# Bladder Stones



## Yvonne G (Oct 18, 2014)

Here's a nice article written by a vet about removing stones from a desert tortoise:

http://www.lbah.com/word/tortoise-bladder-stones/

And this from Reptiles Magazine:

"The stones can be caused by a number of factors. The two most common are improper diet and dehydration. Tortoises are vegetarians. Like other animals, their diet should consist of protein, carbohydrates and fats. However, the dietary protein and fats should be of plant origin, not animal origin. Their systems are not equipped to handle large amounts of animal-based nutrients (such as dog food - a commonly fed diet that is very bad for tortoises and other herbivorous reptiles, such as iguanas).






This desert tortoise has a large bladder stone in the left lobe of the bladder (visible on the right side of the photo). The stone is pinching off the intestine, causing constipation.
You have probably noticed that when your tortoise defecates and urinates it produces a pasty white substance. This is called urates, which is the end product of protein digestion in reptiles. If that substance gets produced in excess it can crystallize within the tortoise's urinary system and form a stone.

If a tortoise becomes dehydrated, which can happen in captivity from either not being offered water or being offered food with a low water content, these urates can also crystallize within the body and lead to bladder stone production."


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## sachin.ambhore (Oct 27, 2014)

Aww..my tort is eating stones lik anything. Bt he passes dem too. Bt after seeing ur post i ll nt expose to stones anymore. Thanks


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## Yvonne G (Oct 27, 2014)

I think you've missed the point. The stones referred to in this thread are not stones the tortoise has eaten. They are stones that formed inside the tortoise due to dehydration or the type of food the tortoise has been eating.


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## Altah (Dec 6, 2014)

My rescued Desert Torti has a huuuge stone in her left lobe as well. We fully plan to remove it in about 6 months time after shes recovered from the enormous abscess/fungal infection she suffered from for the last 3 months before coming to me. Shes been quite a project! Ill definitely take pictures if you guys are interested


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## Tom (Dec 6, 2014)

sachin.ambhore said:


> Aww..my tort is eating stones lik anything. Bt he passes dem too. Bt after seeing ur post i ll nt expose to stones anymore. Thanks



What species are we talking about?


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## puffy137 (Dec 6, 2014)

Yvonne G said:


> Here's a nice article written by a vet about removing stones from a desert tortoise:
> 
> http://www.lbah.com/word/tortoise-bladder-stones/
> 
> ...


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## puffy137 (Dec 6, 2014)

Thank you Yvonne , always great knowledge gained from reading you! Hugs!!


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## Tom (Dec 6, 2014)

Yvonne G said:


> Here's a nice article written by a vet about removing stones from a desert tortoise:
> 
> http://www.lbah.com/word/tortoise-bladder-stones/
> 
> ...




Holy cow Yvonne...
I've seen this surgery done before and seen pics too, but this is the best representation of it I've seen yet.

Every CTTC member and every person who argues with me about "forced" soaking needs to see this.

To everyone,
Why am I so adamant about regular soaking? Why am I always harping on people about proper drinking bowls? Why am I so frustrated with the bad advice given in "Herp Society" links and CTTC meetings and websites? _* THIS*_ is why!!!


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## puffy137 (Dec 6, 2014)

Tom said:


> Holy cow Yvonne...
> I've seen this surgery done before and seen pics too, but this is the best representation of it I've seen yet.
> 
> Every CTTC member and every person who argues with me about "forced" soaking needs to see this.
> ...


 Taken on board , Sir , Yes Sir !!!!!.........Salutes!


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## sibi (May 25, 2015)

Wow! Two of my three year old torts weigh over 60 lbs, and my husband picks them up and puts them in a warm soak everyday. We use a huge cement mix container that we purchased at Lowes. They drink from it and then defecate in it. They look for these baths everyday and it helps to keep them hydrated. Since my torts did not have wet starts, and were not properly cared for in the beginning, they are prone to developing large stones. Even though we have learned how to properly care for them early on and extraordinary care is being given to them for nearly three years now, they still don't drink on their own from accessible dishes. Low rim pans are placed all over the yard, and in their pens, but they rarely drink from them. It's only in these baths that they drink and stay hydrated. I'd hate to think I'd have to put my torts through anything like this if they were to develop stones so large than only an evasive procedure such as this would be necessary to remove it! No thanks, we'll continue lugging them into their baths, thank you very much.

Thank you Tom and Yvonne for all that I've learned from your advice and experiences


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## NorCal tortoise guy (Apr 9, 2021)

Yvonne G said:


> Here's a nice article written by a vet about removing stones from a desert tortoise:
> 
> http://www.lbah.com/word/tortoise-bladder-stones/
> 
> ...


A great read thank you!


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