What A Tortoise's Stone Looks Like

Yvonne G

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My sister's 120lb or so sulcata died as a result of bladder stone surgery. This is a picture of the stone that was removed during surgery. The white particles and chunks in the bottom of the jar have fallen off the stone, so you have to imagine it was bigger than you see in the picture:

bob's stone.JPG

Bob had access to all the water he wanted, grazed a yard full of grass (grass grows prolifically in Oregon), with the occasional supplementation of weeds and grocery store produce.
 

Cathie G

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My sister's 120lb or so sulcata died as a result of bladder stone surgery. This is a picture of the stone that was removed during surgery. The white particles and chunks in the bottom of the jar have fallen off the stone, so you have to imagine it was bigger than you see in the picture:

View attachment 286308

Bob had access to all the water he wanted, grazed a yard full of grass (grass grows prolifically in Oregon), with the occasional supplementation of weeds and grocery store produce.
What is the stone made of?
 

Yvonne G

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Most stones are caused by hydration and diet.
 

Maggie3fan

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I always thought that because he drank 2 to 3 gallons of water a week and would lay on the bottom of a water pool that a friend and I hand dug, all summer, he had enough water. I thought I had him set up good enough to live in Oregon. I did almost everything I was told to do, and, Yvonne is my sister for petes sake, so it's not as if I didn't have my own private fountain of information and help. I failed, and my failure to provide something (don't know what) took the life of a personality who was loved by a lot of people...so I absolutely still question and research to prevent that same thing from happening to Big Sam and Knobby, and Big Sam is starting to show signs of dry gritty urates. I am at a loss...This is Bob
1581885683116.png1581885683116.png
 

Yvonne G

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I love that picture!

Dry gritty urates is not a death sentence - yet. Dudley has creamy urates one day then gritty urates another day. Just make sure your guys have water available all the time and they should be fine. We all just do the best we can.
 

Cathie G

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Urates, sodium, potassium or calcium.
Thank you for answering. This is doubly interesting because I've passed kidney stones...not fun. Does anyone know what happens to start the formation? I've also read that certain herbs can help that in people. I can't remember what they are but possibly just an herbal prevention. Also I read that coffee and acidic drinks lead to stones in people but a tortoise diet is really high in tannic acid also. Sorry to talk your eyes off but maybe Saphire and I need the same veggies. Just a theory.
 

Sa Ga

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@maggie18fan 2015... yesterday.... no matter.....

Sure the acute sob attacks wane... but the ache is always there. I still miss Staybee (my baby Painted who died in 2015 too) and the accident that killed him is a dagger that will never stop stabbing my conscience.

Mags, I am so sorry for your loss though years ago. And I know--i canI feel--your heartbreak still in your words above.

Many of these (OBSTINATE!) little critters won't do what they should for their own good (won't eat their veggies, won't soak, etc.), and you can't know anything's amiss until it might be too late. It weighs heavy, but just remember, you're a wonderful, dedicated tortie mom, and Bob looked like a happy, deeply loved guy--which sadly isn't anywhere common enough for many turts/torts out there! ❤

-------

Note to those who don't know my experience: good hydration seems to be a challenge with some of these guys! Pay attn to their pee/urates (are they chalking/gritty white, and how much?), poo (is it hard, dry, and size?), skin and shell (is it dry, flaky?), and eyes (this is the only sign she really did show--where they were flush with her eyelids when looking down to the top of her head; when she's well-hydrated, they stick out a little further, and they look very bright and alert), and habits (how often do they tend to go - Mo tends to go poo daily near eve and pee during her feeding, if not also during her afternoon soak). When they start deviating from it, take note and start upping the hydration with long soaks and wet (water left on leaves), hydrating food (cukes, watermelon, etc.--though don't overdo!).

Morla (my adult Russian tort I've had for 6 months) seemed to drink water (and bitg a soak dish and sep water dish was always avail) and I soaked her daily. Her urates were always creamy and a normal amt, and her poos large, moist, and regular, so I thought all was good. (And this was up right up until the night she peed a brown, cola color.)

But...a month after getting her, she was so severely dehydrated (peed that brown color one eve and I took her in the next day), she was hospitalized overnight for IV fluids.

I now have to give her water by tubing (syringe to her stomach) 3x/day (15 mL in AM, 10 mL afternoon after work, and 10 mL bf bed) to ensure enough hydration. Now her urates are extremely dilute, (clear, raw egg-white to just a thin ribbon of white liquid), and her skin, shell, eyes are all bright and beautiful!

But, still...she absolutely will NOT drink enough on her own.
 

