General Care Discussion :: What the heck was THAT???

[TurtleLou]

Hmmm... something I've never seen before and I'm not sure what I saw.

Please excuse my lack of delicacy here... but I think I'm talking about turtle poop.

I've seen turtle poop before... I've seen my turtle eating it and I've read here about how that's rather common and ok. Fine... disgusting... but ok

Well, I've never actually seen him "going potty" before and I'm not sure if what I just saw was that or not.

He was sitting on the bottom of his tank with his hind feet sort of curled around his tail and a big ol' black/brown... well... I'm guessing poop was coming out of his "tush" as it were. Well... it was a big, BIG ol' poop... but then... the oddest thing... he sucked it back into his tush !!!

Was he pooping? If so... why would he "suck it back in?"

Or was this not pooping in which case is there something wrong?

I'm flabbergasted at what I just saw... and more than a little concerned

Thanks for any help and insight you can provide.

Take care,
Lou

[khobbs]

Excuse my language, but it sounds like it was his penis. Male turtles flash their penises.

[TurtleLou]

That HUGE thing... that black'ish/brown'ish thing... was perhaps his penis???

It was quite large and rather amorphous... though I guess now that you've said that, and I truly apologize if this is indelicate... but it did look somewhat.... uh... "mushroom'ish" in shape.

Uh... wow...

Well I hope that's what it was because then I know there's nothing wrong with him... other than wondering why he'd be flashing me, LOL.

Hmmm.... wow... ummm... just... wow...

Thanks, khobbs.

Take care,
Lou

[missibsu]

Congratulations! You have a boy! Fanning is common among male turtles. Even without a female.

[khobbs]

Just as long as it goes back in, everything should be fine. I've heard of some turtles, I guess, pooping, their intestines out and they can't pull them back in. In that case, you need to get the turtle to the vet asap. But from what you described, sounds like you have a healthy male.

[kneecole]

That HUGE thing... that black'ish/brown'ish thing... was perhaps his penis???

It was quite large and rather amorphous... though I guess now that you've said that, and I truly apologize if this is indelicate... but it did look somewhat.... uh... "mushroom'ish" in shape.

Uh... wow...

Well I hope that's what it was because then I know there's nothing wrong with him... other than wondering why he'd be flashing me, LOL.

Hmmm.... wow... ummm... just... wow...

Thanks, khobbs.

Take care,
Lou

hehe i just love this comment... i can so see myself responding this same way if i saw what you just saw!!

just wondering... how big is your boy?

[TurtleLou]

Well, Houdini... so named because he had SOMEHOW managed to escape from his old tank twice... measures about 4.5" from shell end to shell end.

If you're referring to ... uh... the other thing... well let's just say that I, as a fully grown adult human male... was jealous...

<chuckle>

Take care,
Lou

P.S. Oh, after the first response from Khobbs I did a google search on "red ear slider" +turtle +penis and you'd be amazed at how many posts across the internet there are at various turtle/reptile sites with shocked "OMG WHAT WAS THAT???" type questions... all garnering the same responses from knowledgable folks... and you can almost hear the chuckle in their responses, LOL.

[marisa]

They are very well endowed.

[tutlehaven]

when i saw my male RES's 'thingy ' i freak out as well. when i found out what it was i thought i had an african american RES. i also have video from my camera of my RES mating. i did not think he would be able to pull it back in. it was more than half his body size!!

[Boogerbutt02]

My 4 inch male has done this twice (that I have seen)... I lucky read about this occurance on here before hand and was prepared for him to fan... But it is still freaky...