What Does Unhealthy Tortoise Poop Look Like: Identification and Prevention

Beginning tortoise keepers have a lot to learn about the biology of their pets – especially some of the common signs and symptoms of potential illness. As is the case with most animals, the appearance of a tortoise’s poop can provide a number of clues to the animal’s overall health. 

But to learn how to use your tortoise’s poop as a barometer of overall health, you’ll need to know what healthy and unhealthy tortoise poop looks like, as well as some of the most common signs of potential problems. Read on as I explain all of these things and more below. 

What Does Healthy Tortoise Poop Look Like?

Healthy tortoise poop is generally well-formed, slightly wet, and black to slightly green in color. You may see undigested or partially digested food items, including grass or seeds, in the waste material, too.

You may also notice white material being expelled from your tortoise’s cloaca. This substance is not technically feces; it is something called urates. Urates are a component of tortoise urine, and they may have a watery or paste-like consistency. When urates are released, they’re typically accompanied by a large volume of liquid urine. 

Urates may be passed at the same time your tortoise defecates or at other times. Most commonly, this will be right before or immediately after drinking water.   

While the above description is generally accurate, it’s important to note that tortoise poop may vary slightly based on a number of things, including the animal’s diet, hydration level, and species. Tortoise poop may also vary a bit from one individual to the next, as well as over time – your tortoise’s poop won’t look exactly the same each time he relieves himself. 

What Does Unhealthy Tortoise Poop Look Like?

The appearance of unhealthy tortoise poop varies quite a bit. However, some of the most common signs of unhealthy tortoise poop include the following:

• Diarrhea or excessively watery tortoise poop: While tortoise poop should be slightly wet, it should still be well-formed. Diarrhea can indicate a variety of problems, ranging from simple stress to dietary intolerances to more serious intestinal issues. 
• Worms visible in the tortoise poop: The vast majority of wild-caught tortoises have some intestinal parasites, and some captive-bred individuals may even have mild to moderate parasite loads. This means that from time to time, keepers may spot expelled worms in their tortoise’s poop. 
• Blood visible in the tortoise poop: Streaks of red blood may be present in the feces of tortoises suffering from gastritis, parasite loads, intestinal blockages, or extreme stress. 
• Oddly colored tortoise poop: While most tortoise poop should be somewhere between black and green in color, you may sometimes see your tortoise produce unusually colored poop. This is often attributable to strongly pigmented foods in your tortoise’s diet, but it may also signal a health problem. 
• Rock-like urates: This typically indicates that your tortoise is dehydrated, so you’ll want to increase the duration or frequency of his soaks. 

It is also important to note that the odors associated with tortoise poop may also signal a problem. Healthy tortoise poop never smells “good”. It typically has a relatively “normal” poop smell, except that you may detect a bit of a grassy or vegetal odor, but unhealthy tortoise poop may smell acrid or sour. 

What Should You Do If Your Tortoise Has Unhealthy Poops?

Seeing your tortoise produce unhealthy poop isn’t always an emergency, but it is definitely cause for concern. If you notice your tortoise produce strange or unhealthy-looking poop, take the following steps:

Collect the Poop. 

Not every unhealthy poop will require veterinary analysis, but you will want to be prepared if your vet does want to examine it. So, collect the poop in a small plastic bag. 

Keep the sample in a cool location until you submit it for analysis (you can discard it once your vet instructs you to or you are certain your tortoise is healthy). 

Review the last few things your tortoise ate. 

As mentioned, some food items may cause your tortoise to produce concerning poop. This is most commonly associated with oddly colored poop, but it can also cause concerning things to appear in your tortoise’s feces. For example, the seeds of some fruit may pass through your tortoise’s digestive tract largely intact. 

Consider separating the tortoise from any others in the enclosure. 

Some of the things that can cause a tortoise to produce unhealthy poop are transferable. So, you’ll want to separate your pet if he lives in a multi-animal enclosure to help prevent any potential illness from spreading to others. 

Inspect your tortoise from head to toe for other signs of illness. 

Whatever illness is making your tortoise produce unhealthy poops may cause other symptoms, which may be helpful for identifying the causal agent. Accordingly, you’ll want to carefully examine your pet for any other potential signs of illness.

Clean the enclosure thoroughly. 

Some of the pathogens and parasites that can cause unhealthy tortoise poop may reinfect your tortoise if he comes into contact with his feces. This means you’ll want to clean the enclosure thoroughly with a 5% bleach solution. Be sure to rinse it thoroughly, then let it dry completely before returning your tortoise. 

You should also remove the substrate if practical, and switch to a paper towel or newspaper substrate until you’re certain that your pet is healthy. This will not only help with hygiene, but it will also make collecting samples easier. 

Contact your vet. 

It is always wise to contact your vet when you notice that your tortoise’s poop looks unhealthy. Your vet may advise you to bring your pet in for an examination or simply recommend that you monitor him for the time being. 

Withhold food for 24 hours. 

It is a good idea to allow your tortoise’s digestive system to rest for a day following problematic poops. This may cause your tortoise to be a bit hungry for a day, but it shouldn’t cause any significant problems as long as he’s otherwise healthy. If your tortoise is already experiencing other health concerns, consult your vet before withholding food.  

Give your tortoise a short soak. 

A brief (30-minute) soak in room temperature water will often trigger your tortoise to poop more, which may help him feel better in some cases. Additionally, it will help ensure he is properly hydrated. Just be sure that you quickly empty and refill the container if he defecates to prevent him from drinking fouled water. 

Observe your tortoise carefully over the next few days. 

Be sure to watch your tortoise carefully over the coming days, and make note of any other troubling symptoms, including lethargy or lack of appetite.

Home Remedies for Unhealthy Tortoise Poop

Aside from the general supportive measures discussed above, there aren’t any effective home remedies keepers can employ for tortoises that produce unhealthy poops. That’s why it is important to contact your vet so that he or she can prescribe medications or recommend treatments when and if they’re warranted. 

Some of the most common veterinary treatments for unhealthy poop include:

• Fecal analysis to determine the presence of parasites or bacteria
• Antibiotics to address bacterial illnesses
• Antiparasitic medications (dewormers) to address parasites
• X-rays or other types of imaging to identify potential blockages
• Surgery to remove blockages 
• Supplemental fluids to treat the dehydration that may follow diarrhea

Citations

• University of Munich – Urinalysis in Tortoises
• The Tortoise Table – Signs of a Healthy Tortoise
• American Tortoise Rescue – All About Turtle and Tortoise Poop