Talk:Coprophagia/Archive 1

Latest comment: 10 years ago by 50.137.253.56 in topic No food section?

"It is a practice common to several animals, including, in rare cases, humans." edit

The sentence "It is a practice common to several animals, including, in rare cases, humans." reads to me like "the practice is common except when it is rare". (It is because your brain is a little bit damaged. You watched too many television in your life.) I would prefer "The practise is present, or perhaps instinctual, in many animals." I may even go so far as to include the fact that it is an apparent human sexual fetish. However, as far as I can tell, it is mainly present in the metally ill, or those with severe drug problems. I gathered this from a simple google scholar search: [1] I think in order for something to be stated as fact in the wikipedia, it needs to be subjected to accepted scientific analysis. The existence of scat websites doesn't prove or even suggest to me that it is a sexual practice of humans. People have been known to make a buck simply from showing "extreme" things, such as at a circus "freakshow". If anything I would call it "taking pleasure in taboo activities". Has anyone ever studied the development of abnormal sexual practices in humans or are you just stating this because you saw a website on it? I am just curious.


"It is a practice common to several animals" is a very different sentance to "It is a common practice for several animals". A practice common may not necessarily be a common practice.--ZayZayEM 02:05, 28 Apr 2005 (UTC)
Hmmm. That is true it seems. I would still like to say it in a clearer manner.
I have removed references to human coprophagia since I could not find any verifiable evidence that it does occur outside of people with serious mental disorders. From the official Wiki policy on verifiability:
For an encyclopedia, sources should be unimpeachable. An encyclopedia is not primary source material. Its authors do not conduct interviews nor perform original research. Hence, anything we include should have been covered in the records, reportage, research, or studies of others. In many, if not most, cases there should be several corroborating sources available should someone wish to consult them. Sources should be unimpeachable relative to the claims made; outlandish claims beg strong sources.
Motiggidy (talk · contributions) 15:53, 2005 Apr 29
That means it still occurs in people with mental disorders. It's an actual practice, albeit strange. I think it should have a mention. And please remember to sign your posts with ~~~~. —Markaci 2005-04-29 T 17:04 Z
After a (somewhat icky) Google search, well, I can point out a few porn sites that prove coprophages (and -philes) are out there. Gavin 06/01/2005
I think the link to the Scat FAQ is sufficient evidence for our purposes. Zack 17:36, 2 Jun 2005 (UTC)
I added some information on research studies on coprophilia among sadomasochists to the coprophilia article. Voyager640 (talk) 23:22, 31 May 2008 (UTC)Reply

Coprophagia theories on dogs edit

It's interesting reading the possibilities as to why dogs might eat feces. None of the theories seem to fit my current pup's activities: I have two adult dogs in addition to the puppy. Puppy doesn't touch her own feces or that of adult dog #1, but gobbles up that of dog #2. Go figure. They're all on the same diet. Elf | Talk 23:40, 24 May 2005 (UTC)Reply

When I was about nine or ten this stray dog,an Irish Setter ,used to follow me around. One day in the woods I had to poop realy bad. So of course I pooped, being in the woods and all.Anyways,as soon as the poop hit the ground, the Irish Setter ate my poop. Not only that, the dog licked my bum until all the poop was gone.In the article it mentions that dogs may eat poop from their young to protect them from preditors. I wonder if the dog adopted me in some sort of way, it(the dog) was very protective of me as well. I know this is original research, however I wanted to share my experience.

I was once holidaying in Tenerife, a small dog was around us where we were at a cafe having a beer, this dog then spotted an old turd that had been dried out in the sun... we watched as this dog cracked the dried out lump open and began to lick out the soft center... the smell rose up and I can frankly conclude that the dog was enjoying the crap much like one would enjoy a brownie... I'd doubt it was hungry, it had a collar, so I would suspect it was either bored, enjoyed eating feces, or both. In any case, I'm sure poochie returned home to good Mrs. Owner, jumped up and lovingly licked her face. -- 89.223.208.53 (talk) 22:28, 16 June 2008 (UTC)Reply

