Question about healthy urates?

[Lindsay Loforte]

I've just been scanning through other threads noticing that a few people have problems with their tortoises producing crystalized urates, and many of the comments say the goal is for them to be creamy like? I have a baby red foot, maybe 3-4" and he's urine always appears to be pure water, so I assumed he just stays vary hydrated, am I wrong?

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

Chunky, lumpy, gritty, etc. are bad for urate texture. It means the tort is most likely dehydrated. Creamy, smooth, even is a good consistency for urates, and means the tort is hydrated. Urates are different urine, if I remember correctly (corret me?) urates are reused water that the tort expels when it takes in fresh new water... So yours seems very hydrated! Which is good

 

[LLLReptile]

Urates are just a solid form of urine, not reused water etc. If there is a lot of clear liquid, much like when we pee, that does mean the tortoise is quite well hydrated. The white or yellow urates are from uric acid, and are the waste products from your tortoise's kidneys filtering the blood. Crystals are bad for tortoises just like people as they scratch and irritate the insides. They can be a sign of a supplement imbalance or dehydration.

A tortoise peeing a bunch isn't much to worry about. As long as there aren't sharp bits of urate coming out, your tortoise is probably just fine.

-Jen

 

[Lindsay Loforte]

Chunky, lumpy, gritty, etc. are bad for urate texture. It means the tort is most likely dehydrated. Creamy, smooth, even is a good consistency for urates, and means the tort is hydrated. Urates are different urine, if I remember correctly (corret me?) urates are reused water that the tort expels when it takes in fresh new water... So yours seems very hydrated! Which is good

Oh awesome! Thats what I was hoping, but just wanted to double check! I thought I had done all the research I needed to be able to handle my first baby tortoise, but I'm constantly being exposed to new things I never thought to worry about on here!