Tortoise pee

[Angi]

My young tortoise (about 6 months) seems to be peeing brownish pee.
At first I thought he had peed on something that discolored it, but now I am getting worried. I feed them mostly weeds that I pick. I have open space behind me. Though there are tons of weeds I only give them the ones I can identify A few different types of dandilion, mustard flowers and, filieree(sp?) it is a little firnny weed with little purple flowers. I also give them geramium flowers, rose petals and hibiscus from my yard oh and also grass bermuda and ficus. What are your thoughts. Do I have a sick baby? Am I being a paraniod mom? Am I feeding something wrong? They eat twice a day.

Thanks for any help!
Angi

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Angi:

Its the dandelion that makes the urine brown-looking. Not harmful, just vary the diet a little more.

 

[Angi]

Thank you! Do you know of a web-site that shows good pictures of weeds that are healthy for them? I have looked at a couple but the pics are not very good. Any advice on what I should replace the dandilions with? Do you know if it is the folage or the flower they are getting too much of? Or both?
Thanks again!!!!!!!!

Angi

 

[Yvonne G]

There's no need to replace them. Just feed other things too. The list of foods you refer to in your first post sound like a nice variety. You can also add dark, leafy greens from the store, like escarole, endive, turnip greens, kale, etc.

 

[Tom]

Angi, I agree that everything on your list sounds good too, except the ficus. I have read that ficus leaves are toxic and my experience with it seems to back that up.

All of my tortoises sometimes do the brown pee thing too once in a while. Until Yvonnes' post I had never heard any explanation for it.

 

[moswen]

tula does it sometimes too, but it's usually in or around her poop and i always just thought that her poop had discolored the pee... thanks yvonne! you're such a fountain of knowledge, overflowing...

 

[Angi]

Angi, I agree that everything on your list sounds good too, except the ficus. I have read that ficus leaves are toxic and my experience with it seems to back that up.

All of my tortoises sometimes do the brown pee thing too once in a while. Until Yvonnes' post I had never heard any explanation for it.

---

Thanks everyone for the the info.

Tom~I am not feeding them ficus. It is a weed called something like fileree. It is a common weed that has fern looking leaves and tiny purple flowers and a cork screw type sticker. I found it on a web site as a tortoise safe weed. I am trying to give them a natural diet.

 

[Yvonne G]

Tom~I am not feeding them ficus. It is a weed called something like fileree. It is a common weed that has fern looking leaves and tiny purple flowers and a cork screw type sticker. I found it on a web site as a tortoise safe weed. I am trying to give them a natural diet.

Angi: Towards the end of your post you said, "...grass bermuda and ficus."

Fillaree is a wonderful weed for food. Very nutritious.

 

[Tom]

Angi, I agree that everything on your list sounds good too, except the ficus. I have read that ficus leaves are toxic and my experience with it seems to back that up.

All of my tortoises sometimes do the brown pee thing too once in a while. Until Yvonnes' post I had never heard any explanation for it.

---

Thanks everyone for the the info.

Tom~I am not feeding them ficus. It is a weed called something like fileree. It is a common weed that has fern looking leaves and tiny purple flowers and a cork screw type sticker. I found it on a web site as a tortoise safe weed. I am trying to give them a natural diet.

---

Fillaree is great, as is "a natural diet". I commend you. Maybe you meant fescue, and not ficus, in the original post?

 

[Angi]

Tom~I am not feeding them ficus. It is a weed called something like fileree. It is a common weed that has fern looking leaves and tiny purple flowers and a cork screw type sticker. I found it on a web site as a tortoise safe weed. I am trying to give them a natural diet.

Angi: Towards the end of your post you said, "...grass bermuda and ficus."

Fillaree is a wonderful weed for food. Very nutritious.

---

Oh...yeah. That was just bad spelling. I meant fescue. It is a grass and actually I quit giving them that after I saw my gardener sprinkle some type a fertalizer on it. I pick for my torts on the part of my yard that is unlandscaped or the open space behind me.