NPOV edit

The bit about saying that puppies eat feces and is: "…perhaps tasty" -- is this really NPOV? Thanks, Hillhead15 15:37, 23 August 2005 (UTC)Reply

Would "perhaps becaue they like the taste" be better? Elf | Talk 21:16, 23 August 2005 (UTC)Reply

Missing section edit

There ought to be a section on animals that are normally coprophagous: corals, beetles, flies, worms, etc. Gdr 2005-06-29 09:21:58 (UTC)

Don't eat poop edit

Why was that link to the newgrounds flash clip removed? (unsigned comment from anon)

Accuracy tag edit

The line about feces eating being possibly attributed to computer use?--Anchoress 02:26, 4 August 2006 (UTC)Reply

Removal of material as per post below removes my concern.--207.81.121.89 03:40, 9 August 2006 (UTC)Reply

Sick Joke edit

The statement:

"The exact number of copropragiacs in the United States is believed to be at 15 million since studied in 2005. The causes of the increases are believed to be the rising amount of depression cases and social seclusion caused by computer usage.[citation needed]"

is FALSE.

This is obviously a hoax or someone's idea of a joke. 5% of the American population does NOT eat feces. I am going to remove this in a few days unless someone else does because not only is no citation provided, it is OBVIOUSLY false. Monkeybreath 04:35, 4 August 2006 (UTC)Reply

The same user that posted this also put this reference up:
Warrick, Joby, "Coprophagia on the rise", The Seattle Times, 2006-06-23, pp. 12.
A search in the Seattle Times archives got no hits. Also the search for "Coprophagia on the rise"(Including quotation marks) only provided one hit; Wikipedia. So for now, I've removed the lines about the increasing numbers as well as the reference. Fat Hobbit 15:02, 8 August 2006 (UTC)Reply

Dude. This guys name is monkeybreath and he's talking about eating shit! We should keep that shit in there, because it is fucking hilarious.

^SECOND'D. 68.126.181.201

I AGREE WITH THE PAST TWO PEOPLE, fat hobbit needs to chill — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.198.201.167 (talk) 03:22, 17 June 2011 (UTC)Reply

read ferenzci. edit

many people practice mutual coprophagia as children. Coprophagia is a primitive stage of sexual development in humans as well as other primates. Sandor Ferenczi has a number of interesting things to say about this topic in general, along with anal sexuality. 68.222.13.80 00:26, 8 August 2006 (UTC)Reply

A topic for future discussion will be the "reality sense" in the heart of the coprophage, which I am convinced is a character trait of the slave's psycho-physical id seeking universal recognition. Coprophagia is a pleasurable solution to Gastro-Intestinal Reflux Disorder, and for those who suffer from hyperacidity of the esophagus (if you suffer from this, just try it out!). Recycling bacteria from feces back into the stomach inundated with hydrochloric acid is one solution. Others are aurophagy (gold eating) and increased calcium intake.

"This case demonstrates that the obvious combination of anal with oral erotism, namely, coprophagia, strives to atone for the pain of anal loss by the pleasure of oral incorporation"--Sandor Ferenczi, Thalassa, pg. 14 of the Norton ed. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.141.58.161 (talk) 04:02, 25 April 2008 (UTC)Reply


I removed the section below. The Hitler source is basically bullshit, and the Mozart and Rockefeller claims are unsourced. Gene Ward Smith 05:48, 25 September 2006 (UTC)Reply

Notable coprophagists edit

picture edit

I am not experienced in the human form of this disease. Please put a picture up so the general public know what exactly is involved here. I mean - are we talking about a sit down dinner? Maybe it's shit on toast? pasta in shit sauce? I dont know... but I would like to find out how this is manifested. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 219.78.220.183 (talkcontribs)

