Urgent Care :: My Turtle Has Diarrhea

[nickyds23]

Help!
I was watching him and I saw him take a poo and all that came out was more like a blast of poo fog than a poo.
There were little solid pieces in there but it was mainly the poo fog.
He is in a 40 gallon breeder tank (18 inches wide and 36 inches long) with another turtle.
The one with diarrhea is about 2 3/4 inches and the bigger one is about 3 1/2 inches.
They both bask regularly and eat pellets along with the occasional dehydrated krill.
I gave them some romaine lettuce a few days ago, could that be the problem?
Water is 75-78 degrees and clear and the diarrhea is the only problem that I think he has.
please help.

[marisa]

How much lettuce did he eat? Eating too much can cause the stool to become loose, with those little pieces of lettuce you mentioned. If you gave him a lot, it would be good to cut back a little and see if that changes the consistency.

[nickyds23]

I put a medium size piece in there and tore it into three smaller pieces.
They didn't eat all of it but I'll stop with the lettuce and maybe try something else.

[marisa]

You don't need to stop the lettuce completely, just give less of it . Vary the lettuce with other leafy greens if you can (like red-leaf, dandelion greens, a piece of collard, etc. You could also try an aquatic plant like anachris, if you can find it in a petstore that sells fish.

It's possible the problem is due to something other than the lettuce. A little gastrointestional upset, for example. See if the problem continues.

[nickyds23]

Where can I get dandelion greens?

[marisa]

The supermarket near me sells them in the produce section. A health food store might have them, as would a store that sells ethnic food (and has a produce section). In the spring, if you have a yard that isn't treated with any pesticides or herbicides, you can pick the leaves.

[nickyds23]

Thank you.
I'll try looking around for some and maybe they'll like it.
Could there be anything besides the lettuce that causes the diarrhea?

[marisa]

It could be a number of things. If it occurred this once, it could be something he ate. If he ate too much lettuce (for him) and it stops if he eats less, then it's probably specifically the lettuce. Experiment a little and see if it doesn't stop.

[SpenceMasta]

we all get a little diarrhea sometime or another

[nickyds23]

Well, they're both fine now.
I think I never saw their poop because as soon as they do poo it out, they eat their own or each others's.

[sparta308]

Just another note... This is pretty normal if your turtle eats a lot of lettuce. I know that us, as humans, have problems digesting lettuce and I would imagine something similar for turtles. I have two turtles and the female loves regular lettuce (romaine especially and iceberg too). Very often she will poo out the little undigested bits of it... No worries as she then reverts back to her normal pooping style. You should be fine.

[Nasmadoodle]

I have the same problem but I'm not giving him lettuce. Can somebody help please? I'm quite worried and somehow my device can't let me make an individual post. I fed my 3 year old RES Zoo Med Aquatic Turtle Food Hatchling Formula since I got him. I know its not good, but recently I wanted to introduce him to new foods so he can be healthy. I got him Flukers Buffet Blend with worms, shrimp, and pellets (which he seems to really like) and National Geographic Aquatic Turtle Entrée (which I'll stop feeding him because he doesn't like it). I got him that yesterday and he had pooped on his basking rock (which he never does!) And it was quite runny. Is it the new food? What should I give him to get his nutrition and at the same time not make him sick! Thanks!

[steve]

It's probably the change in diet. I'd go back to his previous stuff and slowly change it to something better.