Tortoise peeing alot seethrough liquid, exactly like water, is it normal?

D3sirable

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Hello :) I bought my russian tortoise a week ago, its 2.5 years old. It always pees white stuff, I know thats urate and its normal.

But today when I took it on the floor it peed seethrough liquid, exactly like water, and alot! Is this normal? It looks like I spilled full glass of water on the floor, something like that. Im really worried.

Im also wondering if it looks like he has abnormal shell growth? Ive uploaded two pictures. Maybe Im just being paranoid :(

IMG_2633.JPG IMG_2635.JPG
 

snowflame

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I am not a vet so no I just know it is not normal for a tortoise but, white pee is a sign of a healthy tortoise. I wish I could help.
 

Yvonne G

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You should take your tortoise to the vet. Your not being paranoid.

I disagree. There's nothing wrong with clear urine. They don't always excrete urates.

The shell is a little bumpy from being raised on dry hay. A little moisture in the substrate would be better for the tortoise. But otherwise I see nothing wrong with that tortoise. He's a beautiful specimen.

474158gy04azrh2x.gif
 

Tom

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D3sirable

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I disagree. There's nothing wrong with clear urine. They don't always excrete urates.

The shell is a little bumpy from being raised on dry hay. A little moisture in the substrate would be better for the tortoise. But otherwise I see nothing wrong with that tortoise. He's a beautiful specimen.

474158gy04azrh2x.gif
Thanks for your reply, I'm really relieved now!

My tortoise looked like this when I bought him. I only had him for a week :)

It has mixed 50/50 of sand and coir under the hay. It likes the hay to hide under it when it sleeps. I also have a hydrometer that shows humidity is 50%-70% all the time. Should this be OK?
 

Tom

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Thanks for your reply, I'm really relieved now!

My tortoise looked like this when I bought him. I only had him for a week :)

It has mixed 50/50 of sand and coir under the hay. It likes the hay to hide under it when it sleeps. I also have a hydrometer that shows humidity is 50%-70% all the time. Should this be OK?


Humidity is fine, but lose the sand. It can cause intestinal impaction and be a skin and eye irritant.
 

Jabuticaba

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Did the liquid completely soak up 4-5 full sheets of paper towel? If so, that is a lot and a vet visit is needed. But, if it only soaked up 1-1.5 full sheets, then it's pretty normal for that size tortoise. And as long as it's not happening more than once a day, I wouldn't worry. Torts do eliminate clear fluid just before passing urates. They usually pee during their soak time, which is why you can't see it. I always make sure to change their bath water as soon as I see urates.


May
IG: @AUSSOMEAUSSIES
 

D3sirable

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There is nothing wrong with clear pee in a well hydrated tortoise. The tortoise is likely excreting all the extra water from the inappropriate wet diet you are feeding. They need high fiber weeds and leaves, not lettuce and tomatoes.

Here are some threads to help you:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
Thanks for your tips Tom, I will definetly read them now.

I have been giving him a mixture of carrot, squash, salat and hay everyday with Zoo med repti cal with d3. I have read that it's bad to give Calcium with d3 everyday but the person who sold me this tortoise said it was ok to give everyday a little, is this wrong?

He always seem to be eating squash and salat and doesn't eat hay/other grass. How can I get him to eat more grass/hay?

Thanks alot for your help.
 

Kim444

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My tort pees a lot as well. I lightly spray all his leafy greens with water to ensure he gets enough liquids, and I feed him a wet mash of mazuri with leafy greens once a week. It never fails that every time I have him on me, he pees right through the doubled towel and gets me all wet.
 

Yvonne G

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Well I guess I was wrong.:(

No necessarily 'wrong', just maybe misinformed??? That's what you're here for, right? I really appreciate that you try to answer the questions. I like it when new members join in, especially young ones. You have your whole life ahead of you and a young sponge of a mind that is ready to absorb all the new and critical info that we've been discovering lately. Don't be afraid to jump in. We'll keep you honest. :D

474158gy04azrh2x.gif
 

Tom

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Thanks for your tips Tom, I will definetly read them now.

I have been giving him a mixture of carrot, squash, salat and hay everyday with Zoo med repti cal with d3. I have read that it's bad to give Calcium with d3 everyday but the person who sold me this tortoise said it was ok to give everyday a little, is this wrong?

He always seem to be eating squash and salat and doesn't eat hay/other grass. How can I get him to eat more grass/hay?

Thanks alot for your help.


Daily calcium supplementation can interfere with the absorption of other important minerals and trace elements, so yes, in my opinion and experience, it is wrong. Twice a week in a small amount should be plenty. Feed a good diet of weeds, leaves and cactus pads, and it becomes even less critical. A good way to insure your tortoise is getting enough calcium is to offer cuttle bone too. I just leave one in there and they munch on it when they feel like it. Often they don't touch the cuttle bone for months on end because they are getting enough calcium elsewhere.

