Feeding and Nutrition :: My New Turtle has stone-like poops!

[rozrus]

Hi, RES keepers,

I just adopted a super-cute, young RES turtle from my local aquarium store. The turtle (whom I've named "Resa") is approx. 5-6 months old I'm figuring, and was someone else's pet, but that person brought the turtle back to the store, as s/he no longer wanted to keep or care for Resa. I paid for and brought Resa home with me last Saturday, and shortly after getting him/her set up in the container, s/he did a few poops. I was surprised (and concerned) to discover that the poops were all very hard, like stones, and black in colour! So I contacted the store clerk, who told me that Resa only got turtle pellets while s/he was there, and I'm suspecting that the previous keeper didn't give Resa much (or any) vegetables or fruit! So, I've begun to give him/her zucchini (which our #1 turtle absolutely loves!), and bits of red leaf lettuce for now. To encourage Resa to eat the veggies, I'm dipping them in fish "juice" (Resa was very shy and refused to eat for the first 24 hours).

Is there anything else that I can do, or give Resa to eat, to help his/her stool to soften up, and return to a more normal colour, and make it easier for Resa overall?

Thanks very much!

Gratefully,
Roslyn

[steve]

How big were the poops? It's possible they are gravel or rocks... stores don't care what substrate they use. To help with the veggies, use a veggie clip which is basically a plastic clip with a suction cup. You can find it in the fish section of a pet store.

[rozrus]

Thank you, Steve, for your quick reply! The poops were very small, the size of a very small pebble, and completely black. You might be right, though, that perhaps what I thought were poops were actually rocks from the tank that the turtle was in, at the store. I can ask the clerk the next time I'm there. ... And thank you for the suggestion about the veggie clip. I'm keeping an eye on my new turtle-friend, hoping to see some (more) poops soon. I figure that s/he would be producing some soon, given the fact that s/he has been eating quite a considerable amount of veggies since Saturday (the day that I adopted him/her). I've been holding off giving Resa fish or meat/protein, as I'm concerned that it might bind him/her more. Do you think this is a sensible strategy? Thanks again ... Roslyn.

[steve]

If Resa is eating veggies, that's great to hear! But do not offer too much too quickly as it could produce a lot of loose stool. How big is Resa? Any protein in addition to a staple pellet should be in limited amounts or treats. So maybe add a small amount for variety, but keep it to a minimum.

[rozrus]

Thank you very much for your wise advice -- it's much appreciated!
I have a bit of good news today: Resa has, at last, done a few normal-looking poops! And the consistency appears to be normal also. So I think that the veggies I've been giving him/her have done some good work. It's still a bit too early to tell for sure, especially since s/he doesn't seem to want to eat the turtle pellets right now (s/he was eating them a couple of days ago).
The other piece of news, or update, is that Resa seems to have figured out that the fishy-smelling veggies are only just veggies, and not fish! So again, s/he doesn't seem to want to eat much of the veggies today. But I'm hopeful overall, as s/he seems to be settling in nicely, very lively and interested in whatever's happening in the immediate area around him/her.
Resa is about 3-4 inches in circumference, and I think s/he is about 5 months old.
Thank you, Steve, for providing this wonderful RES forum for all of us RES lovers/fans!

[steve]

Great to hear how things are going! I like to give veggies in the morning... they might have more of an appetite and they supposedly digest better while basking.
Plus, with a veggie clip, they can munch easier and when they want too. Once you are sure Resa has a healthy appetite, re-evaluate how much you feed.