Tortoise owners often face the challenge of taking care of their pet reptiles.
They must feed them properly, provide adequate shelter and ensure that they get enough water.
If you see blood in your tortoise’s feces, then you should be concerned, however, there are many reasons why this occurs.
Blood In Tortoise Poop (Possible Reasons)
The feces color varies between green to dark brown depending upon the diet of the animal.
The feces shouldn’t smell bad, but it should be very solid and formed.
There shouldn’t be any blood in it.
Tortoise feces may vary slightly, depending on the species and size of the tortoise, but bleeding feces is definitely not normal.
Here are possible causes of bleeding in your tortoise poop
Something Your Tortoise Ate
If your tortoise starts eating strange things, it may be because he’s bored.
This weird object may show up in your dog’s poops, and this weird object may appear to be blood in your tortoise poops.
Here’s what you should do
Take care of your pet and check its poop regularly.
If your pet really passed stool with blood in it, call your veterinarian immediately.
Internal injury
Tortoises often ingest small objects, like pieces of wood or plastic, while passing through their digestive tract.
If this happens, the object may injure your pet’s intestines as the tortoise tries to pass the object causing blood to come out with the poo.
Here’s what to do
Take your tortoise to see a veterinarian.
Better still, if you live near a veterinary clinic specializing in reptiles, bring them there instead.
If you see your tortoise strain, and then produce a foreign object, then this is evidence that the foreign object was what caused the bleeding.
The vet will do an X-ray on your tortoise and let you know if there is anything else stuck in its body.
Injury to the cloaca
Both male and female turtles have a cloaca, this organ is an opening at the end of the body that allows mating, laying eggs, and waste removal to occur.
If this body part has been injured and is bleeding, then the blood could possibly come out along with the turtle’s excrement.
Here’s what to do
Your pet would need to have its cloacae checked and treated as soon as possible.
A veterinarian or reptile specialist should examine your pet.
You’d need to keep an eye on your pet even after the vet visit to make sure the wound doesn’t reopen and let out more blood.
If the cloaca isn’t checked and treated, it may lead to infections and other serious health issues.
Intestinal injury
If your tortoise is injured internally, on its intestines for example, then the blood from the injury can leak outside the body and appear in the animal’s excrement.
What to do
As with any injury, you’d likely need to bring the tortoise to the veterinarian to examine him/her.
The vet may also collect a stool sample for testing.
What does healthy tortoise poop look like?
The color and texture of your tortoise’s droppings will depend on what type of food he eats.
In most cases, the droppings will be brown, dark green, and well formed.
Green poops are completely natural and not something to worry about.
Why is my tortoise poop black?
A black stool indicates blood in the intestine, which is often caused by eating too much red meat.
If this happens frequently, try changing your diet to include more vegetables and fruits.
Don’t panic; it could also be nothing and be remedied with a change in diet.
It could also be temporary, and it’s just something your tortoise ate.
Feed your tortoise a different diet for 3-5 days and make sure they are well hydrated by giving them lots of soaks.
After giving your turtle some time to adjust to the changes, if there aren’t any changes in its poops, it’s time to visit a vet to see what’s going on.
