Opo,s urates?

[Ray--Opo]

Opo is about 40lbs now. Is this a unusual amount of urates?
It is like toothpaste.
He is not liking soaking in his pool anymore. I want to make a concrete pool in the ground with sloped sides. But hate to do all that work if he won't use it. Rainy season is about over. Any ideas?

 

[Ray--Opo]

Opo is about 40lbs now. Is this a unusual amount of urates?
It is like toothpaste.
He is not liking soaking in his pool anymore. I want to make a concrete pool in the ground with sloped sides. But hate to do all that work if he won't use it. Rainy season is about over. Any ideas?View attachment 308873

Hey @Tom or @KarenSoCal what do you think?

 

[Markw84]

I would not worry at all about creamy urates. That is normal metabolic function. You will often see more urates if they are a bit cooler at night, and/or if they are eating things that make their water retained in their bodies more alkaline. Urates stay dissolved in water that is <5.5-6.0 pH. When their body is holding water that goes up in pH more than that the creamy urates will form. Just like in a bird, urates are a natural part of what is excreted. In warm, well hydrated, more acidic tortoises, it will remain dissolved and clear.

 

[zovick]

Opo is about 40lbs now. Is this a unusual amount of urates?
It is like toothpaste.
He is not liking soaking in his pool anymore. I want to make a concrete pool in the ground with sloped sides. But hate to do all that work if he won't use it. Rainy season is about over. Any ideas?View attachment 308873

It looks about normal to me. The consistency sounds fine also.

I have no idea whether your tortoise will use a pool or not, though. I can say that I never saw one of my 4 adult sulcatas drink a drop of water in the 6 years I had them even though it was available to them in dishes in their enclosures. I figured they were getting all the moisture they needed from whatever they ate each day (which was a ton). They ate loads of grass, plus I fed them lots of fruits and vegetables also. I never hesitated to feed them apples, peaches, pears, corn, pumpkins, cucumbers, cabbages, all types of squashes, etc. They even ate oranges and kumquats occasionally.

 

[Ray--Opo]

I would not worry at all about creamy urates. That is normal metabolic function. You will often see more urates if they are a bit cooler at night, and/or if they are eating things that make their water retained in their bodies more alkaline. Urates stay dissolved in water that is <5.5-6.0 pH. When their body is holding water that goes up in pH more than that the creamy urates will form. Just like in a bird, urates are a natural part of what is excreted. In warm, well hydrated, more acidic tortoises, it will remain dissolved and clear.

Thank you, when Opo was smaller he enjoyed is pool. Now he wants nothing to do with it. You have put me at ease.

 

[Ray--Opo]

It looks about normal to me. The consistency sounds fine also.

I have no idea whether your tortoise will use a pool or not, though. I can say that I never saw one of my 4 adult sulcatas drink a drop of water in the 6 years I had them even though it was available to them in dishes in their enclosures. I figured they were getting all the moisture they needed from whatever they ate each day (which was a ton). They ate loads of grass, plus I fed them lots of fruits and vegetables also. I never hesitated to feed them apples, peaches, pears, corn, pumpkins, cucumbers, cabbages, all types of squashes, etc. They even ate oranges and kumquats occasionally.

Thanks for the info. I also have never seen Opo drink from his water dish.He doesn't even walk thru it. He avoids it and walks around it.When he was young and soaking he would dip is head a little and I could see him swallowing. He even avoids the sprinkler when it is on. He will stay in the rain until it starts to thunder. ?

 

[Pastel Tortie]

Then you hear the story from @maggie3fan where Mary Knobbins decided to take a swim in the box turtle pool... ?

 

[Tom]

I regularly see my sulcatas and adult leopards drinking. They sulcata tubs hold about five gallons. They drain about 1/3 to 1/2 in one drink. I try to take pics when I catch them in the act.

 

[Ray--Opo]

Then you hear the story from @maggie3fan where Mary Knobbins decided to take a swim in the box turtle pool... ?

?

 

[Ray--Opo]

Thanks Tom, I will go with that instead of making a concrete pool.

 

[Maggie3fan]

Thanks Tom, I will go with that instead of making a concrete pool.

Good decision. When Bob was still alive I decided he needed a cement lined pool. He had a hand dug hole that he liked to soak in. So I think I'm gonna do right by Bob and I got my partner in crime, and we dug out the hole more and lined it with cement. Bob walked into it once and walked back out and that was that. After a few weeks I ended up breaking out the cement, and Bob went back to soaking. They know what they like.

