# Redish brown urines?



## Isa (Jul 20, 2008)

Hello everyone

I already posted a thread on that (she urinates in her food dish when she eats). I saw a vet for that and he told me it was normal but now, since 1-2 weeks when I get home from work(2-3 times a week), I find brown liquid in her food dish (I guess it is her urine) Before it was not that color. She does not really eat red stuff exept for red flowers (she does not eat that much of red flowers). When I got home today , she had her front leg in her water bowl and she was not moving. Can it be a kidney stone or a bladder infection?

Thanks


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## 70ridgeway (Jul 20, 2008)

*RE: brown redish urines?*

dont know about red urine but i know when my torts have eatten dandy flowers there urine turns pinkish


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## Isa (Jul 20, 2008)

*RE: brown redish urines?*



70ridgeway said:


> dont know about red urine but i know when my torts have eatten dandy flowers there urine turns pinkish



Hmm could it be that? She eats a lotttt of dandelions (the leaves, she does not like the flower)


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## stells (Jul 20, 2008)

As Jo said Dandelions will cause a reddish urine,they are a good food source but they should be fed as part of a varied diet as they are a diuretic and can cause dehydration if fed solely and regularly. Do you soak your tortoise?


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## Isa (Jul 20, 2008)

stells said:


> As Jo said Dandelions will cause a reddish urine,they are a good food source but they should be fed as part of a varied diet as they are a diuretic and can cause dehydration if fed solely and regularly. Do you soak your tortoise?



Thanks Stells

O no! I did not know that, thanks a lot for the info. I feed her dandelions almost every day (with 1 or 2 other greens in food dish). I soak her every 2 or 3 days. There is a water bowl in her enclosure (always full of fresh water), She drinks every day because when I get home, the bowl is always dirty.

I will stop feeding her dandelions for a week to see if there is a difference. Here is what I feed her the mose 
-carrots (once a week)
-Chicory (almost everyday)
-Clover leaves
-endives (once a week)
-pansy and violet (1 or 2 little flower every 2 days)
-spring mix (3 or 4 times a week)

I tried to feed her grass but she does not want to know nothing about it haha.

I bought some seeds at carolina pet supply but it take time to grow inside, I will plant some outside. 

Can I do something to make Hermy feel better?


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## 70ridgeway (Jul 20, 2008)

i also feed petunias, plantine, hostas, sow thistle,vetch,white musk mallow,shepards purse lavateria garlic mustard guess the list is endless i do give butternut squash or pumpkin as its a naturl wormer but only as a treat now and again as if given to much can produce runny poos


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## Crazy1 (Jul 20, 2008)

Isa, sometimes when a tort urinates they have poo that comes too. Could this be it. Could it be a little poo mixed with urine, or if she is getting flowers and not eating them could they be fading into the urine in her food dish?


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## stells (Jul 20, 2008)

Your welcome  
If you are feeding them everyday then i would say thats the problem, hopefully with a break from them you will notice the difference, as said though they are a good food source, your diet could do with a bit more variation in it. 
Let us know how it goes 



Isa said:


> stells said:
> 
> 
> > As Jo said Dandelions will cause a reddish urine,they are a good food source but they should be fed as part of a varied diet as they are a diuretic and can cause dehydration if fed solely and regularly. Do you soak your tortoise?
> ...


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## Isa (Jul 21, 2008)

Thanks for your replies

Jo, 
Your list gave me ideas

Robyn,
Hmm I dont know if there is poo mixed in the urines, her urines was never this color before and now everytime she urinates, it is this color. I will keep an eye on that.

And I dont think the cause is the flower because I dont feed her flowers every day (The flowers take time to bloom). 

Kelly, 
I will go to the vegetables market but it is very hard to find organic greens for Hermy. I just hope the dandelions, white clovers, plantains and turnip greens will grow inside, because now, it does not grow fast.


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## Isa (Jul 25, 2008)

Hello

I found redish brown urine again in Hermy's food dish when I got home today. She did not eat any dandelions since 5 days.

I dont know if I should call the vet? If I call him he will want to make a blood test.

Does anyone have an idea of what should I do


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## Crazy1 (Jul 26, 2008)

Isa, only you can make that call. I personally would probably call the vet. Take a sample of her urine if you can perhaps they can check it to see if it is blood or something else. That might be a place to start.


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## Isa (Jul 27, 2008)

Crazy1 said:


> Isa, only you can make that call. I personally would probably call the vet. Take a sample of her urine if you can perhaps they can check it to see if it is blood or something else. That might be a place to start.



Thanks Robyn

I wanted to call the vet yesterday morning, BUT since I was not working ( I am on vacation for 2 weeks woohooo  ) and my boyfriend was working I stayed with my little Hermy a good part of the day. I saw her urinates twice, when she drank in her bowl of water and after I gave her some pear cactus and it was not brown or redish . I was soooo happy . I think her urines was that color before because I gave her too much dandelions and there was probably some poop in her urine (like you said). I am happy I did not have to call the vet because even if everyone in the city says it is the best reptile vet, I have to say I am not so sure about that. Since he said that he does not want to make a culture to a baby tortoise to see if she has a RI because there could be too much germs around her mouth I dont trust Him 100%. When I thought Hermy had still a Ri, a couple of months ago I was lucky he was on vacation because the vet that was there made a culture, the results were negative so she did not give Hermy any antobiotics. I would go see this girl again but she is not a reptile vet.


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