# White poop



## RoxyA (Jun 30, 2021)

I put a cuttlebone in with my baby sulcata, hes been eating it, quite a bit actually. Is there a point where its too much because today he pooped some grainy white stuff in the water during his soak. He eats alot of food, has an incredible appetite, seems really healthy and hes active, poop is usually normal. This is the first time it has happened so I'm assuming it's from the cuttlebone. Should I take it out of his enclosure or leave it in there?


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## wellington (Jun 30, 2021)

What does the diet consist of?


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## Formerly Tortuug (Jun 30, 2021)

It could be urates. Tortoises poop, pee, and fornicate all out of the same hole, their cloaca. Their pee comes out either as a white powder substance ranging to cottage cheese texture depending on how hydrated the tortoise is. If they "pooped" a white substance, I'd think it to really be tortoise pee rather than anything abnormal. I'd recommend to leave the cuttlebone in the enclosure but if you take it out, make sure to dust your tortoise's food with calcium powder a few times a week.


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## RoxyA (Jun 30, 2021)

wellington said:


> What does the diet consist of?


Mostly mixed baby greens, I get alot of different greens but stay away from too much kale, spinach, etc because I've read too much is not good for them


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## RoxyA (Jun 30, 2021)

Tortuug said:


> It could be urates. Tortoises poop, pee, and fornicate all out of the same hole, their cloaca. Their pee comes out either as a white powder substance ranging to cottage cheese texture depending on how hydrated the tortoise is. If they "pooped" a white substance, I'd think it to really be tortoise pee rather than anything abnormal. I'd recommend to leave the cuttlebone in the enclosure but if you take it out, make sure to dust your tortoise's food with calcium powder a few times a week.


It's possible it was pee, I'm not sure, it was in the water he was soaking in. Should I sprinkle his food w calcium when he's eating the cuttlebone or should I lay off on the calcium powder


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## Formerly Tortuug (Jun 30, 2021)

I'd recommend dusting food with calcium a few times a week anyways. Depends on how old your tort is. Personally, I use the cuttlebone more as a supplementary option for my tortoises to self-regulate but I can never be sure if they use it so I like to make certain they get enough calcium by dusting.


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## RoxyA (Jun 30, 2021)

Tortuug said:


> I'd recommend dusting food with calcium a few times a week anyways. Depends on how old your tort is. Personally, I use the cuttlebone more as a supplementary option for my tortoises to self-regulate but I can never be sure if they use it so I like to make certain they get enough calcium by dusting.


Ok thank you, mine seems to love his cuttlebone, he pushes it around, munches on it, climbs and lays on it, kind of a funny little thing. Thanks for your help


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## Tom (Jul 1, 2021)

RoxyA said:


> Mostly mixed baby greens, I get alot of different greens but stay away from too much kale, spinach, etc because I've read too much is not good for them


This is not good. Your diet needs much improvement, or you are going to run into some problems.

Give this a read for care and diet info. Most of the care info you find for this species is wrong.





The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise


I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...




tortoiseforum.org


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## RoxyA (Jul 1, 2021)

Tom said:


> This is not good. Your diet needs much improvement, or you are going to run into some problems.
> 
> Give this a read for care and diet info. Most of the care info you find for this species is wrong.
> 
> ...


Oh I get a big variety from the store, take him out to graze, I pick grass, dandelions, Clover, Clover flowers etc, he gets a large variety. I also give him lugarti premium grassland tortoise food. I was just giving a quick answer w not much detail. He has a great appetite and is very healthy I was just worried when I saw the white stuff, someone suggested it was pee, it might be, it was more like "cottage cheese" in appearance


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## wellington (Jul 1, 2021)

Tortuug said:


> I'd recommend dusting food with calcium a few times a week anyways. Depends on how old your tort is. Personally, I use the cuttlebone more as a supplementary option for my tortoises to self-regulate but I can never be sure if they use it so I like to make certain they get enough calcium by dusting.


