Metallic flakes in Sulcata hatchling poop?

lionheartHC

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Hey everyone, I’m on day three of my Sulcata hatchling. I’ve been soaking him for at least an hour a day and keeping a keen eye on the temps and humidity of his enclosure. He pooped for the first time yesterday and it was just a speck. Today, it seems like I finally got everything flushed out of him but it looks like there’s metallic metal flakes in his poop? Unfortunately, I can’t speak on behalf of the breeder. All I know is that the hatchling was soaked daily.

He’s living on coconut fiber and Cyprus mulch. I mixed the Cyprus mulch in because just the coco fiber was a bit messy. I have not seen him nibbling any substrate either. Attached is a picture of his stool. Any ideas?

494751AC-2CAF-4982-8B45-8E5AE729C737.jpeg
 

Sarah2020

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Wow that does not look good. At least it is coming out! Suggest you keep feeding clean wet fresh food and bath regularly and hopefully it will all pass through. Normally poo is fibrous solid or soft but def not glistening. May be good to check where you got it from to see if they have any ideas on how it consumed metal pieces!
 

nicoleann2214

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Hey everyone, I’m on day three of my Sulcata hatchling. I’ve been soaking him for at least an hour a day and keeping a keen eye on the temps and humidity of his enclosure. He pooped for the first time yesterday and it was just a speck. Today, it seems like I finally got everything flushed out of him but it looks like there’s metallic metal flakes in his poop? Unfortunately, I can’t speak on behalf of the breeder. All I know is that the hatchling was soaked daily.

He’s living on coconut fiber and Cyprus mulch. I mixed the Cyprus mulch in because just the coco fiber was a bit messy. I have not seen him nibbling any substrate either. Attached is a picture of his stool. Any ideas?
It looks like urates
 

lionheartHC

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It looks like urates
I keep two Russians as well and have never seen anything like this. :( I picked a piece out and it's silver and reflective like a mirror. Although I could easily put my fingernail through it.
 

jaizei

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I keep two Russians as well and have never seen anything like this. :( I picked a piece out and it's silver and reflective like a mirror. Although I could easily put my fingernail through it.

Is it possible that its more mineral-y than metallic?

If the breeder used vermiculite for incubation, it's possible the tortoise ate some after hatching.
 

Tom

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Oh no! I’m not sure then.. maybe @Tom has an idea.
Its vermiculite. I remove my hatchlings from the incubation media as soon as they step out of their eggs, and I still see some of this on about day 9-12 after hatching. Some breeders leave the babies in the incubator on the vermiculite. I think this is a mistake, as they will ingest a lot of it. Show us a pic of your baby's plastron and there might be clues about its age and how it was started. Daily soaks are a great thing, but there is more to doing it right than just that.

Just be glad the breeder didn't use perlite...
 

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