too much romaine lettuce?

for the past two days, my sulcata .. Willow has had romaine lettuce as a rare treat.. she loved it but Now has the runs really bad! she is still eating and will exercise when placed outside or on the floor. but in her indoor enclosure she hides in one corner.. Unless fed or people come to visit her. Could I have given her too much? she did not have the runs before this and sometimes acts like she is uncorfortable.. despite the fact she still chows down. I let her outside yesterday to graze on grass and clover. NO MORE romaine lettuce for her. she has pooped everywhere! now when I come near her she bobs her head at me and rolls her eyes so you can see the iris part off centered. hope one of my JERK neighbors didn't dump something on our lawn. if she does not get better with the added fiber and vitamins I am gonna have to call her vet. Just wondering if perhaps I let her eat TOO MUCH lettuce? Now I feel like a bad tortoise momma her eyes are clear and wide open when awake, no nasal discharge either or mouth breathing.. Just very BAD runs.. which started with the lettuce.

I'm a BAD tortoise mommy

now that I think about it.. I wonder if willow don't have some parasite( haven't seen worms in her poop but it could be other things?) I too have had horrible diarhea the last few days with severe abdominal cramps. I read it's possible to get parasites from tortoises as they are zoonotic. Guess I will be doing a stool sample to my doc as well. or maybe willow just got overstressed with a new enviroment and came down with or became more suseptible to a parasite?

Lettuce is mainly water. Stop feeding it and make sure she gets enough of the proper stuff. Your not a bad tortoise mommy, you may have just given her too much and who really knows what's too much? I would just see if it clears up in a day or two and make sure to soak her every day, so she doesn't get dehydrated from the diarrhea. Keep us posted.

I have given my torts romaine lettuce a few times and never have they gotten diarrhea from it, it sounds more like she ate something really bad that her body is trying desperately to rid itself of.

I switched her to spring mix for a couple of days.. the diarhea seems more like formed stool now.

Greens that are high in fiber can cause the symptoms you're describing. Your sulcata should be on a varied diet of weeds, grass, flowers, leafs, etc. you can identify these in some of the websites I'm my signature.


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Here's some great plant identification websites I use.

http://www.tlady.clara.net/TortGuide/diet.htm#plantlist

http://africantortoise.com/edible_landscaping.htm

http://m.thetortoisetable.org.uk/m/plants_19.asp

I have read on here many times that store bought food does tend to loosen up stool. Try mixing grass in with what she's is use to eating and then increase over time.

Lettuce is very watery. if my torts gets it as a treat, their poop just softer than normal, but it always hardens right back after they start eating their good weedy greens again