The trots

[kkenny]

Newbie here!

Can my Hermann have the trotts or is it normal?

I have only had George 2 weeks (aged 2yrs) and at first he wouldn't eat at all but now is on a happy diet of Pansy's, viola, and romaine lettuce.

I sprinkle Repavite alternating with limestone flour. I have done my homework and this appears to be correct.

But today in his bath (which i do everyday) he had dark green very lose poo. My daughter though it was wee as it was so loose but it wasn't.

It that normal or am I doing something wrong?

He has a mix of Tortoise Life calcium soil, hep and readi grass.

Thanks Karin

[Bindi]

Hi Karin

Ideally tort poo should be firm, a bit like pellets. Too much salad can cause runny poo. It sounds like torty needs a bit more fibre in his diet.

Have a look at the Diet section of the forum to see what other weeds you can feed. The key is to give as wide a variety as possible

[kkenny]

Thanks for that, I have been offering other things but he has been very reluctant to try. Maybe he didnt have much choice before and I need to wean him

I am growing lots of different thing for him now.

[Bindi]

They can be very picky, I would try to stick to just weeds for a while, if he's hungry, he'll eat

You could always start by mixing a little shredded Romaine over his weeds so he gets the smell and then gradually reduce it.

[Alan1]

if it was that watery then maybe it could be protozoa. Stuff like strawberries or cucumber can do that to an extent but not usually as watery as you are describing. Are you sure it isn't just a pee and the urates have been coloured by the pansies or violas?

another possible is that the flowers have not been weathered. are they long established ones from your garden or recently bought? Recent ones from a shop can contain fertiliser and pesticides

[Evie]

I agree with Bindi - a high fibre diet should bulk it up.

I had a leopard who wouldn't graze or eat weeds originally - I did the weaning bit just shredding lettuce and thin slices of cucumber chopped in with the weeds - he soon came round !!!!

See how he goes but if it continues get the vets to do a faecal check just to be safe.

[kkenny]

Oh, I am worried now, yes i have to admit the pansys may not have been weathered enough, about a week in the garden. Feel guity now.

I will try to get some different foods, my seedling aren't ripe yet so it's a struggle.

What has high fibre then?

Like the shredding idea. He has only had Romaine lettuce though, nothing naughty. And that was a last resort as he wasnt eating. I shall try to be a bit tougher.

Thanks to everyone! Karin

[Lorna]

If the poo was only two weeks from when you got him, it's probably from what he was fed before that.

[Evie]

Grasses, Timothy hay (really cut up until they get used to it), plantain, mallow , dandies - ect - just not kitchen veg basically.

[Paige Lewis]

Are his stools always loose? My tort had loose stools like that and it turned out he had a parasitic infection, this might not be the case with yours but it might be worth having a stool sample checked by a vet, do not panic though, my vet treated my tort and now the parasites are completely gone. Is the poo very foul smelling?