Help identify

[carolinaboy165]

Earlier today while I was soaking the torts, I was preparing their food and when I took penelopes water dish out, I noticed this floating in it. It's like a rock but I can scrape at it with my nail. Not as solid as a rock though. Hard to describe the texture. No idea what it could be


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[jjsull33]

Could it be perlite?

 

[theelectraco]

.I think it's just urates. Do you soak your tortoise often?

 

[carolinaboy165]

I usually soak them twice a day. The past few days, it been once due to our schedule this week, so I make their second soak by spraying them til they are dripping. Also spray them 3 to 4 times

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[wellington]

If it is a urate, I would up the soaking for a while.

 

[knighterson]

It looks like the little white things that you find in potting soil, or is that what perlite is?

 

[Linzbragg]

It looks like urate. Mine passes the same thing when he pees during his soaks. His is usually like a bunch of wet powder

 

[jjsull33]

I have never had a tortoise drop a hard ball of urate, I thought it was usually runny almost like white urine? Perlite is a white "rock" that if you squeeze with your fingers it will crush into a powder. It is used for holding humidity in soil or other mediums.

 

[sissyofone]

I don't know for sure but it looks just like a kidney stone my Labrador passed. Now I have no idea if torts can get these but that's what it looks like to me.

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[mctlong]

Looks like a small bladder stone -

 

[carolinaboy165]

Re: RE: Help identify

I have never had a tortoise drop a hard ball of urate, I thought it was usually runny almost like white urine? Perlite is a white "rock" that if you squeeze with your fingers it will crush into a powder. It is used for holding humidity in soil or other mediums.

You nailed it. When I scrape at it, it's like a powdery substance. If it is a stone, I'd say that's pretty big to come out of a tort that only 332 grams

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She's been good today. So far has had two soaks, just brought them back inside after a couple hours in the sun, sprinkled some calcium in her food and she eating good. Nothing seems wrong with her..

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[jjsull33]

It could be a kidney stone, I have never seen a tort's stones, but from personal experience my kidney stones are always dark and crumble but don't powder. (I have had quite a few, and it is not a pleasant experience)

I also use perlite fairly often for growing plants (not used for torts) and that is what it looks like most closely to me, but as I said I have never seen a tort's stone before.