Dehydration

[rltwaddle]

What are some symptoms of dehydration? He is urinating and his urates are phlegmy like, sometimes a little chalky. Was curious because his eyes are a little sunken in? He is a sub-adult/adult Russian.

I also have a baby tortoise around 6 months old and I havent seen any white urates being excreted? He is a mountain Greek tort.

 

[wellington]

One thing. Are you soaking him, how often? Do you have water available 24/7 for him to get into if he wants and to drink? The chalky or gritty urates you don't want. Be sure to soak him in warm water every day, even two or three times for 20-30 minutes.

 

[Yvonne G]

The sunken eyes is the thing I watch for. And even soaking every sometimes takes a long time to help once you've noticed that.

 

[rltwaddle]

He always has water available and I see him use it. I soak him 10-20 min 2-3 times a week, and often place him in his water dish also. But yea his eyes do seem sunken in.

 

[ascott]

May we see a pic of your torts face so we can take a peek...sometimes pictures are worth a thousand words....

 

[Madkins007]

Sunken eyes, runny eyes in some species, but also weight- they should feel heavy for their size. There is also a formula you can apply- the Donoghue formula- https://sites.google.com/site/tortoiselibrary/basic-medical-care/first-aid--cares

 

[Missy]

Do you keep him on sand?

 

[rltwaddle]

No I don't keep him in sand. He's on a cypress mulch and dirt mix. It does get hot in the room I keep him in upstairs, the door is always closed, and doesn't get much air flow. The window is always open. I'll post a pic here in a few.

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He does feel heavy, has some weight to him