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My turtle pooping plastic!

PostPosted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 1:22 am
by Boston_Zhao
My turtle's appetite has been declining for two three months, yesterday I found her poop that was actually plastic!
Until then I didn't relate her deteriorating appetite to her habbit of chewing the acrylic basking dock. Is she actually eating the acrylic dock? Looks so to me.... Will the plastic that goes through her GI tract eventually kill her? What can I do about that? Pls help....

Re: My turtle pooping plastic!

PostPosted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 1:24 pm
by happycamper
Get rid of the dock would be step one! Maybe get something like this http://www.amazon.com/Kordon-Oasis-Nova ... 784&sr=8-2

I think the fact that she is pooping is a good sign, but if she doesn't start eating normally soon I would be concerned. I would assume impaction would be your biggest worry...

Re: My turtle pooping plastic!

PostPosted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 4:20 pm
by steve
Which dock does she have?

Re: My turtle pooping plastic!

PostPosted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 10:16 pm
by Boston_Zhao
happycamper wrote:Get rid of the dock would be step one! Maybe get something like this http://www.amazon.com/Kordon-Oasis-Nova ... 784&sr=8-2

I think the fact that she is pooping is a good sign, but if she doesn't start eating normally soon I would be concerned. I would assume impaction would be your biggest worry...




I thought the turtle like other animals should have plenty of instinct that could keep her from hurting herself...... So I thought she just chewed the dock and spit, coz I saw bits of acrylic floating in the water.

Does this basking oasis support quite a few pounds? She is fully grown and heavy...

Re: My turtle pooping plastic!

PostPosted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 10:22 pm
by Boston_Zhao
steve wrote:Which dock does she have?


I bought it from Petco... Actually I glued two together to make it bigger, of course using fish tank friendly sealant. It's made of acrylic, light and floating, and rock looking.....

Re: My turtle pooping plastic!

PostPosted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 3:19 pm
by za94
No, turtles will eat anythin. My turtle tried to eat the oxygen filter line in his tank. He's even had a go at a couple of pebbles, luckily i bought them big so they wouldn't fit in his mouth. He even cleans up after himself >.> .. an inevitable habit that still disturbs me.....