General Care Discussion :: Slimy Brown Tube Shaped Gunk

[fluffytheturtle]

Today I saw a weird thing floating in the pond. It was slimy brownish tube shaped gunk. Is this turtle diarrhea? Does anyone know what bad turtle poop looks like? I know if it is normal it is whitish and jelly like.

Also, does it normally float? Sorry this post is kinda grosse. I just want to know for my turtles sake.

[TNTurtles]

my normal turtle poop looks like little brown poop terds, i guess you could call them slightly tube shaped....i dont know what you are talking about white and jelly.

[steve]

Normal waste should be dark green/brown and tube shaped... it should also be solid and sink to the bottom. If it's whitish, it could be urates (concentrated uric acid).

What else is in your pond? Could it be something else, like bird droppings?

[marisa]

If it's poop and if it's slimy and not well formed, it sounds like it could be an intestional upset of some sort. What has your turtle been eating?

I've noticed that a few times my turtle's poop has floated as well. Not sure why, perhaps it was something he ate...

[fluffytheturtle]

Well the RES expert from south Texas in our Reptile Association said her poop would be white and slimy. But, this was when I woke her up from hibernation to make sure she was ok. Maybe that is when their poop is that color.

So it is supposed to be brown and tube shaped and on the bottom of the pond. Hers was floating and it was kinda greenish.

I feed her lettuce, squash, carrots (once a week), sometimes a frozen turtle treat and once every two weeks some bloodworms.

I think that day she had some green leaf and romaine lettuce and a few pieces of squash.

Today I went to feed her and she was digging (but in the air) under the grown in her garden house area. At first I thought she was digging for worms or something, but she is dug in there I guess to sleep.

[Andrew7769]

or she is looking for a spot to lay eggs

[marisa]

I don't think floating poop is necessarily a problem. Poop can resemble what they've eaten. The greenish color sounds like it's from the veggies she's been eating.

[fluffytheturtle]

She was just digging a spot to sleep in for the night. Kinda like a dog would "make their bed." LOL She was just being a turtle.


Another question. Can RES go potty outside of the water?

[missibsu]

Mine have peed on my hands before. I don't know about poo, cause I usually don't get them out of the tank that quick after feeding.