Re: Sucata watering needs

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Posted by Marissa on January 23, 1999 at 15:50:27:

In Reply to: Sucata watering needs posted by Paul Chastain on January 23, 1999 at 14:48:57:

Paul, let me start out by saying you DO NOT want to start down the "bladder stone road" that I have travelled. It is good to allow the sulcata access to drinking water at all times, it will not harm them at all. The "white stuff" you see in the urine is a normal byproduct of tortoise urine and is called urates. When you see it come out regularly that is fine. It should be the consistency of toothpast or even more liquidy. If you are seeing hard bits in the voided urates, this means your tortoise (at least that one) is not being kept hydrated enough. These hard bits will eventually clot together inside the bladder to form stones too large to expel. That's when you have the problem. I would recommend daily soakings for all 6 of your sulcatas for one week. Soak each tortoise (you can do them all together in one pan, I use a plastic kitty litter pan) for 10-15 minutes...try for at least 10 if they will stay in the water. After 15 minutes, they can be done for the day. Do this every day for a week to boost them on hydration, and from then on soak them 3 times per week for the next few weeks. Then cut to 2 times per week and do that for the next few years...you can soak twice a week for life but should soak at least once per week for adults. In captivity they do not have the option of excavating long burrows and sitting in these burrows for a good part of each day. In the wild, the humidity percentage in this burrow will be up to 60% higher than the outside air. This helps keep them hydrated. These burrows maintain "micro-climate" humidity levels which we must mimic by soakings. Visit Hatchling Haven website and see my sulcata care sheet in the Articles section. Contact me if you have any questions!!! - Marissa

Hatchling Haven

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: Paul, let me start out by saying you DO NOT want to start down the "bladder stone road" that I have travelled. It is good to allow the sulcata access to drinking water at all times, it will not harm them at all. The "white stuff" you see in the urine is a normal byproduct of tortoise urine and is called urates. When you see it come out regularly that is fine. It should be the consistency of toothpast or even more liquidy. If you are seeing hard bits in the voided urates, this means your tortoise (at least that one) is not being kept hydrated enough. These hard bits will eventually clot together inside the bladder to form stones too large to expel. That's when you have the problem. I would recommend daily soakings for all 6 of your sulcatas for one week. Soak each tortoise (you can do them all together in one pan, I use a plastic kitty litter pan) for 10-15 minutes...try for at least 10 if they will stay in the water. After 15 minutes, they can be done for the day. Do this every day for a week to boost them on hydration, and from then on soak them 3 times per week for the next few weeks. Then cut to 2 times per week and do that for the next few years...you can soak twice a week for life but should soak at least once per week for adults. In captivity they do not have the option of excavating long burrows and sitting in these burrows for a good part of each day. In the wild, the humidity percentage in this burrow will be up to 60% higher than the outside air. This helps keep them hydrated. These burrows maintain "micro-climate" humidity levels which we must mimic by soakings. Visit Hatchling Haven website and see my sulcata care sheet in the Articles section. Contact me if you have any questions!!! - Marissa

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