Gritty urates question

[Weda737]

Okay, I've had my little guy for 2 weeks now, at first he wasn't so big on going potty, now it's constant, and he makes some seriously big poops, but doesn't seem to have difficulty at all. He went potty in his soak today and his urates were really gritty, felt and even kinda looked like crushed eggshells, well not all of it, it was like goopy with grit in it. I'm curious, since I've only had him 2 weeks, could I have caused it, or was it probably something from before? He does not get spinach at all, rarely gets dandelion and up until today was mostly eating clover and a little grass (grazing in the yard he picks all the clover). I got him some spring mix but today was the first time he had it. Is it okay for him to eat the chard in it? I took the spinach out. Any thoughts on this would be great.

 

[dmmj]

sounds like he is dehydrated, the urates should look like cottage cheese or toothpaste consistency wise. Is it drinking on it's own? One way I use to increase their hydration is I wet down the food they eat with a spray bottle so they get water while they eat.

 

[Weda737]

sounds like he is dehydrated, the urates should look like cottage cheese or toothpaste consistency wise. Is it drinking on it's own? One way I use to increase their hydration is I wet down the food they eat with a spray bottle so they get water while they eat.

He can't be dehydrated, he drinks a couple times a day and gets somewhere around 2 or 3 soaks a day, not counting the ones he takes on his own, he tends to walk right into the water dish and sit there a few second then go get muddy again. I wet his food too. The last urates he made yesterday were pretty runny looking, it was on his slate rock. I don't think any of the urates have held their shape. Thing is, have I had him long enough to cause this? All these studies about humidity and hydration has me paranoid, I'm keeping him quite humid.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

He was dehydrated before you got him. He wasn't soaked enough by his previous keeper. He is drinking enough now so you don't need to worry. But my advice to you would be to soak once a day or every other day. If you soak too much his food doesn't stay in his system long enough for him to get all the nutrients out of it. You're soaking too many times so his poop is coming out too often. I soak my babies every other day and that is just enough for them. I have 3 3month old Sulcata and a 100 pound 13 year old Sulcata and I soak the babies every other day and their urates are totally liquid.

So no, it's not your fault, he was dehydrated when you got him, but he'll be fine now...

 

[ascott]

Dandelion greens/flowers are a good food for your tortoise and a spinach treat from time to time is alright as well... free grazing on turf and weeds in the yard are the best to be his main source of food...hibiscus, roses, hollyhock are good foods as well....

my guys will urinate each day (usually nice and clear, sometimes a little pink depending on if they had dandelions or not) and are pooping machines as they mow down everything in site...

now when they come out of winter siesta their urine has the normal chalky color/cottage cheese thing going on and eventually ends up clear after about a month of the tortoise season and remains that way until they go to sleep for the winter months again...

if he is soaking/drinking himself and you KNOW he is...then maybe 1 add'l soak from you each day would be good....

 

[Tom]

I think Maggie is right about this being the result of his care before you got him. Was he on rabbit pellets and no water bowl? Just guessing here. Everyone does it differently. It is VERY dry here, so I soak mine every day. If I soak in the morning and then put them out in the hot dry sun, I'll usually soak them a second time. I'm not saying that everyone should do this, I'm just saying that this is what I do and it works for me. Most days I just wait until after sunning and soak them once.

More variety in the diet is a good thing too. The spring mix is a good start. Look for other leafy greens at the store too and try to learn to ID more local weeds. I also recommend grape leaves, spineless opuntia cactus, and Mazuri two or three times a week. Good luck and try to relax a little. Sulcatas are pretty hardy most of the time.

 

[Weda737]

I really don't know what he was on, or what he was fed or anything. I ordered him from tortoise shack, I know I should have found out how they keep them before I got him, but I didn't. I did however email them after he arrived and all I got back was an auto email telling me to call the number. I checked out the adults they have for sale and the pics they had up were fairly pyramided. I do see him drink, most of his poops aren't in the soak so I really don't think I'm over doing it, he goes potty on his own most of the time, it's just really picked up lately but I thought maybe it's because he's settled in. He has some Mazuri that came with him but only recently will he even sniff it, he takes a few bites only if there's nothing else. He has some bird seed grasses growing in his tank too. I also soak him after a while in the sun grazing, that's usually when he drinks the most. Oh I just remembered to mention, when he arrived he had some black stuff on his legs and around his mouth, makes me wonder if he was around other torts and eating poop. Sorry for jumping around so much, I just want you guys to know everything so you can give me the best advice. I'm totally at home with keeping my other animals, torts are just really new to me. And Tom, I read all those threads you recommended, awesome work, and I do appreciate it. Thank you all for your help.