Are we always going to poop in our food dish?

[mini_max]

So this past week Max has started making his poops in his food dish. I get that pooping and eating go hand in hand, but I just don't like the idea of poop festering I there for hours if I happen to be out for a while. Is there anything I can do or am I _____ out of luck? (Sorry, I couldn't help it).

 

[Yvonne G]

I don't know for sure, but I THINK some tortoises do this to keep other tortoises from eating their food.

 

[mini_max]

Hmmm, he's just little, and I use the term "he" loosely of course. Maybe, he's growing, asserting himself. Haha, maybe he sees my kids as competition!

 

[lismar79]

Mine does this too

 

[dmmj]

I used to think it was to keep others from eating it, but since they like to eat poop, I don't know anymore. He will prob continue to do so, maybe because he can.

 

[mini_max]

Well if it's up for consumption, I won't feel so bad if it's been there for a couple hours .

Do your torts also go and stand in their food dishes and stare at you when they expect/want a snack?

 

[mini_max]

I mean, of course, when I am home I would clean it up right away!

 

[leigti]

I think it is just something they do. Whether my tort is eating out of a dish or on a slate tile she still leaves me a nice little pile. If not actually on the dish or tile then very close to it. and yes she will stand right in the middle of all the food and stare at me. I think she is saying "is this it?" Or "back off".

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

Yes. Yes we will.

My russian used to do this, but now he's migrated the habit to the water dish... and everywhere else... don't be surprised if you see HIM eating it too, apparently it's a real delicacy!

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

Well if it's up for consumption, I won't feel so bad if it's been there for a couple hours .

Do your torts also go and stand in their food dishes and stare at you when they expect/want a snack?

Mine sleeps in his bowl if he wants more food. Really makes a point!

 

[Zeko]

If you bath them daily, they usually poop in their bath. This will make their habitat much cleaner and probably stop the pooping issue.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

I never had this problem with any indoor torts...but I also soaked them every single morning until they pooped in the bath. This could seem like a time consuming, daily chore to some...but if the food dish pooping bugs ya enough, it might just be worth it

 

[leigti]

I have never seen my tortoise eat poop. But everybody says they do so I guess I'll believe it.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

I have never seen my tortoise eat poop. But .

Count yourself lucky.. I lived blissfully unaware of my tort doing it for about 2 years. Catching him in the act has forever upset my stomach.. LOL

 

[leigti]

Count yourself lucky.. I lived blissfully unaware of my tort doing it for about 2 years. Catching him in the act has forever upset my stomach.. LOL

Ignorant bliss is nice of course I'm also pretty darn sure my tortoises a female so if that is proven wrong from suddenly being flashed I guess all my ignorant bliss of everything will be completely gone forever.

 

[smarch]

My Russian sometimes poops in the food dish, but he much prefers the water, I call it his toilet, because at this point I think that's what he thinks it is! Be happy its the food dish! Water makes slimy poo-sludge!
My cousins tort will poop on his food dish if he doesn't get enough greens on said day... or under the heat lamp... where it cooks and stinks!

Franklin definitely has trained me to tell me when its time for food. Some mornings he's awake before me sitting in his dish amongst the previous days dried up greens (I clean every morning and put in the new stuff, I know he midnight snacks) and stares at me. Every morning I have to remove him from the dish to remove it and the dead greens for disposal, come back with the dish and he's sitting where it goes, move him again, grab greens sitting on my desk right next to enclosure... move him off food dish he's already sitting in to put them in, then plows right to the middle of the greens to start eating. Also when I was feeding him less before not realizing if its empty he wasn't given enough, he'd sleep on the dish, like it was a little space ship, I thought it was cute until not I'm thinking it was his way of telling me he was hungry .

Want the real reason he does it? It bugs you and he can so he does lol, tortoises are twerps!