Re: Pictures below

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Posted by Eric S. on September 04, 2000 at 12:24:52:

In Reply to: Re: Pictures below posted by EJ on September 04, 2000 at 12:06:31:

: Eric,
: It was probably not calcium but solid urates. Talk to as many vets as you can and you will find that one of the leading killers of sulcatas and desert type tortoises is 'stones' These are usually not calcium buildup (although they might look as such) but are a byproduct of protein metabolism.
: Certain desert type tortoises have a water conservation mechanism whereas they do not produce urine but solid urates. If there is inadequate water the urates come out as solid.
: Although hydration is very important one aspect that seems to be missed is temperature. In lower temperatures the urates seem to come out more solid also. So, not only does the tortoise have to be well hydrated but the temperature must be such to facilitate the process.
: For sulcatas and desert type tortoises I highly recomend a temperature gradient of 70 to 90.(or higher).
: I'm keeping a little sulcata at 75 - 110 F
: It's growth and development is flawless. It goes through a cuttlebone (8 inches) a month and appears to be very healthy. It has never seen natural sunlight in the last year and has more than doubled in size. I use an commercial UV lamp called active UV heat for it's UV needs. It is mounted 8 inches (100W) above the substrate. The tortoise is note basking directly under the lamp on a regular basis.
: The point of this rambling is that hydration and heat is not stressed enough in the keep of these tortoises.

No, he was definitely not dehydrated. He was getting soaked daily,
and was getting 2 fluid injections a week along with mineral oil and
towards the end, some sort of laxative (which seemed to be helping)
as a last resort. He was just not passing anything through his system.
When he did, it was almost completely calci-sand (very distictive).
He couldn't eat because his stomach was always full, and basically
starved to death. We were extremely sad when he finally died, as he
seemed to be making progress.

-- Eric

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: : Eric, : : It was probably not calcium but solid urates. Talk to as many vets as you can and you will find that one of the leading killers of sulcatas and desert type tortoises is 'stones' These are usually not calcium buildup (although they might look as such) but are a byproduct of protein metabolism. : : Certain desert type tortoises have a water conservation mechanism whereas they do not produce urine but solid urates. If there is inadequate water the urates come out as solid. : : Although hydration is very important one aspect that seems to be missed is temperature. In lower temperatures the urates seem to come out more solid also. So, not only does the tortoise have to be well hydrated but the temperature must be such to facilitate the process. : : For sulcatas and desert type tortoises I highly recomend a temperature gradient of 70 to 90.(or higher). : : I'm keeping a little sulcata at 75 - 110 F : : It's growth and development is flawless. It goes through a cuttlebone (8 inches) a month and appears to be very healthy. It has never seen natural sunlight in the last year and has more than doubled in size. I use an commercial UV lamp called active UV heat for it's UV needs. It is mounted 8 inches (100W) above the substrate. The tortoise is note basking directly under the lamp on a regular basis. : : The point of this rambling is that hydration and heat is not stressed enough in the keep of these tortoises. : No, he was definitely not dehydrated. He was getting soaked daily, : and was getting 2 fluid injections a week along with mineral oil and : towards the end, some sort of laxative (which seemed to be helping) : as a last resort. He was just not passing anything through his system. : When he did, it was almost completely calci-sand (very distictive). : He couldn't eat because his stomach was always full, and basically : starved to death. We were extremely sad when he finally died, as he : seemed to be making progress. : -- Eric

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