My cherry head has been passing gritty urates the past month. I've increased his daily soaking times and they have decreased significantly and rarely see them now. About a week ago, he passed what looked like small shell pieces. Was thinking maybe it was more solid urates or actual shells he got into in the yard. Today, he passed this in his bath! 😳 I'm freaking out now. There was a little rubbery piece also that looks like part of his insides. 😩 He is acting fine, eating, pooping, active etc. He is about 1 1/2 years old. I'm a first time reptile owner. He has had daily soaks since I've got him over a year ago. His humidity is kept at around 80%-85% and I live in Florida. Has anyone seen this before?? This all really started when I started him on rapashy superveggie supplement about 3x wk. Maybe I over did it? Ugh. Thanks in advance!!
Urate stones??
- Thread starter Taryn73
- Start date
That is pieces of cuttlebone. When they don't need calcium, it often passes through undigested.
The rubbery thing may have been his penis. Do know know what a tortoise penis looks like? Look it up if not, and see if what you saw looks like that. Some of them start this "flashing" behavior as they get older. They like to evert their penis and this frequently happens in the soak water, or around soaking time.
But the piece of rubbery pink thing was floating in the water. So I'm afraid since the edges were sharp it cut some of his insides/urethra. 😳 So do you think he ate a piece of cuttle bone that large? It's strange bc each side has a different texture. I have seen a tortoise penis online, quiete strange looking I have to say. He/she is only 1 1/2.
Tortoises will eat just about anything. If you are using mulch of any kind, there may have been some errant pieces that got mixed in somewhere along the way. That might be what the rubbery piece was. Or it could be some form of plant matter that was eaten and he pooped it out with mucous on it.
All sorts of things seem to pass through tortoise GI tracts without issue, so I would not be too concerned if appetite and activity is normal.
Also, there is a problem with the Repashy for tortoises. Too high in one of the vitamins. Vitamin A, if I recall? Not sure of that. @TeamZissou is the one who brought it to our attention, if I recall correctly. I don't use it, so it is not sticking in my mind all that well...
I also read about the vitamin A and stopped it immediately and Ironically the urates and this started. He pooped the same looking stuff out once before with the same textures on both sides but it was broken up. Now I'm just supplementing with calcium a couple times a week. It's hard being a first time tortoise owner and trying to make sure I'm doing everything correctly. I learn a lot from this site and stay away from the internet and FB so that has helped tremendously! Thanks for the input...takes a lot of worry off my shoulders.
What about just calcium a couple days a week?
TeamZissou
Well-Known Member
Yes all the Repashy supplements I’ve looked at have very high levels of supplemental vitamin A. There have been a few cases of vitamin A overdose posted here on the forum, complete with excessive skin sloughing off, both in young tortoises.
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