Bird feces

[@ndrew]

Excuse my language but why is it when my tortoise sees bird poop they want to eat it? It is so annoying having to chase my tortoise cause the bird poop attracts him. Does anyone have this problem?

 

[mike taylor]

Tortoises also love dog and cat poop. They love the poop I have no idea why .

 

[Tom]

They love the poop I have no idea why .

For at least some species, some of the time, mammal feces makes up a significant portion of the diet. So say the field researchers.

I speculate that this is why so many of them seem to love soaked Mazuri so much.

 

[@ndrew]

For at least some species, some of the time, mammal feces makes up a significant portion of the diet. So say the field researchers.

I speculate that this is why so many of them seem to love soaked Mazuri so much.

My older tortoise loves soaked mazuri. I have tried to change him diet and won't eat anything else. Even if I mix some mazuri with grasses or other greens he will eat around it and just eat the mazuri.

 

[Star-of-India]

There are a lot of easily accessed nutrients in poop, strangely enough. That's why flies and other things are so prolific on a diet of poop. It's referred to as the "second pass effect" and some mammals, such as rabbits and hares, consume their own poop to get that benefit. I believe the appendix of rabbits and hares is the site where this second pass digestion takes place. They have relatively large appendices I believe.

 

[Star-of-India]

I used to raise turkeys on a personal use basis and they seem to eat a fair amount of their own poop in spite of having plenty of feed and vegetation to eat.