how to detect urine in coconut coir

[lskaife]

if my tort is urinating in his substrate...would i be able to see urates or any sign of urinating..he peed friday when i brough him home, but no visible poop or urine since, the food they fed him at the store i think really constipated him so ive bene doing soaks where he takes sips of water and he has been eating better now that i changed the loght fixture in his terrarium.

 

[Randi]

If your tort is urinating on coco coir, you will probably notice a small spot that's more moist then the rest of the substrate. I would assume that if there is urates, you may see some that has dried out on the top layer of substrate. If you're not noticing any feces, your tort may be eating it. My tort occasionally eats her own feces. It doesn't happen often as I usually get to it first to clean it but there's the odd time where she will poop, turn around and start eating it. Haha. Is your tort pooping while soaking or even after the soaks? What are you feeding your tort? The more info you can give, the better. Others will be along shortly to assist.

 

[lskaife]

he isnt urinating or pooping after or in the soaks...he does drink while in the soaks tho.

for food he get endive, collard greends, romaine lettuce..i odered some of the salad topper from tortoise supply from the link tom has on his page..supplemnts of calcium 2-3 times per week and an available cuttle bone.

 

[Randi]

Is the tortoise eating regularly? Are those foods all that are being offered? I think there needs to be a lot more variety in the diet. Weeds, plants and flowers that are safe would good additions to the torts diet (google tortoise table plant database and type in a plants name in search, also browse because there's a lot of information on safe plants to feed and how often to feed other plants). What are the four temperatures (basking spot, warm side, cool side and night time) in the enclosure? What's the humidity like in the enclosure? Pictures of the enclosure?

 

[Maro2Bear]

You don't say, but how long are you soaking your tort? Make sure u are soaking long enough and at a nice warm temperature. We soak our Sully every morning for just about an hour at 105F, most of his bathroom escapades seem to occur during the last 10 mins of his soak. BTW, what kind of tort? Best of luck!

 

[Tom]

We soak our Sully every morning for just about an hour at 105F...

105? Is this a typo? I think that is way too high. Personally I would not go above 95.

 

[Tom]

if my tort is urinating in his substrate...would i be able to see urates or any sign of urinating..he peed friday when i brough him home, but no visible poop or urine since, the food they fed him at the store i think really constipated him so ive bene doing soaks where he takes sips of water and he has been eating better now that i changed the loght fixture in his terrarium.

If you are soaking regularly, then your tortoises urine is likely to be clear. You wouldn't know if he went in the soaking water or not. If he is urinating in the enclosure, you probably wouldn't know it either since its clear and not smelly like a mammal's urine would be.