I think they would eat it straight up. Probably because anything else ruins the flavour. oTHErONE (Contribs) 06:35, 27 October 2006 (UTC)Reply
Very funny. Not so funny if you have a puppy who does this. We've never had a dog that that ate shit (literally). It was a real shock. Our puppy is more inquisitive than any dog we have ever had. He climbs up on everything, and tries to jump like a cat. He has gotten into earplugs, vitamins, hairbrushes...anything that he can grab and run off with. God only knows what we will find in his "stash". And he climbs or burrows everywhere - he has balanced precariously on pillows he has shoved together, so he can climb to a higher level. In other words, he is into everything and worse than a 2 year old child. We assume or hope that his shit eating/playing fascination is passing (pun intended). Jance 01:53, 14 January 2007 (UTC)Reply
"Wah, wah! I got a scavenger animal for a pet and now I'm upset to learn that it acts like a scavenger! Wah!" Seriously, Jance, sounds like you're more of a goldfish person. Not everybody's meant for dogs. --63.25.238.207 09:39, 30 June 2007 (UTC)Reply

Ok, about the photo of the two butterfly's munching on a turd... Am I the only one who getting a "Lady and the Tramp" vibe here? http://images.chron.com/content/chronicle/ae/movies/tramp.jpg Iowaseven (talk) 21:26, 23 December 2008 (UTC)Reply

Should this be in the article? edit

Vet told us to put Adolph's meat tenderizer in the dogfood. It makes the shit taste bad. What an ad; seriously, is this something that should be in the article?Jance 19:53, 15 January 2007 (UTC)Reply

Title incorrect edit

Coprophagia refers to the condition (disease) where humans eat faeces, usually as a fetish. Since a large part of this article talks about animals consuming it as a source of nutrients (as opposed to a fetish) the title should be Coprophagy. I'm assuming that the title can't simply be changed and that a new article would have to be created with the orig text copied over (and perhaps a redirect from the orig).

However, my pref would be to have two articles because they are really two quite different subjects, one belonging to Category:Ecology and the other to... Category:Fetishes(?) or whatever. Secret Squïrrel 15:28, 24 January 2007 (UTC)Reply

Ok, I'm going to move the animal food-source bits to a new article titled Coprophagy with a note re the fetish of Coprophagia linking back to this article. If you have any objections, now is the time to speak up. Secret Squïrrel 04:43, 26 January 2007 (UTC)Reply

Makes perfect sense to me! What are you waiting for? --63.25.238.207 09:41, 30 June 2007 (UTC)Reply
Nothing I can find indicates that these are anything other than synonyms; e.g., see Online Medical Encyclopedia. Can you cite a source for the difference? Elf | Talk 22:31, 23 October 2007 (UTC)Reply

Koala Bear? edit

Can somebody reconsider? Koala bear is incorrect. It's supposed to be koala, not koala bear! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Duy Huu Nguyen (talkcontribs) 08:55, 9 October 2007 (UTC)Reply

Why bdsm? edit

This article links to BDSM but does not discuss why. I think this needs to be discussed more. The same should be done to the Urolagnia page.YVNP (talk) 19:12, 10 December 2007 (UTC)Reply

probably because some people would consider the consumption of shit as a form of punishment? Pinner458 (talk) 03:38, 7 June 2010 (UTC)Reply

Cultural aspects section edit

I'm considering deleting the cultural aspects section in order to bring it in compliance with WP:Trivia. Anyone want to try revising it instead? Voyager640 (talk) 00:28, 30 May 2009 (UTC)Reply

Pronunciation? edit

Could we get some Pronunciation directions on this.... i for one am stumped —Preceding unsigned comment added by Pinner458 (talkcontribs) 03:37, 7 June 2010 (UTC)Reply

It's a Greek word. Its pronunciation is Koprofagia.--NNeilAlieNN (talk) 00:20, 14 December 2011 (UTC)Reply

Jurassic park reference edit

It's listed under Human consumption of feces. However, what is being mentioned as consuming it are dinosaurs. Maybe we should clean that up. J390 (talk) 04:36, 21 October 2010 (UTC)Reply

Fecal Transplants edit

One important fact relevant to the theories of coprophagia that are discussed in this article (mainly in the Coprophagia in dogs section), is that fecal transplants (Fecal bacteriotherapy) have long been used as a last resort treatment for intractable bowel infections, where antibiotics have failed (typically for bowel infections caused by Clostridium difficile), and for ulcerative colitis). You mention fecal transplants in the Medical aspects section, but do not relate this information to the theories of animal coprophagic behavioral.

