Pink urates

Tort1419

Active Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2015
Messages
217
Hello I have a Russian tortoise. He is very happy and healthy, he has an indoor enclosure about 31.15 square feet, hey has a varied diet and I have had him for three months. I got him in the fall so there was no use building an putdoor enclosure, but I will build one in the spring once the winter passes. He poops and pees regularly and he has slowed down for the winter. He is generally up only 5 hours a day now. But I know that is normal because it is winter. Anyways back to his pee and urate. Generally his urates are white and have a tooth paste consistency. But in the past four days he urates twice and both were pink. I heard this could be from high oxalites in the diet but this can't be right. Since it he is indoor his main staple is endive and escarole, as there is a bunch of other things we feed him as well? Could he have parasites should I seek out a vet, if so why do you think my tortoise got sick I have been caring for him correctly??
 

dmmj

The member formerly known as captain awesome
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 15, 2008
Messages
19,695
Location (City and/or State)
CA
a pink color is usually a result of dandelions does he eat them? How much?
 

Tort1419

Active Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2015
Messages
217
He doesn't eat any dandelions, but I did start feeding him dandelion greens yesterday, but he had red urates a few days before that, and yesterday was the first time he ever had dandelion greens @dmmj
 

Tidgy's Dad

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2015
Messages
48,236
Location (City and/or State)
Fes, Morocco
Raddichio and hibiscus are other causes of this and looking around the net, it seems that Russians are particularly susceptible to eat, though dandelion is usually the culprit. 99% of the time, it is nothing to worry about as it is diet related.
Is he okay, now ?
 

martaemha

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2015
Messages
76
Location (City and/or State)
Poland
It doesn't seem he is sick. Do the pink urates have consistency of a tooth paste/ liquid? Pink gritty urates are something to worry about as this means that hard pieces are doing damage to the urinary tract. But this seems very unlikely in the case of your tort. I think it's just the pigment in one of the plants you've been feeding him. You wrote you've had him for three months. Do you know what was his diet before you got him?
 
Top