Some of you might have seen your pet turtles eating their poop and wondered if it was merely a mistake. I mean… who would have their poop eaten right? That’s disgusting!
However, the behavior of having their poop consumed is rather common in the animal world. In fact, turtles are also one of them who exhibits this particular behavior. So, why do they eat their poop?
Turtles, especially those living in the wild consume their feces to ingest healthy bacteria present in their poop and for survival purposes. Although the act is usually harmless, pet turtle owners can opt to prevent their pet turtles from doing so with some extra effort.
In other words, turtles eat their poop naturally and it’s completely normal for them to do so. Interested to know more about the reason behind a turtle who’d commonly have its poop eaten?
Read on and I’ll share with you the information that you’d need regarding this particular behavior of turtles in detail.
Reasons Turtles Eat Their Poop
As humans, we would often perceive poop as something unhygienic and gross. Needless to say, we can’t have our poop eaten but that’s not how a turtle would look at its poop. Here are some reasons why turtles would consume their poop.
Coprophagy
The act in which animals eat their own poop to digest it for a second time is known as coprophagy. The main reason why turtles would have their poop eaten is to obtain healthy bacteria that remains to be present in their poop.
In other words, turtles practice coprophagy, which allows them to digest nutrients that weren’t previously ingested during their first digestion. Actually, this act of theirs is pretty similar to rabbits.
Rabbits are a commonly known animal that would be involved in the act of coprophagy too!
For Survival
Other than merely practicing the act of coprophagy, some turtles would consume their poop to stay alive. This is especially common to turtles in the wild, especially when they happen to be stranded in harsh environments.
In most cases, a stranded turtle wouldn’t have the access to its usual food source. Thus, they would have no other choice but to fill up their tummies with their poop when they happen to be struggling to locate any source of food.
It’s safe to say that turtles do have pretty strong survival instincts!
Would Turtles Face Any Health Concerns by Eating Their Poop?
Poop is undeniably consisting of various metabolic waste products that the body is trying to get rid of. So, would the act of consuming their feces lead to any unfortunate consequences among turtles?
It’s not a big deal for turtles to consume their poop. However, this poop-eating behavior might be an indicator that the turtle is lacking proper nutrition, which is a serious issue that pet turtle owners should have to look into immediately.
For your information, a turtle without sufficient nutrition is expected to be more prone to diseases such as metabolic bone disease, which is caused by a lack of calcium.
This disease can then lead to serious consequences such as death if left untreated. Hence, do consult your local vet if you’re concerned about the health of your pet turtles.
Do Turtles Eat The Poop of Other Turtles?
You might be wondering if turtles would have their preferences when it comes to the poop that they consume. Well…
Turtles, especially young turtles wouldn’t just consume their poop, they’re known to be a fan of the feces of older turtles too. In fact, turtles of a younger age would usually opt for excrement that is from older turtles.
This isn’t just merely a random preference of theirs as the feces of older turtles would usually contain symbiotic bacteria that are essential for the survival of young turtles in the wild.
All in all, it can be concluded that the feces of turtles of greater age, can be seen as a supplement for younger turtles!
Would Turtles Who Eat The Poop of Other Turtles Face Any Health Concerns?
Now that you know that your pet turtles would be just fine with eating their own poop, would it be the same when your pet turtles are eating the poop of another turtle?
Your pet turtles would be alright as long as there are no deadly parasites present in the poop. With that being said, your pet turtles who have consumed the poop of another turtle that happens to be composed of parasites will likely fall sick.
Just so you know, the poop of wild turtles would stand a greater chance to have parasites remaining in it. Thus, it’s highly recommended to always take extra precautions when introducing a new turtle to your pet turtles as you wouldn’t want any of them to fall sick.
Having said that, do get a fecal exam and a check-up for any deadly parasites for your newly-adopted wild turtle before you introduce it into your pet turtle’s tank.
Should You Stop Your Pet Turtles from Eating Poop?
Chances are that you’re not fully convinced that it’s normal for your pet turtles to consume their poop. Don’t get me wrong, it’s totally a ‘yuck’ for me too.
Well, there’s no need for you to stop your pet turtles from eating poop. As I’ve mentioned previously, the practice of turtles munching on their own poop and even poop from other turtles are perfectly normal, provided that no parasites are present in the stool.
Don’t worry, your pet turtles wouldn’t be as disgusted as you when it comes to consuming their poops.
How to Prevent Your Pet Turtles From Eating Their Poop?
Although the practice of coprophagy is harmless to your pet turtles, I believe that some of you might still prefer to avoid them from doing so. Hence, here are some ways that you could reduce the chances of your pet turtles eating their poop.
Provide a Balanced Diet
Pet turtle owners would often make sure that their pet turtles are well-fed, but some may have neglected the importance of supplying their pet turtles with sufficient nutrients.
Just like us humans, turtles would require a balanced diet to remain healthy. Therefore, it is highly recommended for you to include nutritious foods such as fresh leafy vegetables in your pet turtles’ diet.
Do consider getting some calcium supplements for your pet turtles too if you happen to have a little more extra budget on hand. With a sufficient supply of nutrients, your pet turtles would be less likely to consume their poop.
Clean The Turtle Tank Regularly
Turtles carry out all of their daily activities in the same tank. Additionally, they eat, drink, swim and poop in the same water. Thus, there is no doubt that you’ll see poop floating around in your pet turtles’ tank.
Although it’s pretty normal for us to flush the toilet right after we’ve excreted any waste products, we wouldn’t expect turtles to do the same. So, what pet turtle owners can do instead, is to make sure that the turtle tank is kept clean at all times.
To keep the tank of your pet turtles clean, it’s highly suggested for you replace the water of the turtle tank regularly. Frequent clean-ups would be required if many pet turtles are living in the same tank.
Alternatively, you may opt to manually scoop up the poop of your pet turtles whenever you’re checking up on them by simply using a net.
The theory of this is pretty simple. I mean… your pet turtles wouldn’t even have the opportunities to have their poop consumed when there are none available, right?
Install a Better Water Filter
Understandably, removing turtle poop manually may not be a long-term solution for most pet turtle owners as they can’t be there 24/7.
Therefore, if you’re willing to invest a little more in your pet turtles, you may consider installing a stronger water filter that would be able to filter out most of the waste products that are excreted from your pet turtles.
Not to mention, a better water filter would also decrease the number of times that you would be required to replace the water of your pet turtles’ tank.
Nonetheless, be reminded to make sure that the water filter that you’re installing is suitable for your turtle tank. Installing a good water filter sounds like a win-win situation for both your pet turtles and you!
Conclusion
Turtles usually eat their poop as they practice the act of coprophagy. It’s pretty common for turtles in the wild, especially when they’re stranded in harsh environments to have their poop eaten just to stay alive.
Although it may be harmless for your pet turtles to consume their own poop, this particular behavior of theirs may be an indicator that they’re not being fed with food that is nutritious enough.
Even though it can be beneficial for turtles to consume the feces of other older turtles, do keep in mind that it’s highly not recommended for your pet turtles to consume the poop of a turtle that is newly introduced to the tank as it might contain harmful parasites.
The next time you see your pet turtles munching on their poop, don’t worry! As long as all of your pet turtles are healthy, it shouldn’t be too much of a concern for you.
However, you could always make good use of the tips above such as by supplying your pet turtles with a balanced diet or cleaning the turtle tank regularly if you’d like to avoid them from eating their poop frequently.