Fecal transplants can be thought of as a probiotic of potent "friendly bacteria" that may be able to fight off bad bacteria in the gut, and thus help fix gut dysbiosis. Ordinary probiotic bacteria capsules bought in health stores contain typically Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species, but never the Bacteroides species, which are more effective in colonizing the gut, and thus excluding or ousting pathogenic bacteria from the gut. It may well be the Bacteroides species in fecal transplants that are so effective in fighting off Clostridium difficile infections (which are often fatal of not treated with fecal transplants).

Thus people (or animals) that experience coprophagic behavioral desires may just be responding to a natural built-in instinct to find a natural supply of good probiotic bacteria like Bacteroides.

Coprophagic behavior is often found autism and schizophrenia, and these are both conditions that tend to have significant chronic gut disorders (these gut disorders may contribute to the symptoms of these mental diseases). The gut disorders may well be due to a pathogenic infection of the gut. Thus, in this light, coprophagic behavioral may be seen as a natural healing instinct to treat chronic gut disorders.

I know that Wikipedia does not allow original research, so for referencing, you would have to find some published work that may have speculated along similar lines.

I would wager that someone somewhere must have thought of this idea, and will have published it.

Don't forget Oxalobacter for the prevention of kidney stones. Wnt (talk) 21:47, 5 September 2011 (UTC)Reply

Religious practice in India. edit

Consumption of beverages containing cow feces (Panchakavya) is a religious ritual among Hindus in India.109.58.38.175 (talk) 11:33, 18 May 2013 (UTC)Reply

Coprophagic Desires? edit

Let me dissuade everyone from actually doing this. Maybe in your most self-reflective moods you may consider yourself spectrum autistic/asperger's/schizo, and perhaps you have pathogenic gut disorders like g.e.r.d., and this is the only solution you can come up with.

I practiced this religiously for almost a year, in an effort to actually see what the effects of prolonged coprophagia had on the human intestine and overall psychological repercussions. It certainly seemed to get rid of my stomach disorder for the time. I had to eventually stop because of physical intolerance (headaches, nausia). Years later, after subsequent prolonged nervous breakdowns, impotencies, and catastrophes, Reason dawned on me.

The only "magic" that adding more faeces to the upper intestines performs, besides spreading a little of the "good" bacteria, is in recycling much of the harmful waste products excreted back into your system (the pleasure sensed in this action is an imitation of the pleasure felt during muscular growth, it's very deceptive). The good bacteria, however, does not have time to flourish. It's not like it's grown on a petri dish and surgically implanted by doctors in the rare case of fatal bacterial infection. Here, you are putting a random combination of bacteria from the gut back into the gut. Most of that bacteria, since you more than likely began your stint of insanity with melancholic fantasies of incorporation, started out as predominately "bad" (constipated) bacteria. And that's what you get with prolonged crap-eating: metabolic disorders, weight gain, hypochondria, increased blood pressure, further constipation, not to mention psychical repercussions and amplification of all the dyspraxic/ataxic symptoms you started with.

Take it from me who lived with this complex most my young life. The solution to your pathogenic esophageal/intestinal reflux disease is increased muscular growth/protein synthesis. Alter your diet with less sodium, lead a healthy lifestyle. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.177.254.65 (talk) 06:24, 2 June 2013 (UTC)Reply

Germans edit

There is some resistance to observations as to the demonstrable German proclivity as to coprophagia. Why is that? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 202.83.178.94 (talk) 02:53, 18 July 2013 (UTC)Reply

No food section? edit

I can think of two examples where feces is consumed by humans, the first being kope luwak, coffee "processed" through a civet, and the second being the sauce in Southeast Asia made from deer droppings, though I'm having trouble finding a great source for this (I know it's true though, I've heard it from Southeast Asians themselves). 50.137.253.56 (talk) 01:49, 4 November 2013 (UTC)Reply

  1. ^ Langer, Walter C. The Mind of Adolf Hitler New York:1972--Basic Books Pages 189, 190-191, 205, 231.