Is My Tortoise Sick???

[MansonTheSulcata]

My tortoise is about a year old and for the last couple weeks around its mouth and tail has been black and his tail is always curled. Its eating and drinking and is active but i dont know what it is..

Any Ideas??

 

[Maggie Cummings]

It sounds to me like he is eating his own poop, but I don't know where the tail curling would fit...but the rest of it really sounds like poop eating. They all do it. I have Bob who weighs 73 pounds and he has been seen actually walking around with a giant turd hanging out of his mouth.... it grosses me out!!!

 

[MansonTheSulcata]

yeah thats what i thought for a while but i never see it doing that. and it seem to be like his actual color right there not any "debris" or anything

 

[BigBiscuit]

It sounds to me like he is eating his own poop, but I don't know where the tail curling would fit...but the rest of it really sounds like poop eating. They all do it. I have Bob who weighs 73 pounds and he has been seen actually walking around with a giant turd hanging out of his mouth.... it grosses me out!!!

I learned about this in a physiology class I took. I think it is called "Coprophagia."
I think rabbits depend on eating their first cycle of poop, the little balls we see in the yard are the second cycle of poop.

Evan

 

[Kristina]

Pictures???

Kristina

 

[Yvonne G]

yeah thats what i thought for a while but i never see it doing that. and it seem to be like his actual color right there not any "debris" or anything

You wouldn't see debris, the black is stain, not remnants of the poop.

Yvonne

 

[Millerlite]

Mine have dirty faces just from there food, They have mini beards, lol... I couldnt tell you about tail...

 

[MansonTheSulcata]

<a href="http://s187.photobucket.com/albums/x98/cracker2181/?action=view&current=001-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x98/cracker2181/001-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s187.photobucket.com/albums/x98/cracker2181/?action=view&current=003-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x98/cracker2181/003-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s187.photobucket.com/albums/x98/cracker2181/?action=view&current=005.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x98/cracker2181/005.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s187.photobucket.com/albums/x98/cracker2181/?action=view&current=001.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x98/cracker2181/001.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

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okay that failed!!!

 

[tortoisenerd]

Hopefully this works. Two of the photos looked the same to me so here are just the three. You can copy and past the "IMG" code on the photobucket site for the pictures to pop up here.

 

[Yvonne G]

I can't really see the tail, so don't have any "words of wisdon" for you about that, but Manson's face is just stained from whatever he's been eating.

Yvonne

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I think the stain is from either his food or poop eating...and I vote for poop eating...it really looks like a poopy face to me...LOL
and I can't see the tail curling can you get a shot more in focus of the tail?

 

[Yvonne G]

Your little guy is pretty pyramided, and sometimes MBD makes tails and nails look a little bit deformed. That MIGHT be what's going on with his tail. However, if you just mean that he carries his tail to one side, that's a male thing.

Yvonne

 

[Laura]

What is his diet? Lots of greens? Is his poop runny or solid? Does he get lots of natural sunlight?