# My tortoise pooped out some white stuff



## Yvonne G

Quoted from The Reptile Channel:


Tortoises produce urine and urates. Urine is the liquid portion stored in the urinary bladder. Urine contains waste products and toxins that are filtered from the bloodstream. Reptiles also have one more type of excretion product, called urates or uric acid. This is the end product of protein digestion and is also stored in the urinary bladder as a creamy, off-white pasty semi-solid. In reptiles, uric acid is cleared from the bloodstream by the kidneys. When the tortoise urinates, it will pass the liquid urine and the semi-solid urates at the same time. A tortoise may urinate and defecate at the same time, which may leave urate deposits on the fecal material. This will make the feces appear as if it is white or off-white.


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## flyinghome

It will be much better to give a picture at the same time, it can be easier to understand

I am new in raising tortoise, is the white substance in the picture the urates? I hope so.


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## AmySmart

Yeah, it is really helpful information.. I must get some inspiration from this.


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## Toby's my tortoise

mine have done that as well.


Tortoises produce urine and urates. Urine is the liquid portion stored in the urinary bladder. Urine contains waste products and toxins that are filtered from the bloodstream. Reptiles also have one more type of excretion product, called urates or uric acid. This is the end product of protein digestion and is also stored in the urinary bladder as a creamy, off-white pasty semi-solid. In reptiles, uric acid is cleared from the bloodstream by the kidneys. When the tortoise urinates, it will pass the liquid urine and the semi-solid urates at the same time. A tortoise may urinate and defecate at the same time, which may leave urate deposits on the fecal material. This will make the feces appear as if it is white or off-white.
[/quote]


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## Yvonne G

The discussion thread for this topic is here:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-63810.html?highlight=discussion


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