Charlie's pal

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I always thought that because he drank 2 to 3 gallons of water a week and would lay on the bottom of a water pool that a friend and I hand dug, all summer, he had enough water. I thought I had him set up good enough to live in Oregon. I did almost everything I was told to do, and, Yvonne is my sister for petes sake, so it's not as if I didn't have my own private fountain of information and help. I failed, and my failure to provide something (don't know what) took the life of a personality who was loved by a lot of people...so I absolutely still question and research to prevent that same thing from happening to Big Sam and Knobby, and Big Sam is starting to show signs of dry gritty urates. I am at a loss...This is Bob
View attachment 286364View attachment 286364
Hi Maggie,
This is the picture I wrote to you about. I searched for it for quite a long time and then this thread popped up!! I initially thought it was the picture of a Sulcata at the vet but that tort belonged to someone else. What a great looking guy!! This picture just makes me smile every time I look at it.
Beth
 

Maggie3fan

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Hi Maggie,
This is the picture I wrote to you about. I searched for it for quite a long time and then this thread popped up!! I initially thought it was the picture of a Sulcata at the vet but that tort belonged to someone else. What a great looking guy!! This picture just makes me smile every time I look at it.
Beth
I am so sorry!!! I totally misunderstood. This picture (to me) represents what every Sulcata has the potential to be. And it shows me and and others, in that face, that he somehow cared for me as well. We spent so much time together, he was on TV twice and in our newspaper 4 times. Seeing that picture always make me sad and happy at the same time...I am very grateful that I was able to have him in my life for 16 or so years.
 

Charlie's pal

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I am so sorry!!! I totally misunderstood. This picture (to me) represents what every Sulcata has the potential to be. And it shows me and and others, in that face, that he somehow cared for me as well. We spent so much time together, he was on TV twice and in our newspaper 4 times. Seeing that picture always make me sad and happy at the same time...I am very grateful that I was able to have him in my life for 16 or so years.
Oh no, please don't be sorry. I had the two pictures mixed up in my pea brain, lol. His expression does say to me that Bob cared for you. Thank you for the added details on his life, a celebrity no less. I will enjoy the picture even more.
 

Maggie3fan

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Oh no, please don't be sorry. I had the two pictures mixed up in my pea brain, lol. His expression does say to me that Bob cared for you. Thank you for the added details on his life, a celebrity no less. I will enjoy the picture even more.

Any picture that I post on here you can use if you want to...
 

Maggie3fan

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@maggie18fan 2015... yesterday.... no matter.....

Sure the acute sob attacks wane... but the ache is always there. I still miss Staybee (my baby Painted who died in 2015 too) and the accident that killed him is a dagger that will never stop stabbing my conscience.

Mags, I am so sorry for your loss though years ago. And I know--i canI feel--your heartbreak still in your words above.

Many of these (OBSTINATE!) little critters won't do what they should for their own good (won't eat their veggies, won't soak, etc.), and you can't know anything's amiss until it might be too late. It weighs heavy, but just remember, you're a wonderful, dedicated tortie mom, and Bob looked like a happy, deeply loved guy--which sadly isn't anywhere common enough for many turts/torts out there! ❤

-------

Note to those who don't know my experience: good hydration seems to be a challenge with some of these guys! Pay attn to their pee/urates (are they chalking/gritty white, and how much?), poo (is it hard, dry, and size?), skin and shell (is it dry, flaky?), and eyes (this is the only sign she really did show--where they were flush with her eyelids when looking down to the top of her head; when she's well-hydrated, they stick out a little further, and they look very bright and alert), and habits (how often do they tend to go - Mo tends to go poo daily near eve and pee during her feeding, if not also during her afternoon soak). When they start deviating from it, take note and start upping the hydration with long soaks and wet (water left on leaves), hydrating food (cukes, watermelon, etc.--though don't overdo!).

Morla (my adult Russian tort I've had for 6 months) seemed to drink water (and bitg a soak dish and sep water dish was always avail) and I soaked her daily. Her urates were always creamy and a normal amt, and her poos large, moist, and regular, so I thought all was good. (And this was up right up until the night she peed a brown, cola color.)

But...a month after getting her, she was so severely dehydrated (peed that brown color one eve and I took her in the next day), she was hospitalized overnight for IV fluids.

I now have to give her water by tubing (syringe to her stomach) 3x/day (15 mL in AM, 10 mL afternoon after work, and 10 mL bf bed) to ensure enough hydration. Now her urates are extremely dilute, (clear, raw egg-white to just a thin ribbon of white liquid), and her skin, shell, eyes are all bright and beautiful!

But, still...she absolutely will NOT drink enough on her own.
 

Igor the Russian

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I always thought that because he drank 2 to 3 gallons of water a week and would lay on the bottom of a water pool that a friend and I hand dug, all summer, he had enough water. I thought I had him set up good enough to live in Oregon. I did almost everything I was told to do, and, Yvonne is my sister for petes sake, so it's not as if I didn't have my own private fountain of information and help. I failed, and my failure to provide something (don't know what) took the life of a personality who was loved by a lot of people...so I absolutely still question and research to prevent that same thing from happening to Big Sam and Knobby, and Big Sam is starting to show signs of dry gritty urates. I am at a loss...This is Bob
View attachment 286364View attachment 286364
I am totally new here, but I do have knowledge of food and nutrition. For my own curiosity, I’m wondering if you fed him a lot of kale?
 

Maggie3fan

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I am totally new here, but I do have knowledge of food and nutrition. For my own curiosity, I’m wondering if you fed him a lot of kale?
No kale at all. Rose of Sharon blossoms, cactus pads, dandelions, different planted grasses, In winter it was mostly locally grown grass hay, clover. I think the lush green clover had a lot to do with it. Oxcilates
 
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