White Poop during Bath.

[austinbrehun]

Hello, im sure this question has been asked many many times as I've looked it up and seen many conversations and questions on it. Its hard to get a good clear answer though.

After bathing my sulcata tortoise for 5 minutes, he pooped/peed a white substance. Wasnt solid, was a white thick liquid.

He eats mixed leafy greens right now daily with calcium and hay sprinkled on top.

 

[Brendelwood]

I believe what you are describing are urates. This is perfectly normal with the consistency you're explaining. I'm sure someone more versed in the subject can get into more detail.

 

[Tom]

...I'm sure someone more versed in the subject can get into more detail.

Nope. You hit the nail on the head.

 

[Yvonne G]

To help you better understand, from Reptiles magazine:

Tortoises also produce urine and urates. Urine is the liquid portion stored in the urinary bladder. Urine contains waste products and toxins that are filtered from the bloodstream. Reptiles also have one more type of excretion product, called urates or uric acid. This is the end product of protein digestion and is also stored in the urinary bladder as a creamy, off-white pasty semi-solid. In reptiles, uric acid is cleared from the bloodstream by the kidneys. When the tortoise urinates, it will pass the liquid urine and the semi-solid urates at the same time. A tortoise may urinate and defecate at the same time, which may leave urate deposits on the fecal material. This will make the feces appear as if it is white or off-white.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I mean no disrespect when I say your baby is already starting to pyramid. He needs a humid hide and here's a link to a Sulcata care sheet. At the beginning of the Sulcata section are several 'stickies', with great advice to avoid that pyramiding. Sulcata need about 85% humidity in their habitat. Just what most of us do for babies....

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/african-spurred-tortoise-sulcata-care-sheet.52524/