said they got them from florida. there were a ton of them in a big tupper ware like box, it was so crowded and busy they pretty much handed me the turtle and had me move so the next person could buy one.
I am feeding him 2 pellets twice a day, he eats them, and then dried crill every other day, I put a piece of banana in there, he chewed on it, then kinda spit parts of it out, it made the tank really messy, i also put a couple pieces of romaine to float, but he never touched those. I have a few peices of bamboo in the tank for decoration, he nips at those hope thats safe for him. So his water is gross, going tonight to buy new setup just not sure exactly what to get, cant spend a fortune on him. Appreciate the advice ASAP thanks!!!

[missibsu]

Krill should only be offered as a treat. One to two times a month at max.

What brand of pellets are you feeding? Pellets should be offered the amount that would fit in his head if it were hollow once a day. Overfeeding can lead to health problems in the future.

As for a set up. You are going to want to make sure he has at least 10 gallons of water per inch of his shell. Also, keep in mind that he will grow. The larger you can go now, the more you will save in the future. If you need to, you can use a rubbermaid container for a short term solution. They are a lot cheaper.

[bwilson]

so do you think it is dangerous to have bamboo in the tank if he is nipping at it?
what would the cause be to the red in the poop?
what would i do to fix that?

[steve]

If you're talking about lucky bamboo, it's really not bamboo but a Dracaena. I have heard mixed information regarding it's safety (most places say it's "pet safe", no specific mention of RES. It is listed as toxic on the ASPCA site). I was actually going to use these with my turtles when they were hatchlings, but decided against it because I didn't want to add substrate into the tank. Skip it and get some anacharis.