why does my baby pee when...

[tobibaby]

hi everyone,

quick question, almost everytime i hold Tobi, for ex. when i take him outside or bring him back in, he usually pees on me lol.. in a way its good that he is hydrated but why does he do that.. is he scared, nervous, anxiety? i dont want to stress him out but i dont want to leave him in his box all day w/ artificial lights.

 

[dmmj]

it is a defense mechanism by baby tortoises, when picked up by a predator they usually pee so it will be released, he is sacred right now, remember baby tortoises view things larger then them as a predator, just give him some time he will soon realize who gives him all the tasty food and will no longer do it.

 

[Smithen]

hi everyone,

quick question, almost everytime i hold Tobi, for ex. when i take him outside or bring him back in, he usually pees on me lol.. in a way its good that he is hydrated but why does he do that.. is he scared, nervous, anxiety? i dont want to stress him out but i dont want to leave him in his box all day w/ artificial lights.

just natral defenses, they do it if an animal picks them up with their mouth then they pee and the animal can't stand the taste and most of the time drops them.

Tyler

 

[Jermosh]

Adults will sometimes do it as well if they are in a unknown area like a vet office. When we have Pre-Hib clinics at the PHS the DTs will pee almost on demand when being examined.

 

[Sweetness_bug]

Mine love to do it when i take them out of the tub after a nice soak..they poop and pee the whole time they are in there, and then when i go to take them out some do it again on me...lol...Not of of them do it. Mostly one of my russians and my leopard do LOL

 

[tobibaby]

thanks. cant wait til he stops.. i just love to kiss him sometimes :shy:

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

thanks. cant wait til he stops.. i just love to kiss him sometimes :shy:

While I absolutely applaud your devotion to your tort-ling, kissing him is a great way to ge sick (Salmonella, etc.), and is not something he'll appreciate, as being that close to your mouth is much too similar to being eaten, from his perspective!

What he/she will appreiate is you gently rubbing his/her throat and/or under his/her chin, and between his/her eyes.

BTW, Tobi is a great "unisex" name!

 

[tobibaby]

i know about sickness and stuff but he is so cute i love him so much.. i have stopped the kisses, now i kiss my hand and rub his shell .. i do rub his neck and betwen the eyes, sometimes he loves it sometimes he just doesnt give a care lol. do they like being rubbed (gently) on their shell.

thanks. cant wait til he stops.. i just love to kiss him sometimes :shy:

While I absolutely applaud your devotion to your tort-ling, kissing him is a great way to ge sick (Salmonella, etc.), and is not something he'll appreciate, as being that close to your mouth is much too similar to being eaten, from his perspective!

What he/she will appreiate is you gently rubbing his/her throat and/or under his/her chin, and between his/her eyes.

BTW, Tobi is a great "unisex" name!

 

[Tom]

In my opinion, just go ahead and do what you need/want to do. Most animals, and especially sulcatas, are very adaptable and will just get used to (desensitize) the routine. Like the ones who stress out and panic with the soaks. Do it everyday for a couple of weeks and pretty soon they just don't care any more. My Daisy was one of those. Now she just sits in the tub and "enjoys" the warm water. I think it is actually good for them to do this. In the wild, they deal with quite a bit of stress, on a daily basis. A little "controlled" stress in captivity has been proven to be a good thing for their health. They will be better adjusted and able to deal with the world, if they aren't "overly" sheltered as babies. Five minutes of handling followed by 23 hours and 55 minutes of being left alone should not be too much for a young sulcata to handle.

DO keep putting him/her out in the sun as much as you can. I would just do a 5 minute soak after a peeing episode to make sure Tobi stays hydrated. I can tell you from repeated experience that you can't soak them too much. Right Dean?