General Care Discussion :: mucus in droppings

[Starchick]

The last couple days Napoleon's droppings have been sort of funny looking. About half of them are normal, while the other half look to be coated in a clear to whitish mucusy stuff. Some float while others drop to the bottom. Nothing significant has changed in his diet, other than a normal rotation of veggies. Any idea what could cause this, and if I should be concerned?

[ellman605]

A rough guess from me MIGHT be parasites. I'm not sure though, so please wait for someone to back me up on this.

[Safdar]

aslong as hes growing it shouldnt be parasites

[Starchick]

It's hard to say, as he's full grown, although he is slightly smaller than male painteds normally get, (which I had attributed to the fact that his last owner used vitashell on him and Hercules continuously for 7 years). But he's not looking malnourished or anything, he's actually been sort of fat lately.

I collected the funny looking feces in a film canister with some tank water, so I can take it for tests if you all think it's necessary.

[SpotsMama]

Has Napoleon ever been checked for parasites? I'd take the sample to a vet for a check. I don't think it would cost too much - I had Spot's droppings checked recently and I think the total charge was under $20.

If a young turtle has intestinal parasites, he/she still might grow, but the growth might be slower than it would otherwise be. Or, he/she might not grow at all. It just depends on how bad the parasites are, how much the turtle gets to eat, how strong the turtle is, etc.

[marisa]

My RES has pooped something similar on occasion (the poop seems like it's coated in slime) and he has occasionally pooped and it's floated (it's been a long time since I've noticed this). The slime seems to happen when he's eaten a diet of plant matter for a while and not many other types of foods. I've attributed it to gastrointestinal upset. He doesn't have parasites.

If you're really concerned and/or you adjust the diet and that type of poop continues, then you should take a stool sample in for testing.

[Starchick]

Thank you all for your advice, I was really concerned for a bit there! Last night his droppings were still sort of funny looking, and looking closely, I realized that they were comprised of a lot of undigested vegetable skin. He ate a lot of zucchini and peppers last week, and I'm guessing that's what upset his tummy. This morning his droppings looked much more normal. I'll still be watching them, because if they get funky again I'm going to take a sample to the vet tomorrow morning, but it's definitely looking better.