Feeding and Nutrition :: Cuttlebone back and didnt poop today

[jordanwalker1531]

So I didnt know to take the back off the cuttlebone and it ate a small portion of it. Now (maybe its because they didnt get fed real food only veggies) they havent pooped yet. Do you think the backing hurt them?

[steve]

Probably not, but it depends on the size of the piece and your turtle.

[jordanwalker1531]

prob a bit over 5 inches long

[steve]

How big was the piece it ate? How big is the turtle?

[jordanwalker1531]

it was 2 turtles and they nibbled around the edges of it. theyre both about 5 inches long

[marisa]

If they've just nibbled around the edges, they should be OK.

[jordanwalker1531]

would the poop just dissolve and go into the filter?

[Maltliquor45]

i wouldn't worry about it... i did that once not knowing about the backing and they chewed the edge of the hardbacking off too.

just take a relatively sharp knife and start on the side and try to dig shallow and pop the hardbacking out.

once u get the hang of it it's pretty ez...

[marisa]

jw, if the poop sits in the tank long enough, it would eventually dissolve. However, it's likely it could be eaten before it even gets to that point.

[jordanwalker1531]

is that what some of the pulp looking things are?

[marisa]

Don't know what you mean by "pulp-looking". If you've been feeding your turtle primarily pellets, his poop would look like dark, slightly elongated "bullets" (for lack of a better word). As it sits in the tank the poop starts to soften and disintegrate. If you net it out before it gets to that point, you'll be helping to keep the water quality up.