I would not sprinkle food with calcium if the torts are using the cuttle bone. Too much calcium is as bad as too little.


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## RoxyA (Jul 1, 2021)

wellington said:


> I would not sprinkle food with calcium if the torts are using the cuttle bone. Too much calcium is as bad as too little.


Ok thank you


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## wellington (Jul 1, 2021)

RoxyA said:


> It's possible it was pee, I'm not sure, it was in the water he was soaking in. Should I sprinkle his food w calcium when he's eating the cuttlebone or should I lay off on the calcium powder


No do not sprinkle calcium on his food as long as he is using the cuttlebone. Too much calcium is as bad as too little.


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## Tom (Jul 1, 2021)

RoxyA said:


> Oh I get a big variety from the store, take him out to graze, I pick grass, dandelions, Clover, Clover flowers etc, he gets a large variety. I also give him lugarti premium grassland tortoise food. I was just giving a quick answer w not much detail. He has a great appetite and is very healthy I was just worried when I saw the white stuff, someone suggested it was pee, it might be, it was more like "cottage cheese" in appearance


Post a pic of the white stuff. It could be either urates, or the cuttlebone.


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## RoxyA (Jul 1, 2021)

Tom said:


> Post a pic of the white stuff. It could be either urates, or the cuttlebone.


If he does it again ill post a pic, I've already dumped it. I was thinking it had something to do w the cuttlebone since he had just started eating it, that's why i was asking about it. We will see if he does that again today


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## autumn_0201 (Jul 1, 2021)

RoxyA said:


> I put a cuttlebone in with my baby sulcata, hes been eating it, quite a bit actually. Is there a point where its too much because today he pooped some grainy white stuff in the water during his soak. He eats alot of food, has an incredible appetite, seems really healthy and hes active, poop is usually normal. This is the first time it has happened so I'm assuming it's from the cuttlebone. Should I take it out of his enclosure or leave it in there?


It could have not been poop, but pee instead. When they are dehydrated, they will pee in a pasty white form in order to save water in it's body. If u dont soak him regularly or provide a water dish, chances are that he is dehydrated.


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## RoxyA (Jul 1, 2021)

autumn_0201 said:


> It could have not been poop, but pee instead. When they are dehydrated, they will pee in a pasty white form in order to save water in it's body. If u dont soak him regularly or provide a water dish, chances are that he is dehydrated.


I soak him for 20 min twice a day and he has a water dish at all times, I also sprinkle drops of water on his food at least once a day


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## RoxyA (Jul 3, 2021)

Tom said:


> Post a pic of the white stuff. It could be either urates, or the cuttlebone.


I was able to get a pic of the white stuff today, he hasn't done this again since I first posted until now. Any advice would be helpful, thanks. BTW he's pooping normally and eating great


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## RoxyA (Jul 3, 2021)

Can anyone help me w this? Here is a picture


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## Tom (Jul 3, 2021)

RoxyA said:


> I was able to get a pic of the white stuff today, he hasn't done this again since I first posted until now. Any advice would be helpful, thanks. BTW he's pooping normally and eating great


That is urates. It is a by-product of protein digestion, and its a sign that the tortoise could be better hydrated. This has nothing to do with calcium or cuttle bone.

Are you using a closed chamber? Damp orchid bark? Humid hide?

Check this out:





The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise


I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...




tortoiseforum.org


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## RoxyA (Jul 3, 2021)

Yes, c


Tom said:


> That is urates. It is a by-product of protein digestion, and its a sign that the tortoise could be better hydrated. This has nothing to do with calcium or cuttle bone.
> 
> Are you using a closed chamber? Damp orchid bark? Humid hide?
> 
> ...


