Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello, i recently found a Eastern Box turtle, and it has a green color bowl movement. It is like a limeish green color. What causes this? Please help!

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or post on this thread, ive never seen any of my box turtles do this before so i want to know why it does it or maybe i shouldnt worry about it if its not major.

What are you feeding him? Sounds like a lot of greens and fruit?

Green urine can be the result of the formation of certain crystals in the urine. Many times, this has to do with something that the turtle ate. I'm sorry that I can't identify it. I just don't remember. If you are very concerned, or if it keeps happening, try asking on the tortoise forum. Tortoise people are very vigilant about this type of thing, and I've seen others on the tortoise forum having this very same problem. It usually passes (no pun intended).

If it continues, or if green feces is evident, consider a visit to the turtle doc. Green feces can be a sign of liver problems.

I'm sorry, I just re-read your message and you stated that the bowl movement was green and not the urine. I'd be concerned about liver damage. It could possibly be due to ingestion of a toxin, a toxic plant, a disease process, cancer, etc. There's a difference between green feces and lime green feces. One is worse. I'd take both the turtle and a stool sample to the Vet. It's not worth waiting. Urine would be a different thing.

More commonly some foods will be the cause of green urates.

However a boxie can be excreting biliverdin instead of bilirubin..( indicative of a liver problem). Only if this continues with a varied diet would it truly indicate a medical problem. If so it my warrant a vet visit.

Ric K.

It may have simply eaten predominantly green food.

It's very possible Steph. Have any of your box turtles ever had green stool? I've never seen it in any turtles, even those that consume mostly vegetation.
There is a difference, though, between just green stool and "lime green" stool. The lime green stool associated with liver damage is very alarming...it almost glows. I've seen it a lot in birds, but only once in a tortoise that drank water contaminated with some type of autoshop runoff.

Yes. But usually in the fall, when the turtle's eating habits are changing. My experience has been that what goes in influences the color of what comes out.
As the digestive tract is emptied prior to hibernation, turtle stools can be quite different looking, and a different consistency (looser) from what I usually see the rest of the year.
Just wanted to point out an alternative explanation or two: diet or season or combination of the two.
Seems like the best thing to do is monitor what the turtle is eating, checking what it is passing and taking a sample, and the turtle, to a vet if it persists.

I know what you're saying. I've just never seen it in a normal situation. The closest I've seen is kind of a dull gray, almost camo green. My infant daughter, on the other hand, WHEW BOY!!

Gross conversation...What did your turtle's stool look like today?...tonight on Oprah.

Of course there's also the lovely green poop that results from a steady diet of ReptoMin, lest we forget.