Hard urates

[thatrebecca]

Gomez passed some hard urates today, a chunk about the size of a pencil eraser. He's a 6-inch CDT who mainly lives outdoors on a dirt substrate, gets soaks 2-3 times a week, has a water dish which he walks through but rarely drinks from. His diet is mainly grasses, weeds and greens, hibiscus leaves and the occasional flower. He doesn't eat spinach, does get kale, though, and some other greens which I understand have oxalates. Is this apt to be diet or hydration related? Should I change something about his routine? He's active and healthy seeming otherwise.

 

[lvstorts]

Hard urates is usually a hydration problem. Sounds like you are soaking enough though. Is this normal for him to have hard urates?

I'm not to versed on CDTs, I'm sure someone else could comment on the diet.

I'm inclined to recommend if this is not a usual occurrence it may be a one time thing, keep an eye on it.

 

[thatrebecca]

Got it, thanks. This the first time I've seen hard urates from him. Usually they're pretty watery. But I hadn't noticed any urates at all in the last couple of weeks.

 

[Yvonne G]

Since you also feed Gomez the occasional greens, you can carry the greens outside in a bucket of water. That way they'll be wet when you place them at the feeding station. Then you can also spray the greens with water.

Tortoises that live outside usually know when to get drinks, but every so often I hear about one that never seems to drink. Hard urates is an indication of this.

 

[thatrebecca]

Since you also feed Gomez the occasional greens, you can carry the greens outside in a bucket of water. That way they'll be wet when you place them at the feeding station. Then you can also spray the greens with water.

Tortoises that live outside usually know when to get drinks, but every so often I hear about one that never seems to drink. Hard urates is an indication of this.

Thanks, Yvonne, this is really helpful. Gomez has been water-averse since we adopted him in April, and he grew up indoors without a water dish. I realized we made a significant change to his diet a couple weeks ago -- we're weaning him off zucchini, which had been his only food at his prior home, and is still his favorite. I bet that has higher water content than what he's eating now, even if it's less nutritious. Sounds like its time for some soupy greens!