White or clear ?

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Tartaruga!

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Hi, what is the correct colour of wee, White or Clear? My Herman passes a clear liquid recently. I was bathing her every other day, but then someone told me they'd been told by a vet, that that was a sign of over bathing n I should stop and bathe less regularly.
Please help...
:)
 

ascott

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I personally prefer the tort to ultimately achieve clear...however, your species of tort along with a variety of others (not all species) will pass urates (in the form of white in the urine and or traces in the poop)....urates are not a bad thing but I personally am a happier person when the CDTs here have cleared most of their urates early on in the season and are peeing clear by the middle of summer .....

Soaking your tort every day or every other day, in my opinion and experience, is beneficial vs a bad thing....
 

Tartaruga!

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Hi, thanks for your comment

So mine passing clear is good, yeh?
And I should return to bathing every other day, yeh?

Does bathing have any effect on the issue of pyramiding?
I notice my Tarty's shell is slightly raised (although it was since I purchased her approx 2months ago) I don't want it becoming an issue obviously, so I wana do all I can to keep her maximum healthy n happy.
 

GBtortoises

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Clear urine is a sign of a low concentration of urate waste, that's good. But also know that urates expelled with urine is common. Urates that are white with a "fluid" consistency are fine. Urates with a thick, "cottage cheese" consistency is not good. It can be a warning sign of a few conditions such as excessive calcium that may not be absorbed as well as less than adequate hydration.
Whoever told you that their vet told them that clear urine is a sign of overbathing should change vets to one that knows something about tortoises! Because that is simply not true.
While there probably are extremes, I doubt anyone can actually "overbath" a tortoise. I agree with Angela that daily or every other day soaks are beneficial. Tortoises should have access to drinking water all the time if possible. If water is always present, soaking may not really be necessary, but it is good added insurance to help keep them hydrated.
Several factors help prevent pyramiding. Hydration, as well as substrate moisture and correct ambient air humidity are an intergral part of pyramid prevention. Check other TFO posts for that info. There are plenty of them on the subject!
 

Tartaruga!

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Thanks for the advice. Tarty had a bath today and enjoyed it I think lol. First in about 3days :( ... Didn't dry him off. Have more stones in his enclosure to climb, thought that might assist him with the soil sticking to him thing. Seemed happy with his extra obstacles lol. There is always water available yes, but I will now bathe every other day again, now I know clear wee is ok.

1 more thing... Does anybody else have a tortoise who seems to wait til u pick it up, then wee on you??... I'm positive Tarty does it on purpose!! Lol!!

Oh another thing, sorry. What's TFO plz?
 

GBtortoises

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Tortoises urinate when picked up for the same reason that many wild animals do (turtles, snakes & toads come to mind)-it's a last attempt self defense effort. They do so to get their prey to let go of them. Either by being urinated, defecated on or from leaving a bad taste of it in the prey's mouth.
 

ascott

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Several factors help prevent pyramiding. Hydration, as well as substrate moisture and correct ambient air humidity are an intergral part of pyramid prevention.

Totally agree, in addition you can spray water onto the food you offer--this will also add to the water intake...and exercise and sun are very important to a healthy shell as well...:D

Check other TFO posts for that info. There are plenty of them on the subject!

TFO= Tortoise Forum (this is where you are....lol, apology, had to)

Being urinated on is yes, as described, a defense tool---likely since your tort is young and still adjusting to you and the world, when you reach into get your tort he is like "ahhhhh, retreat retreat, that big thing is going to eat me...ahhhhhh" so what you can try to do is from time to time have a treat in your hand and SLOWLY present it to your tort--but do so SLOWLY and in direct line of sight---so he does not feel like he is being attacked, so to speak.

I have had a tort pee on me once and it was because I was holding him and moving him quickly (well, my speed and not tort speed) and for more than a few steps----I felt horrible, because I know he pee'd because I freaked him out....lol....remember, our normal speed of motion is usually a hundred times faster than their world moves....so when carrying them, be sure to first--let them see you coming.....pick them up and make the motion of movement a little more their speed---and allow them to rest steady in your hand (or in a basket or container if bigger than your hand) and when you walk with them, remember---tort speed...you know you are doing the near correct speed when in your head you feel like you are in slow motion---lol, my son use to laugh at me and one time I was holding one of the baby redfoot torts and had the tort in my hand and I turned around and took a couple steps or my normal speed and my son said "hey, don't you think you are walking a bit fast for the tort Mom"....my son now does the tort speed walk when I ask him to retrieve one of them for me....we are a weird bunch for sure....lol

Torts do like to walk and hike over stuff....just tort proof the best you can in the event of a roll over...:p
 

Tartaruga!

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Lol thanks DUH! me lol ;)

O yesssss, ya know what I realised when reading that, he tends to wee after I've walked holding him to the kitchen for his bath. I must walk too quick?!!! I'll stop now I know. He dis used to wee the instant I picked him up, which I try and do for short periods everyday, but now he doesn't unless I happen to wander round. If I'm still he's fine. As today I just stood still with him, tickled the top of his head & chin for a bit and then put him back.

Everyday's a school day :D

Thank yooou everyone @->-- from me and tarty ;)

Oh and yes I do wash the leaves before I give them ;)

Didn't know I could mist the substrate tho, so I will do that now I know :)
 
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