Do red foot tortoises likes to eat poo?

willee638

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Hi, I frequently take my little red foot tortoise to the grass fields for a walk & take in some sun. But on a couple of occasions while she was wandering around I discovered she was chewing on a piece of dried poo or something from a small animal it appears because it was a very small amount, as soon as I noticed it I immediately stopped her & usually this park doesn't allow dogs or other large animals. I heard at the pet shop tortoises will eat their own poo, so I made sure to remove them instantly. I red foot is fed regularly with sufficient amounts of food daily, so it's probably that's just what torts do.
 

jsheffield

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I live with three different kinds of tortoises, and all of them seek out poop to eat.

I think there are a couple of reasons supporting this behavior:
  • easy pickings - poop is generally right there on the ground and not fought over or highly sought after, or needing to be chased down
  • partially digested - eating poop guarantees the food is already at least partially digested, which gives the torts digestive system an easier go if they're eating the poop of another animal
  • second pass at nutrients - a second pass through the tort gut biome will help them get more nutrients from whatever they ate the first time if they're eating their own poop
Jamie
 

Carlos-NL

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Yes they like eating poop, and it's not bad if it happens occasionally. One time I have seen my 3 months RF pooping then turning around to eat it ?
 

TammyJ

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Well, there. Now you know what to do with all that poo.
Just joking!
I don't know what's in the poo or who did it, so I don't allow mine to eat it if I see him starting in on it.
 

Jonbosley

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My dog likes to sneak into the sulcata pen and poop, I have caught my 4 year old munching on it a few times.
 

willee638

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In the short period of 10 months I had my red foot since she has ate 85 percent of most suitable foods for torts & some other treats I throw in once in a while, so this shows tortoises are opportunist eaters at least for RFs anyway. Poop of any kind is no exception, I seen my tort eat dirt in grass fields & bit on stones, rocks & tree barks etc....many other animals are also poop eaters as well.
 

Tom

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Do red foot tortoises likes to eat poo?
Yes. Yes they do. All tortoises do.
 

Vintage

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My redfoot has taken to eating her poo while she's soaking. She has done it for the past two days in a row.

Eating poo is a very common habit in nature. Many herbivores like horses and elephants eat their mother's poo shortly after they're born. It's their way of "seeding" their intestines with beneficial bacteria and microbes that help them digest their food. Rabbits make special poo called "cecotropes" which they eat to help them digest food. Anyone who has dogs and cats is probably familiar with dogs snatching "scooby snacks" out of the litter box. ?
 

willee638

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Yes, that make a lot of sense now. Because young babies animals haven't lived long enough to line their gut with beneficial microbes by eating large varieties of foods for growing the bacteria. I guess they pass this on to each generation to help them survive....
 
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