# Blood in the urine?



## GeoTerraTestudo

I fed my Russians this morning, as usual. My female passed urine while feeding, which is not uncommon, but it looked like it had a slight tinge of red or pink in it. She was not behaving abnormally, and still had as good an appetite as ever, but I can't help but wonder if she has blood in her urine for some reason. Have you ever seen this? What's it from? Will it happen again unless I intervene?


----------



## dmmj

I know dandelions can cause it to turn pink has she eaten some recently?


----------



## GeoTerraTestudo

dmmj said:


> I know dandelions can cause it to turn pink has she eaten some recently?



Yep, sure did. For the past several days. Both the kind with green stalks, and the kind with red stalks, too. Is that all it is? Just the red pigment from dandelions?


----------



## dmmj

I would say almost certainly a lot of tortoises have a red or pink tinge to their urates when eating dandelions.


----------



## GeoTerraTestudo

dmmj said:


> I would say almost certainly a lot of tortoises have a red or pink tinge to their urates when eating dandelions.



Okay ... phew!


----------



## ascott

Yup....our guys have a reddish tint and other times clear.....our guys eat alot of dandelion gree.s and flowers....


----------



## bikerchicspain

Just to be on the safe side, stop feeding the dandelions for a few days and see what colour the urine is, If its still redish then it could be blood, if it is then the tort could have cristals.


----------



## GeoTerraTestudo

bikerchicspain said:


> Just to be on the safe side, stop feeding the dandelions for a few days and see what colour the urine is, If its still redish then it could be blood, if it is then the tort could have cristals.



I see. Okay, well we are out of dandelions now, and I have switched to spring mix, so let's see if the urine goes back to being clear then.


----------



## Laura

be sure they are good and hydrated...


----------



## bikerchicspain

Guys i need help.
got a pardalis come in to the shop to sell, she is 14cm long. she has been here a week and i have not seen her eat let alone come out of her shell.

i took her into the vets to listen to her lungs and she urinated on me and it was very tinged, when i say tinged it look like rusty water, did urine test and she has some blood in her pee,
my boss said send her back, but i cant send her back to die.

I have spoke with the company that brought her to find out if she was captive bred or wild, something fishy is going on beacuse her cites is from 2011 of which is impossible.


----------



## GeoTerraTestudo

Update: sorry for not replying sooner. As some of you predicted, my tortoise did turn out simply to have dandelion pigments in her urine, so she's fine.

Yvonne: sorry to hear about your leopard tortoise. It does sound serious. I think treatment by the vet is in order.


----------



## bikerchicspain

Unfortunately i was ordered by my boss to send her back, i begged to let me treat her and he said no.

I told him i couldnt send her back to a definate slow death, and that i could try and treat her.
<again he said NO and that he didnt care as long as the company didnt have to pay or that the tort didnt die in our care,
I told him how ill she could be but he just said that is not his problem, "i said that i could not live with my conscience knowing that i have sent her to a certain death, he duly told me thats my problem not his.

I wanted to buy her but i had to pay shop price and not cost price and i just cant afford it, 

I feel so very bad.


----------



## GBtortoises

Yvonne-That "rusty water" urine is usually seen when a tortoise has gone for a very long time without drinking water to flush it's system. It could it be that your Leopard tortoise has become so dehydrated that it's waste system has shut down in an effort to conserve whatever body moisture is still present. Quite often in serious cases they will also stop eating because the other end has stopped processing. The only laymans solution that I am aware of and have used is tube feeding in small quantities and frequent warm water soaks. Under the tortoises current condition, too much food at once is not good if it's digestive system is not properly processing it. I have also in the past crushed up acidophus pills in the food when tube feeding with the intent of getting their digestive bacteria "jump started". Warm water soaks (on the warmer side), often, twice a day if you can. Deep enough so that the tortoise does not need to make any effort to extend it's neck to drink. I also keep them in temperatures in lower ambient temperature (low 70's fahrenheit) but still with a basking light that produces suitable heat for digestion. The lower ambient temperature allows them to move away from the basking light to avoid further dehydration. And I spray them and their enclosure often in order to provide moisture from all sources. If the tortoise is dehydrated more moisture is going to help, even with a species that wouldn't normally be kept that moist.


----------

