General Care Discussion :: poop eater!!!!

[anikan]

I have a 1 year old RES that likes to eat his...poop. Is this normal??? Everytime it poops it turns around and eats it. I have been feeding it about 20 or more pellets aday. Will this hurt the turtle? Sick-o. hehehe

[ellman605]

yup, normal as...yeah, dont worry , 20 PELLETS?!?!?, you're overfeeding. Read the main site for feeding rules

[anikan]

she is a real pig...always begging and eating...and oh course pooping! hehe she usually eats all the pellets I put in the tank.

[sonyj]

Overfeeding is not good for her health. All RES are notorious beggars by nature since it's natural for them to eat whenever they have the opportunity to in the wild. Be sure to read up on feeding and diet on the main site and the forum, if she is overfed and doesn't have a well-balanced diet it will cut her life short.

And don't worry about her eating her poop, this is pretty normal... disgusting but normal.

[cam722]

As ellman said, you really need to read the website and forum regarding feeding. A turtle will continue eating until it vomits. Overfeeding can cause many health issues.. kidney damage, damage to their shell and others. Another unwanted result of overfeeding is a messy/dirty tank. You should only feed the amount that would fit in their head (if hollowed out).

So, please search through the forum and read the website with regards to how to feed your turtle properly.

[lazixixi]

my turtle eats his poop wenever he sees it, so wenever I see poop, I just take it right out ^_^

[steve]

Some RES will poop soon after they eat. If your RES does that, then you should know when to look for it so you can clean it up.

[anikan]

OMG...I didn't know that over feeding was going to be that big of a problem. Thank you sooo much. I have learned alot. I just hope I haven't done to much damage all ready.
By the way what is the difference between gold fish and rosy red fish.

[sonyj]

Are you speaking about the difference as feeders? Rosey Reds are a good feeder fish, but you should never feed goldfish. They are very fatty, considered junk food for turtles and not healthly for them at all. If you occasionally want to feed feeder fish use guppies or rosey red minnows.

[steve]

I think I have read that goldfish are more likely to carry parasites and disease (though I may be off about that).

[anikan]

ok thanks. I have asked around but nobody here seemed to know the difference. How often could she have one. she is only about a year old. I have only given her about 3 total. I first 2 I think she was playing poker with. hehehe I also heard that they can't see colors.... is that true? I think maybe that's why she didn't eat the first 2, she couldn't see them.