Cleaning poop off of my tort

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Mar 20, 2020
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Hi everyone. I've noticed that Louie's backside is covered in poop that I can't clean off of him. I'm really worried about how this will impact his health, and when I got him, no one told me what to do when this happens. It's really hard, and when he takes baths, it still won't come off. I'm so worried, so I'm hoping that I can find a solution from all of you.
-Grace
 

Randy Micheals

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Are his poops really soft? They should be well formed, but not hard either. Could it be a dietary thing? Some foods can be diarrhetic.

But, also mine sometimes drags his and makes a mess if I'm not around to get it.

Are you soaking? That might help him "wash up" underneath a bit.
 
Joined
Mar 20, 2020
Messages
89
Location (City and/or State)
Denver, Colorado
Are his poops really soft? They should be well formed, but not hard either. Could it be a dietary thing? Some foods can be diarrhetic.

But, also mine sometimes drags his and makes a mess if I'm not around to get it.

Are you soaking? That might help him "wash up" underneath a bit.
Normally his poop is really soft, but I don't think he ever moves his tail/drags to get it off him. What foods do you suggest he eats so it gets better?
 

Randy Micheals

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A high fiber diet helps to solidify the stool. Fibrous dark green weeds are good.

Give this a read.

 

Yvonne G

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Hi everyone. I've noticed that Louie's backside is covered in poop that I can't clean off of him. I'm really worried about how this will impact his health, and when I got him, no one told me what to do when this happens. It's really hard, and when he takes baths, it still won't come off. I'm so worried, so I'm hoping that I can find a solution from all of you.
-Grace
After soaking Louieboy in warm water for a good half hour, for poop on the shell: take a putty scraper or a table knife and just get under the poop and pry it off. For poop on the tail: It's very important to not allow poop to build up around the cloaca area. If it does it will eventually make it so he can't poop and that's not a good thing. If there's poop on the tail, you just have to pick that off after you've allowed it to soften in warm water. Work hard at it. It's dangerous to leave it stuck on his tail. You may have to drop a bit of baby oil on it to soften it because if it's stuck to the skin really hard, you could peel off the skin - you don't want to do that.
 
Joined
Mar 20, 2020
Messages
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Location (City and/or State)
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UPDATE: All of your tips worked really well and I got the poop off of him! He seems to be so much happier and is now having regular bowel movements. Thank you all so much !! I'll make sure to regularly check for blockages and feed him high-fiber weeds : )
 

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