CA Deset Tortoise pees clear fluid after soak after brumation?

[ErinE]

Hi all, we've had our CA desert tortoise for about 20 years. She lives in our backyard grazing half the year and in a box in the garage from about Thanksgiving to Easter. We're in coastal southern California.
When we bring her out of the garage in the spring, I give her a soak in lukewarm water and she drinks a lot. The last couple years, I've noticed her releasing about a foot wide puddle of clear fluid a few minutes after i get her out of the bath. She seems fine otherwise, does anyone know what's up with this? Her pee should be cottage cheesey, right?

 

[Tom]

Hi all, we've had our CA desert tortoise for about 20 years. She lives in our backyard grazing half the year and in a box in the garage from about Thanksgiving to Easter. We're in coastal southern California.
When we bring her out of the garage in the spring, I give her a soak in lukewarm water and she drinks a lot. The last couple years, I've noticed her releasing about a foot wide puddle of clear fluid a few minutes after i get her out of the bath. She seems fine otherwise, does anyone know what's up with this? Her pee should be cottage cheesey, right?

No. What you are seeing is ideal! They store water for times of drought. When they replenish those stores with fresh water (the big drink post hibernation) they can release the stored water. If your tortoise were more dehydrated, which would be bad, then it would expel more concentrated urine or the cottage cheesy urates you mentioned.

What you are seeing indicates that your tortoise is healthy and that you are keeping it well hydrated before hibernation.

Here is more care info. There is probably all sorts of new info in here for you, because most of the care info given for DTs is plain wrong.

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? 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. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

Welcome to the forum. Questions and conversation are welcome. And so are tortoise pics!

 

[ErinE]

Thanks! Here she is considering some California bluebells- she didn't want them just now.