General Care Discussion :: turtle eating/pooing sand

[pao]

so my turtle has been eating sand, ive seen him taking some bites from the bottom of the tank, and ive also seen sand coming out of his bum, and also ive noticed that his poo is not as firm, or i might not just be seeing his regular poo because he gets to it before i can see it, is it safe for him to be consuming and passing sand on a regular basis? only one of my turtles do this, and i did see regular poo previously, but it was encrusted in sand...

[Caphits]

It usually doesnt cause any harm. It will usually just pass through. I dont know if it is safe though in the large amounts that your turtle is eating.

[joeybsmooth]

I am with Caphits all the way . It should be safe.. but if he eats a lot of it I just don't know.

[jameshermanto]

i doesnt use substrate. it mess up the aquarium and make a lot of work.

[theartbook35]

Substrates require patience... Not many people have patience. I'm one of them.

As long as the sand is fine grain it won't hurt your turtle.

He might be eating his poop. They do that sometimes, it's normal.

Consuming way too sand can cause constipation, so, if he stops pooping at all, there's a trick I just learn on here of soaking pellets in mineral oil, to sort of I guess smooth the intestinal walls and make pooping easier.

[pao]

no i dont think hes constipated, im done school for the summer and i see that they do have regular poos they just get at them really fast

[SpotsMama]

If it were my turtle and he/she were eating a lot of sand, I'd take it out. I just don't think sand is supposed to be part of their diet. What must it be like to have all those tiny sharp points passing through? Sounds like sandpaper to me.

[theartbook35]

If it were my turtle and he/she were eating a lot of sand, I'd take it out. I just don't think sand is supposed to be part of their diet. What must it be like to have all those tiny sharp points passing through? Sounds like sandpaper to me.

Yeah, I agree.

I've heard of aragonite sand which is supposed to pass through a turtle much better, but the calcium in it is believed by some to also cause mineral hardness in the water, which then requires a really powerful filter. It's easier for sifting through for fecal matter, and for cleaning, but it still needs to be replaced after a certain aount of months. I guess this kind of sand depends on how much the turtle and turtle parent are willing to put up with.

[Ginko]

Maybe you should keep an eye on the poop, I mean, having sand is your stomach isn't good, what will happen if it scratches the poop place too much?

[pao]

i try to keep an eye on the poop, but i think ive solved it, i started feeding him more cuttlebone and hes been less interested in the sand, i guess maybe he thought the sand was ground up cuttlebone