White stone on star tortoise tail

[ripatapir]

Hello guys. I'm new here. I'm from Indonesia and been keeping various local turtles and tortoises since 2008, and last month decided to adopt star tortoise. Three baby star tortoises.

I just got home from work and found the little one having this white stone on his tail. I feed him greens and weeds daily and calcium every three day. Substrate is coco coir. I also provide drink and change it every day.

Does anyone know what happen to him?

 

[shanu303]

it seems like the urates are very thick, dry and condensed.... urates which are stiff.... i think it is urate stone or kidney stone... it is usually due to dehydration.... and could be dangerous when stuck in the kidney... hopefully this is the last one so your tort might have excreted it all out...

 

[Tom]

That looks like a large clump of urates. I would start soaking these guys in shallow warm water for 30-45 minutes every day for the next few months. As they grow and get bigger, you can start skipping soak days. A warm humid hide for them to sleep in will help too.

Also examine which weeds you are feeding. Do you know for sure what all of them are?

 

[Yvonne G]

You need to pick that off. Be gentle, and if it doesn't come out with mild pressure, then try to break it up. But it is blocking the cloaca and waste cannot be excreted. Get it out of ther immediately!

I have had baby tortoises die because they had poop build-up around the cloaca that I didn't clean off.

Besides providing a container of water in the habitat, you should place him in a bowl of shallow water daily and leave him in there for about 15 or 20 minutes.

 

[ripatapir]

Thanks guys for the responses. Should I keep him with the other two or move him into separate tank?

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome. I would also cut the calcium down to twice or even once a week. Too much isn't good either. There is really no need to separate, it's nothing that can spread to the others. Be sure to soak them all though daily.

 

[kanalomele]

This is not a contagious condition. There is no need to separate it. In fact it is probably a good idea to treat them all. If a stone (bladder stone?)is in one and they have always been together it is likely that the others may have stones of their own. Soak soak soak!

 

[ripatapir]

Nothing would make me happier tonight than hearing him poop! I put him in water container, left the room to feed my self, and bam! He pooped! The sound was so loud I could hear it from another room. And I then I saw some white liquid around him.

Well, Cebol (his name, Indonesian slank for shorty because he was the smallest) doesn't like to soak by him self. The other two guys, Cimit (mini) and Cemong (messy-eater), love to sleep in the water bowl. Could it be the reason Cebol got the "stone"? Or perhaps, the diet? Yesterday I fed them spinach because the seller told me he gave Cebol daily.

So.. Less calcium and more soaking (and no spinach at all?). Thanks guys! I will update the progress regularly.

 

[ripatapir]

I thought it would take weeks for him to recover. Well, last night miracle happened.

View attachment 59662


Thanks guys!