Yes, closed chamber, humid hide, coconut coir substrate, haven't been able to find orchid bark yet, it's on back order, keep humidity at 85%+, soak 2× a day for 20 min, im not sure what else to do


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## Tom (Jul 3, 2021)

RoxyA said:


> Yes, c
> 
> Yes, closed chamber, humid hide, coconut coir substrate, haven't been able to find orchid bark yet, it's on back order, keep humidity at 85%+, soak 2× a day for 20 min, im not sure what else to do


How long have you had it. Most breeders don't start them correctly and your tort may be ridding itself of previously stored urates now that it is properly hydrated.


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## RoxyA (Jul 3, 2021)

Tom said:


> How long have you had it. Most breeders don't start them correctly and your tort may be ridding itself of previously stored urates now that it is properly hydrated.


We've had him almost 4 weeks, he's about 3 inches


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## Tom (Jul 4, 2021)

RoxyA said:


> We've had him almost 4 weeks, he's about 3 inches


You ought to weigh him weekly. That will give us and you an indication of how he's doing.

At 4 weeks he could still be getting rid of previously built up urates.

Where did you get him? That might give us some insight too.


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## RoxyA (Jul 4, 2021)

Tom said:


> You ought to weigh him weekly. That will give us and you an indication of how he's doing.
> 
> At 4 weeks he could still be getting rid of previously built up urates.
> 
> Where did you get him? That might give us some insight too.


I got him from tortoise supply, Tyler, I know they have a great reputation, that's why i ordered from them. He looks great! I thought he looked like the substrate was drying his skin when I first put it in his enclosure. I got zoo med coconut coir, it also stains him, I don't like it, but I'm having trouble getting the orchid bark. I keep it wet and have a humidifier going, the humidity levels are real good.


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## RoxyA (Jul 4, 2021)

RoxyA said:


> I got him from tortoise supply, Tyler, I know they have a great reputation, that's why i ordered from them. He looks great! I thought he looked like the substrate was drying his skin when I first put it in his enclosure. I got zoo med coconut coir, it also stains him, I don't like it, but I'm having trouble getting the orchid bark. I keep it wet and have a humidifier going, the humidity levels are real good.


I weighed him and he weighs 63.8 grams


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## RoxyA (Jul 4, 2021)

Tom said:


> You ought to weigh him weekly. That will give us and you an indication of how he's doing.
> 
> At 4 weeks he could still be getting rid of previously built up urates.
> 
> Where did you get him? That might give us some insight too.


I weighed him and he weighs 63.8 grams


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## RoxyA (Jul 4, 2021)

Tom said:


> You ought to weigh him weekly. That will give us and you an indication of how he's doing.
> 
> At 4 weeks he could still be getting rid of previously built up urates.
> 
> Where did you get him? That might give us some insight too.


He also is only 2.3 inches from front to back of shell, not 3, I was guessing and then actually measured him


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## Tom (Jul 5, 2021)

RoxyA said:


> I weighed him and he weighs 63.8 grams


That is good weight. You are not likely to have any trouble getting this one to survive.

Humidifiers shouldn't be used over tortoises. Maintain humidity by using a closed chamber.

Order 24 quart bags of Repti-Bark on Chewy.com if you can't find it at local nurseries in bulk.


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## RoxyA (Jul 5, 2021)

Tom said:


> That is good weight. You are not likely to have any trouble getting this one to survive.
> 
> Humidifiers shouldn't be used over tortoises. Maintain humidity by using a closed chamber.
> 
> Order 24 quart bags of Repti-Bark on Chewy.com if you can't find it at local nurseries in bulk.


It's a zoo med reptifogger, should i take it out then? Also I will order the repti-bark, I wasn't sure what was in it and if it was safe. Thank you for all of the help


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## Tom (Jul 5, 2021)

RoxyA said:


> It's a zoo med reptifogger, should i take it out then?


I would.

Have you seen this:





The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise


I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...




tortoiseforum.org


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## RoxyA (Jul 5, 2021)

Tom said:


> I would.
> 
> Have you seen this:
> 
> ...


Ok ill remove it, I have had to turn it off alot because the humidity gets so high, probably because it is a closed chamber. That will also be easier. Thanks so much for your help.


