sulcata urates. Need some help!

[RecklessCyanide]

my sulcata is about two and half years old (15-16cm). i got him recently from a pet store, it seems they didn't provide him enough water, so when i soaked him in the water for the first time, urinates came out multiple of cluster with white grayish color, when i touched it, i could feel some of them have small stone-like solid particles. when i squeezed them hard, i could break them into sand-like powder. I was thinking i can continue soak them on a daily basis until those solid particle disappear. but how can i make sure there is no huge stone(compared to the ones that came out, huge ones may get blocked in the way and not getting out of it) that might already form inside and still stays there?

Also what's the right humidity for my sulcata with his current age?

I attached a pic showing his urinate, maybe this would helps more for analysis

 

[Speedy-1]

They are called "urates" and are normally nothing to worry about . You can read more about them here ; http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/urates.6362/

 

[lismar79]

You will need to soak him for a while, those are way too hard. if he were mine, I would do once a day for a week or so. Then every other day. Leave a soak dish in his enclosure too. You want them to be paste like. 80% humidity with a temp no lower than 80's temps would do him some good. Mine is 2 yrs old and I keep it about 65 since he's a good 15 pounds.

 

[RecklessCyanide]

You will need to soak him for a while, those are way too hard. if he were mine, I would do once a day for a week or so. Then every other day. Leave a soak dish in his enclosure too. You want them to be paste like. 80% humidity with a temp no lower than 80's temps would do him some good. Mine is 2 yrs old and I keep it about 65 since he's a good 15 pounds.

thanks for your advice, i'm doing what you said in the reply(soaking him 30mins everyday). but keeping the humidity up is a major problem for me, since i put him in an open-top enclosure, with the heat bulb i provided, the humidity easily dropped to 40%, I'm thinking getting a new closed enclosure for him and i need it for my redfoot to help with the humidity. however i can't find good ones anywhere..

 

[dmmj]

I would soak daily for a few weeks. Rule of thumb if he's passing it there is probably no blockage

 

[RecklessCyanide]

I would soak daily for a few weeks. Rule of thumb if he's passing it there is probably no blockage

yea, that's what i'm gonna do, whatsoever soaking can't make him worse right, lol

 

[dmmj]

no soaking cannot hurt

 

[RecklessCyanide]

no soaking cannot hurt

do i give him any calcium supplement or cuttlebones during this period? (before he starts to excrete pasty urate not solid particles)

 

[dmmj]

when he goes to the bathroom? That's not needed it is liquid urine waste that comes out

 

[RecklessCyanide]

when he goes to the bathroom? That's not needed it is liquid urine waste that comes out

i mean that this phenomenon(urate as small solid particles) might still last for couple weeks, during this period should i feed him any calcium?

 

[dmmj]

calcium supplementation or twice a week Won't hurt if I am meaning your question correctly that is.

 

[lismar79]

The urates are not related to the calcium. Urates are a normal process of expelling waste. You will see this often, hopefully more smoothly. He needs calcium. I give mine twice a week. Also, a two year old sulcata needs a huge enclosure. These guys need to walk a lot, please read up on sulcata care. you can find it all here on the forum under affrican species-sulcata.

 

[lismar79]

thanks for your advice, i'm doing what you said in the reply(soaking him 30mins everyday). but keeping the humidity up is a major problem for me, since i put him in an open-top enclosure, with the heat bulb i provided, the humidity easily dropped to 40%, I'm thinking getting a new closed enclosure for him and i need it for my redfoot to help with the humidity. however i can't find good ones anywhere..

You have a uv source too right? I could not fing a good enclosed chamber either, so I built one. Its easier to get all you need that way.

 

[RecklessCyanide]

You have a uv source too right? I could not fing a good enclosed chamber either, so I built one. Its easier to get all you need that way.

the UV bulb is a crap, im replacing as soon as i got my car fixed lol. May i know whats the size of your enclosure? and where did you get those maw materials to build it? (home depot i think)

 

[lismar79]

the UV bulb is a crap, im replacing as soon as i got my car fixed lol. May i know whats the size of your enclosure? and where did you get those maw materials to build it? (home depot i think)

My 2 year old weighs about 15 pounds so he is in a 12by 15 foot room in my basement when it is cold and outside when its daytime or warm. He had a 6 foot by 3 foot enclosure for a while. I did get most of building supplies at a store like home depot. Really just a big wood box with doord that was tall enough to put lights an humidifier inside.