Urate Question

[tofuqueen]

Both today and yesterday when I fed Pablo, he went to the bathroom WHILE eating! I enjoy watching him nibble his greens, so I watched this happen first hand both days. I also noticed that there were none of those white milky urates either day. Is that normal? I soak him 3 times a week, and he also has a shallow ramp bowl of water in his enclosure all the time. Is there anything I can do to stop him from peeing all over his tile at meal time? Both days I had to clean the tile and give him fresh food... didn't want him to eat "contaminated greens"! LOL.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

You mean he left the table while dining and went into the bathroom??? Just teasing
I fix a nice meal for Bob of grape leafs and some grocery store greens and the blooms from some squash plants and some Rose of Sharon blossoms, and I'm so proud I'm feeding him so well I'm busy patting myself on the back and the next time I look at him he is sitting in the middle of all that food and has pooped and peed on the pile. It makes me so mad! but I think it's a normal thing for tortoises to do, but I don't give him fresh food. He eats his own poop anyhow so why bother??? Bob is a Sulcata.
I just now went in to check on Fat Nat, (she's a Russian)and she has also left a rather ugly poop on her food. I don't give her fresh food either...I guess it's just something they do...

 

[Gulf Coast]

Well, I'm glad that Waldo never does this. He on the other hand likes to poop when he is soaking.. Uggg and grrrr it drives me crazy... This is such a habit of his that I have two pots that I soak him in.. A smaller one for the first couple of minutes, until he poops. Then I take him out of his small pot(basically his toilet) and place him in the larger pot that he will be soaking in for the remainder of the time.. When I say pot I mean POT.. lol. I use stainless steal pots with the handles, He has his own two that are kept under his table.. I have found this is the easiest thing to keep clean. And easiest for me to pick up and dump the water... At least for me it is.. lol.. Without the handles I tend to spill the water EVERYWHERE... ewwww ... so the handles have really helped..


Umm okay now I am wondering if I am spoiling him? lol. I just can't handle the thought of him sitting in poop water until its time to come out... As it is, I lie to him and tell him he is at the Spa just to get him to soak..lol. Oh how he hated soaks when I first started!!!

 

[tofuqueen]

That's a great idea to have two soaking containers! Pablo does the same thing!! Within 3-5 minutes, he poops! I also feel guilty making him stay in "dirty" water, so I end up taking him out of the container, cleaning it out, refilling it, and trying again. I think a second container would be much easier! Add that to my weekend list of errands! LOl

 

[dmmj]

Mine never poop on their food, lol but they do like to lie all over it while they eat it.

 

[Gulf Coast]

Sonja~ The two container thing works for me. I fill both the pots at the same time that way the water temp will be the same when I switch him to the clean one. And Waldo isn't sitting waiting for me return with the clean pot of water.. I have the system down pat.. He soaks in the clean pot while I wash out the pot he pooped in. Waldo is on a screen porch, so he gets natural sunshine and freshair. but I have to bring his pots inside to clean them. Thats why I went with the ones with handles because it was easier for me to handle and deep enough so I wouldn't spill or splash any water on my floors or carpets.. It works for us.. lol..

 

[Stazz]

Tallula has never pooped on her food, but pee's on it a plenty !!! I just leave it lol, unless there was alot of urates on some lettuce, I wash it and put it back. If its coming out of her, it can't be too bad to eat lol. Its a different story if your dog peed on the torts food haha.