Russian don't typically eat grass and hay. That is not the normal diet for them. They eat broadleaf weeds like the ones listed in the care sheet. You can use finely blended hay or grass clippings to try and make grocery store greens better and more fibrous for them, but why not just feed the right foods in the first place? Here are some more suggestions for good foods:
Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads

Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard

Other good stuff:
"Testudo Seed Mix" from http://www.tortoisesupply.com/SeedMixes
Pasture mixes or other seeds from http://www.groworganic.com/seeds.html
Homegrown alfalfa
Mazuri Tortoise Chow
ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food


I'm sure you can find many of these growing near you, and best of all it is free. Just make sure there are no pesticides or weed killers being used in the areas you collect from.

To get him eating the new stuff you will need to finely chop a pile of the old stuff that he likes and mix in a very small amount of the new stuff, also finely chopped. Over time gradually up the ratio of new stuff to old. This process may take months, but in the end you will have a healthy tortoise that eats anything. Don't be afraid to let the stubborn little guy get hungry. If you put out a big pile of good food, and he chooses not to eat it, then he will be hungrier the next day. Keep offering a new pile of the same stuff daily until he eats it. Hunger will overcome pickiness.
 

D3sirable

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Daily calcium supplementation can interfere with the absorption of other important minerals and trace elements, so yes, in my opinion and experience, it is wrong. Twice a week in a small amount should be plenty. Feed a good diet of weeds, leaves and cactus pads, and it becomes even less critical. A good way to insure your tortoise is getting enough calcium is to offer cuttle bone too. I just leave one in there and they munch on it when they feel like it. Often they don't touch the cuttle bone for months on end because they are getting enough calcium elsewhere.

Russian don't typically eat grass and hay. That is not the normal diet for them. They eat broadleaf weeds like the ones listed in the care sheet. You can use finely blended hay or grass clippings to try and make grocery store greens better and more fibrous for them, but why not just feed the right foods in the first place? Here are some more suggestions for good foods:
Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads

Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard

Other good stuff:
"Testudo Seed Mix" from http://www.tortoisesupply.com/SeedMixes
Pasture mixes or other seeds from http://www.groworganic.com/seeds.html
Homegrown alfalfa
Mazuri Tortoise Chow
ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food


I'm sure you can find many of these growing near you, and best of all it is free. Just make sure there are no pesticides or weed killers being used in the areas you collect from.

To get him eating the new stuff you will need to finely chop a pile of the old stuff that he likes and mix in a very small amount of the new stuff, also finely chopped. Over time gradually up the ratio of new stuff to old. This process may take months, but in the end you will have a healthy tortoise that eats anything. Don't be afraid to let the stubborn little guy get hungry. If you put out a big pile of good food, and he chooses not to eat it, then he will be hungrier the next day. Keep offering a new pile of the same stuff daily until he eats it. Hunger will overcome pickiness.
Thank you very much for these tips. I want the best possible everything for my tortoise. I live in Sweden so I'm not sure of all of these are available to me, but I will try to find them.

Sorry I have another 2 questions if you could answer them, you all seem to be the experts so I need to take my advantage! :p

Do you know how often I should change the substrate? Since sometimes he poos and pees in it, it becomes smelly over time. I heard its not good to change its enviroment often because they get stressed.

Another thing that concerns me is that he spends most of his day trying to climb out of the tank. He lives in a 90 x 45 x 35 CM tank, and most of the day he is VERY active walks along the wall and trying to climb out of it, when he does he makes alot of sound, can this be harmful for him that he is trying to climb out all the time? Since he stands up and then falls down, clawing the tank walls, etc. He sleeps around 10 hours, wakes up, eats, roams/trying to climb out until he sleeps again.
 

yillt

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It is a good thing he is active. Don't worry. I just change my substrate about twice a year and I pick out the yucky stuff daily. You don't even have to "change it" that much just top it up on top. But you do have to change it at LEAST once a year. Remember a bigger tort table/tank is ALWAYS Better. Do you take him outside regularly? Does he get enough UVB and can he see over the top of his cage walls because that might be what is causing him to try and get out. Good luck.
 

Tom

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Your enclosure is WAYYYYY too small. I recommend a MINIMUM of 122 x 244cm (4x8' for us "behind the curve" Americans...). This is one reason for his behavior. Russians sometimes walk miles a day in the wild, so they need and benefit from relatively large enclosures.

I only replace my substrate when a new animal is going to be living in that enclosure. I spot clean as needed and remove any leftover food or feces right away. My tortoises seldom poop indoors because I soak them regularly and they defecate in their soaking water. I have used the same substrate for several years in some cases.

Still, there is no harm in replacing the substrate every day if you want to. Your tortoise will get used to whatever routine you choose to follow.
 

snowflame

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Yeah, that's not really my real age I just don't like people knowing my date of birth.
 

Tom

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That's not my real age I don't like people knowing my date of birth


We don't need to know your DOB, but it does help to know if we are addressing a child or an adult, as this forum has lots of both.
 
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