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## RoxyA (Jul 14, 2021)

Tom said:


> That is good weight. You are not likely to have any trouble getting this one to survive.
> 
> Humidifiers shouldn't be used over tortoises. Maintain humidity by using a closed chamber.
> 
> Order 24 quart bags of Repti-Bark on Chewy.com if you can't find it at local nurseries in bulk.


I weighed my tortoise again, last time was when i posted on July 5th and he weighed 63.8 grams, yesterday weighed 69.5. Is that a good enough weight gain? He seems to be doing great & no more urates. I'm just not sure how much they usually gain in a week. Thanks for all of the help


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## Maggie3fan (Jul 14, 2021)

Every tortoise is different. He should feel kinda heavy for his size...sorta like a rock. Steady weight gain is what you are striving for.


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## RoxyA (Jul 14, 2021)

maggie3fan said:


> Every tortoise is different. He should feel kinda heavy for his size...sorta like a rock. Steady weight gain is what you are striving for.
> View attachment 329073


Ok thanks!


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## RoxyA (Jul 26, 2021)

Hi it's me again, same problem, oxylates. This is the first time its happened since I posted before. He's in a closed chamber, temperatures are great, humidity is great. I have probe gages and thermometers for those in every corner. His diet: mixed baby greens minus the spinach, arugula, turnip greens, mustard greens, bok choy, Romaine, butter & red lettuce, mulberry, dandelion, & grape leaves, several natural grasses, sweet Clover leaves and flowers, wide plantain leaves, a mixture of zoo med, lugarti premium, and mazuri tortoise diet. He has a tortoise block and a cuttlebone. I sprinkle calcium powder w D3 and herptivite twice a week. He gets soaked for 20 min twice a day and always has water in his enclosure. He eats like a piggy and poops normal. All of the foods I mentioned he gets daily, I have alot of natural food growing in my yard. I give him a little kale about once a week also. I don't know what else to do. He's growing and looks perfect and healthy. Any advice would be greatly appreciated


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## RoxyA (Jul 26, 2021)

RoxyA said:


> Hi it's me again, same problem, oxylates. This is the first time its happened since I posted before. He's in a closed chamber, temperatures are great, humidity is great. I have probe gages and thermometers for those in every corner. His diet: mixed baby greens minus the spinach, arugula, turnip greens, mustard greens, bok choy, Romaine, butter & red lettuce, mulberry, dandelion, & grape leaves, several natural grasses, sweet Clover leaves and flowers, wide plantain leaves, a mixture of zoo med, lugarti premium, and mazuri tortoise diet. He has a tortoise block and a cuttlebone. I sprinkle calcium powder w D3 and herptivite twice a week. He gets soaked for 20 min twice a day and always has water in his enclosure. He eats like a piggy and poops normal. All of the foods I mentioned he gets daily, I have alot of natural food growing in my yard. I give him a little kale about once a week also. I don't know what else to do. He's growing and looks perfect and healthy. Any advice would be greatly appreciated


I just realized i typed oxylates instead of urates, anyway, white sand pee. Can anyone give me some advise please? Thanks


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## RoxyA (Jul 28, 2021)

maggie3fan said:


> Every tortoise is different. He should feel kinda heavy for his size...sorta like a rock. Steady weight gain is what you are striving for.
> View attachment 329073


Hi I posted a new question but no one has responded, I'm not sure how this works or if I'm posting right so I thought I'd message a reply to someone in hopes that they'll see it. Can you help me? It's about urates again, Thanks


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## ZenHerper (Jul 28, 2021)

It really helps if you post photos of what you are seeing at home.

Urates are a specialized kind of urine gunk that the kidneys make when:
*a reptile is inadequately hydrated (living in drought conditions in the wild, or taking in too little water in captivity);
*there is too much protein in the diet (eating the wrong foods, or an otherwise unbalanced diet)

Are you finding urates, or seeing stool that is full of undigested cuttlefish bone? What are the staple greens that you are feeding daily?

