Tortoise pooped small rock during soak

OkAdiza

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Last week My leopard peed very dark urine during her soak. I watched her the next few days and I didn't see that again until today. She had the dark urine again and also pooped a small rock. My teen daughter was helping clean her after her soak and found the little rock. I think my tortoise may have eaten it in her outside enclosure some time when she was out last week. Could she have been bleeding trying to pass it? Is there anything I should be careful to look for or concerned about right now? Thanks in advance.
 

method89

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sounds more like a kidney stone... do you have pics?
 

Jacqui

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You are sure it's a rock? Otherwise acting and eating normal? I was given a sulcata who for months would every so often pass rocks and what appeared to be asphalt, but never noticed the urine being different.
 

OkAdiza

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sounds more like a kidney stone... do you have pics?
I have one small picture my daughter took before it accidentally dumped it in the toilet. I did get to see it and it really did look like a stone from my back yard. Unfortunately, they are naturally in the dirt and can get dug up in the outside enclosure. I will attach the picture, but it was pretty blurry.IMG_3492.jpg
 

OkAdiza

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You are sure it's a rock? Otherwise acting and eating normal? I was given a sulcata who for months would every so often pass rocks and what appeared to be asphalt, but never noticed the urine being different.
I was pretty sure it was a rock, as I've had to remove little ones that get washed up when it rains from the enclosure. She eats and poops a lot, drinks throughout the day (unlike my Hermann's that never drinks) and gets pretty long soaks each morning.?‍♀️ Oh, and yes, just as normal as usual. Only abnormal thing was seeing the dark urine and of course this little rock.
 

OkAdiza

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If it were mine, I'd just keep watching like you have been, but not be going into a panic.
Ok, thank you. If she started not eating I'd know it was more serious...she's a pig.
 

Jacqui

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I have one small picture my daughter took before it accidentally dumped it in the toilet. I did get to see it and it really did look like a stone from my back yard. Unfortunately, they are naturally in the dirt and can get dug up in the outside enclosure. I will attach the picture, but it was pretty blurry.View attachment 326917
In the blurry picture and on my phone, it almost looks more like a urate. You couldn't smush the "rock"?
 

OkAdiza

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In the blurry picture and on my phone, it almost looks more like a urate. You couldn't smush the "rock"?
Nope, it was completely hard. When my daughter sent the picture I thought that it might have been a hard urate, but once I actually came to see it and picked it up, definitely a rock. But I want to be careful either way. She has always been pretty well hydrated since we’ve had her. She’s actually never had any urates. Only poop and pee.
 

MichaelL

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Last week My leopard peed very dark urine during her soak. I watched her the next few days and I didn't see that again until today. She had the dark urine again and also pooped a small rock. My teen daughter was helping clean her after her soak and found the little rock. I think my tortoise may have eaten it in her outside enclosure some time when she was out last week. Could she have been bleeding trying to pass it? Is there anything I should be careful to look for or concerned about right now? Thanks in advance.
She probably is going to be fine, many times in the wild they eat rocks if they are lacking calcium. I would soak her more often for the next week or two. Do you have a cuttle bone available/ dust the greens with calcium powder?
 

OkAdiza

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She probably is going to be fine, many times in the wild they eat rocks if they are lacking calcium. I would soak her more often for the next week or two. Do you have a cuttle bone available/ dust the greens with calcium powder?
I do sprinkle her food with calcium, but only once a week. The cuttle bone never got touched in over a year so I just haven’t replaced it. She does soak for quite awhile each morning.I had started with an hour each morning for about the first year we had her, from one of the suggestions from Tom to help stop pyramiding (when we got her she already had a lot of pyramiding). Now I wait till she poops or about 30 minutes, still each morning. You think I should do twice a day, or go back to the longer morning soaks?
(Side note: Tom did not say soak her an hour each morning for a year. He had given a few things I could do to help stop pyramiding and one was soak an hour each day, I just had continued the first full year).
 

Tom

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I do sprinkle her food with calcium, but only once a week. The cuttle bone never got touched in over a year so I just haven’t replaced it. She does soak for quite awhile each morning.I had started with an hour each morning for about the first year we had her, from one of the suggestions from Tom to help stop pyramiding (when we got her she already had a lot of pyramiding). Now I wait till she poops or about 30 minutes, still each morning. You think I should do twice a day, or go back to the longer morning soaks?
(Side note: Tom did not say soak her an hour each morning for a year. He had given a few things I could do to help stop pyramiding and one was soak an hour each day, I just had continued the first full year).
Its pretty normal for them to eat a rock here and there. I find rocks in the soaking tubs of mine occasionally.

What are you feeding? Grocery store greens by themselves will sometimes make them want to eat more rocks. Lack of fiber can do it too.

If its just this one rock, I wouldn't do anything. If you start seeing more, then get some MinerAll and use it two or three times a week.
 

OkAdiza

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Its pretty normal for them to eat a rock here and there. I find rocks in the soaking tubs of mine occasionally.

What are you feeding? Grocery store greens by themselves will sometimes make them want to eat more rocks. Lack of fiber can do it too.

If its just this one rock, I wouldn't do anything. If you start seeing more, then get some MinerAll and use it two or three times a week.
Thank you! She has a mix yard weeds and store bought. I pick different weeds from the yard (mostly dandelion, plantain, clover, violet, occasionally sedum, dead nettle when it was out). I usually mix my store greens with Kapidolo Farms dried foods. Once or twice a week I add in some zoo med grassland tortoise food.
I will keep watching her for anything else. Appreciate everyone’s help!
 
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