 

[Ray--Opo]

Good decision. When Bob was still alive I decided he needed a cement lined pool. He had a hand dug hole that he liked to soak in. So I think I'm gonna do right by Bob and I got my partner in crime, and we dug out the hole more and lined it with cement. Bob walked into it once and walked back out and that was that. After a few weeks I ended up breaking out the cement, and Bob went back to soaking. They know what they like.

Thanks for experience. Sounds like you were broken up about it.??

 

[KarenSoCal]

Hey @Tom or @KarenSoCal what do you think?

Ray, I'm sorry for not replying! I just now saw your post.
Very interesting post by Markw84! I never knew about the pH being so significant.

 

[Ray--Opo]

Ray, I'm sorry for not replying! I just now saw your post.
Very interesting post by Markw84! I never knew about the pH being so significant.

Thanks, I guess it is a new hallmark in the adventure of owning a sully. The ph levels were very interesting. I am glad I didn't make a concrete pool.

 

[Markw84]

Thanks, I guess it is a new hallmark in the adventure of owning a sully. The ph levels were very interesting. I am glad I didn't make a concrete pool.

Don't misinterpret what I was commenting on. There is nothing wrong with creamy urates. Completely normal especially with a higher pH like tortoises often can have. It is when they start getting gritty and precipitate into the harder chunks I would get concerned and look at diet and environment - protein and temps. Tortoises in general, in the wild tend to have a higher pH level to their body's water. Coming from more arid regions the soil itself tends to be more basic that wetter, and farmed areas which tend to get quite low pH levels. So depending upon where you live and where you house your tortoise, it will affect the presence of creamy vs clear urates.

 

[Ray--Opo]

Don't misinterpret what I was commenting on. There is nothing wrong with creamy urates. Completely normal especially with a higher pH like tortoises often can have. It is when they start getting gritty and precipitate into the harder chunks I would get concerned and look at diet and environment - protein and temps. Tortoises in general, in the wild tend to have a higher pH level to their body's water. Coming from more arid regions the soil itself tends to be more basic that wetter, and farmed areas which tend to get quite low pH levels. So depending upon where you live and where you house your tortoise, it will affect the presence of creamy vs clear urates.

Thanks I understand, when I first got Opo and was doing everything wrong. He experienced gritty urates and I found that wasn't the best. I have all summer not feeding him much store bought food. Instead of feeding him first thing when he wakes up.I was also feeding mazuri a little to often. So I cut that down to twice a week. Mazuri was always soaked in water. I let him graze in the sun first thing in the morning. So now he doesn't beg at the door in the morning for food and now he has a new routine. He is definitely eating more grasses this summer. It has just been the last week the creamy urates started. We have average temps about 10° cooler during the day and night. From what it sounds like the diet changes and the temp drop might be contributing too the creamy urates. I was under the impression that urates were not good and especially gritty. But if I am understanding correctly. Creamy urates are ok.

 

[Mandysaur]

Good decision. When Bob was still alive I decided he needed a cement lined pool. He had a hand dug hole that he liked to soak in. So I think I'm gonna do right by Bob and I got my partner in crime, and we dug out the hole more and lined it with cement. Bob walked into it once and walked back out and that was that. After a few weeks I ended up breaking out the cement, and Bob went back to soaking. They know what they like.

Mine did the exact same thing!

 

[Maggie3fan]

Thanks, I guess it is a new hallmark in the adventure of owning a sully. The ph levels were very interesting. I am glad I didn't make a concrete pool.

Hey Ray...Just to show you, this is from abt a 40+ Sulcata who does drink, and does soak in the mud hole, but he still has urates, pasty, creamy urates. Gritty is not a good sign

 

[Ray--Opo]

Hey Ray...Just to show you, this is from abt a 40+ Sulcata who does drink, and does soak in the mud hole, but he still has urates, pasty, creamy urates. Gritty is not a good sign
View attachment 309069View attachment 309070

Thank you for the pics. That definitely puts me at ease.
Now I know what to expect.

 

[Maggie3fan]

Thank you for the pics. That definitely puts me at ease.
Now I know what to expect.

That's what you have to look forward to...lolololololololol