It can take a while to correct dehydration and dietary problems. Daily soaks and sprinkling water over appropriate greens helps. Reptiles develop metabolic problems slowly, and resolve them slowly.

Without photos it is not possible to give specific suggestions with confidence.


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## RoxyA (Jul 28, 2021)

ZenHerper said:


> It really helps if you post photos of what you are seeing at home.
> 
> Urates are a specialized kind of urine gunk that the kidneys make when:
> *a reptile is inadequately hydrated (living in drought conditions in the wild, or taking in too little water in captivity);
> ...





ZenHerper said:


> It really helps if you post photos of what you are seeing at home.
> 
> Urates are a specialized kind of urine gunk that the kidneys make when:
> *a reptile is inadequately hydrated (living in drought conditions in the wild, or taking in too little water in captivity);
> ...


I listed his food in my post, he has all of that every day. I also soak him twice a day for 20 min each soak. I don't know if you can look back at my earlier posts but there was a picture. He's only done this 3 times since I got him but it's grainy like sand


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## Sarah2020 (Jul 28, 2021)

Urates is fine and normal think of it as wee and waste. Reading your post 35 you seem to have it all correct what is the concern? With regular soaks and good hydration it will go more milky. Keep a weight log and monitor growth weekly.


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## RoxyA (Jul 28, 2021)

Sarah2020 said:


> Urates is fine and normal think of it as wee and waste. Reading your post 35 you seem to have it all correct what is the concern? With regular soaks and good hydration it will go more milky. Keep a weight log and monitor growth weekly.


I was just concerned about feeding him too many of the wrong greens, if any of those are too high in oxylates for him to have daily. I know about the spinach and kale but wasn't sure about the others. Also if I'm giving him too much calcium, if that was the problem. I've just been warned so much about diet, urates, etc I want to make sure it's right. Thanks so much for the help


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## ZenHerper (Jul 28, 2021)

RoxyA said:


> I was just concerned about feeding him too many of the wrong greens, if any of those are too high in oxylates for him to have daily. I know about the spinach and kale but wasn't sure about the others. Also if I'm giving him too much calcium, if that was the problem. I've just been warned so much about diet, urates, etc I want to make sure it's right. Thanks so much for the help


Oxalates have nothing to do with urates. Oxalates can, at high concentrations, bind to calcium - preventing the body from using calcium for many purposes. Oxalates can, at high concentrations, damage the kidneys.

Urates (and most bladder stones) are made out of a protein metabolite (uric acid) plus a metal (usually sodium, potassium, calcium). Dehydrated tortoises pass more urates, and more gritty and solid urates. Too little water in the diet combined with too much protein plus too much calcium (or potassium or sodium - but keepers seldom supplement those) in the diet can lead to solid urates and bladder stones.

The medical tl;dr about urates:


https://www.cabi.org/isc/FullTextPDF/2009/20093019001.pdf



Sulcata are grass eating tortoises. But the one grass way too high in protein for this species is Alfalfa. Never feed alfalfa grass or hay.

Other feeding and care information here:





The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise


I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...




www.tortoiseforum.org





Correction of bodily functions does not happen overnight - it can take a long time for urates to disappear and for urine to become mostly clear.


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## RoxyA (Jul 28, 2021)

ZenHerper said:


> Oxalates have nothing to do with urates. Oxalates can, at high concentrations, bind to calcium - preventing the body from using calcium for many purposes. Oxalates can, at high concentrations, damage the kidneys.
> 
> Urates (and most bladder stones) are made out of a protein metabolite (uric acid) plus a metal (usually sodium, potassium, calcium). Dehydrated tortoises pass more urates, and more gritty and solid urates. Too little water in the diet combined with too much protein plus too much calcium (or potassium or sodium - but keepers seldom supplement those) in the diet can lead to solid urates and bladder stones.
> 
> ...


Ok maybe I just need to give it some time then, thank you


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