white string out the rectum of turtle

Question
My red eared sliders are 18 years old.  I have had them since they were babies with no sickness as of yet.  This morning I noticed that one of them has a white sting coming out of its rectum.  The other one appears to be fine.  They days are spent outside in a baby pool and the nights in the house in the container i have for them.  The eat a diet of feeder fish and turtle food as they refuse to eat veggies or fruit of any sort.  They hibernate from october thru mid march and have always done well.  Recently the pet store hd a fungus on their feeders and would not sell them.. and now i have noticed that the racoons have been eating their fish over night..do i need a vet for this problem?

Answer
Not eating fruit or veggies is OK since it is not a normal part of their diet. Leafy water plants should be a part of their diet by now, however.

A string can be worrisome. If it is really a string, it can be a sign that something is tangled up in the intestines. It can also be a 'prolapse', an internal organ poking out. Both of these are definitely vet issues.

You can also try the forums at http://www.turtleforum.com for a second opinion!