Acorn?

[Ray--Opo]

Well from a previous thread some of you know I have been worried about Opo's behavior.
Today after 6 days he finally pooped,( definitely constipated)came out of his hide and is walking around like normal.
Checking out his poo I found these totally inside the poo. I squeezed them and they opened. The skin is pliable, I am thinking acorn that the digestive system softened up. I don't have Oak trees or any other nut trees. In the vacant lots next to me there are oak trees. Thinking maybe I squirrel transferred to my yard.
Any thoughts?

 

[ZenHerper]

Squirrels are as much litterers as we are. They'll sit in a tree with a nut, pick at it, decide it is not edible, and drop it (and any peels).

Your theory is likely. Acorns are thick with tannins, but a well-hydrated herbivore should be fine. Add pale lettuces to his ration for the next week or two.

 

[Ray--Opo]

Squirrels are as much litterers as we are. They'll sit in a tree with a nut, pick at it, decide it is not edible, and drop it (and any peels).

Your theory is likely. Acorns are thick with tannins, but a well-hydrated herbivore should be fine. Add pale lettuces to his ration for the next week or two.

Thanks, I will load him up on cactus and some pumpkin also.

 

[zovick]

Well from a previous thread some of you know I have been worried about Opo's behavior.
Today after 6 days he finally pooped,( definitely constipated)came out of his hide and is walking around like normal.
Checking out his poo I found these totally inside the poo. I squeezed them and they opened. The skin is pliable, I am thinking acorn that the digestive system softened up. I don't have Oak trees or any other nut trees. In the vacant lots next to me there are oak trees. Thinking maybe I squirrel transferred to my yard.
Any thoughts?View attachment 336815

From the question mark on the title of the post, it seems you are asking for opinions. They don't look like acorns to me. They look too round and don't seem to have the pointed end of an acorn (from what I can see in your photo). Do you have any bushes or flowering plants which might produce seeds which those might be?

 

[Ray--Opo]

From the question mark on the title of the post, it seems you are asking for opinions. They don't look like acorns to me. They look too round and don't seem to have the pointed end of an acorn (from what I can see in your photo). Do you have any bushes or flowering plants which might produce seeds which those might be?

Thanks for the reply. I will look in my wife's garden. Sometimes Opo will get thru the barrier and raid the garden. I don't go in that area much because of the incline in the yard. I have to be careful not tipping over in my wheelchair. Now that I think about it. We have some young papaya trees growing in pots behind the shed. I will make sure they are not producing something.

 

[zovick]

Thanks for the reply. I will look in my wife's garden. Sometimes Opo will get thru the barrier and raid the garden. I don't go in that area much because of the incline in the yard. I have to be careful not tipping over in my wheelchair. Now that I think about it. We have some young papaya trees growing in pots behind the shed. I will make sure they are not producing something.

My first reaction when looking at the photo was that they were chickpeas (AKA garbanzo beans).

 

[Ray--Opo]

My first reaction when looking at the photo was that they were chickpeas (AKA garbanzo beans).

I don't think there has ever been a chickpea in or outside this house. ?

 

[Maro2Bear]

Ok Ray - the jury is still out on the “seed pod”…. Take some more pix if you still have them.

 

[TaylorTortoise]

Well from a previous thread some of you know I have been worried about Opo's behavior.
Today after 6 days he finally pooped,( definitely constipated)came out of his hide and is walking around like normal.
Checking out his poo I found these totally inside the poo. I squeezed them and they opened. The skin is pliable, I am thinking acorn that the digestive system softened up. I don't have Oak trees or any other nut trees. In the vacant lots next to me there are oak trees. Thinking maybe I squirrel transferred to my yard.
Any thoughts?View attachment 336815

Did he eat the penny as well?

 

[Maggie3fan]

Did he eat the penny as well?

No Taylor...The penny was for size comparison...

 

[Ray--Opo]

Did he eat the penny as well?

Penny was for size reference. ?

 

[Ray--Opo]

Ok Ray - the jury is still out on the “seed pod”…. Take some more pix if you still have them.

The skins are getting a little more brittle as they dry out. The inside is a brown powder.

 

[TheLastGreen]

@Ray--Opo could you perhaps take an image of the oak trees leaves? If its rounded, its a white oak and it can't be an acorn, but if it has pointed leaves it is a red oak and the acorns should look like this
(Forgot to say red oaks and black oaks leaves are identical, but both acorns are round)

 

[Ray--Opo]

@Ray--Opo could you perhaps take an image of the oak trees leaves? If its rounded, its a white oak and it can't be an acorn, but if it has pointed leaves it is a red oak and the acorns should look like thisView attachment 336863View attachment 336862
(Forgot to say red oaks and black oaks leaves are identical, but both acorns are round)

This is the closest I could find. I didn't realize there were so many different oaks in Florida.
This one is called a Live Oak.
I cant get in the woods because of my wheelchair. My neighbor has the most common Oak here in Florida. I will retrieve a branch from them and see if there are acorns around.

 

[Ray--Opo]

Well Opo was up and out of his box when I got up this morning. ?
Fed him grated up squash with pumpkin baby food mixed in and also 2 cactus pads. Hopefully that will get ? moving.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Detective Ray is on it! ? I’m thinking we give a shout out to Colombo for assistance with foreign substance ID.?‍♂️?

 

[TheLastGreen]

It is indeed an acorn,
You can see the outer layers resemble that of the pericarp and testa, what gave it away was this
(This is an acorn from my yard, I searched for an example of shape but then I realised it was rotten)
The brown powder gave it away, most acorns undergo a process of stratification, a period of cold in the soil (strata), this takes a season, and there is plenty of time to be eaten by insects or if this process is not succesful, they will rot, this is most likely what the squirrel sensed and the reason why he chucked it.
I can now say with confidence that this is an acorn

 

[ZenHerper]

They're acid-worn acorns.

 

[Ray--Opo]

It is indeed an acorn, View attachment 336867View attachment 336868
You can see the outer layers resemble that of the pericarp and testa, what gave it away was thisView attachment 336871View attachment 336872View attachment 336870
(This is an acorn from my yard, I searched for an example of shape but then I realised it was rotten)
The brown powder gave it away, most acorns undergo a process of stratification, a period of cold in the soil (strata), this takes a season, and there is plenty of time to be eaten by insects or if this process is not succesful, they will rot, this is most likely what the squirrel sensed and the reason why he chucked it.
I can now say with confidence that this is an acorn

Thanks for all the research!

 

[vladimir]

This is why TFO is so great ❤️