Tortoise Pee

[Beeccaa]

Hi! I have a 4 years old Horsefield Tortoise and I’ve noticed her urine has started to become quite thick and dryer. I bathe her often and she goes to the bathroom regularly just doesn’t urinate very often and when she does it’s becoming thick and dry.

Could there be something I’m not doing properly?

Worried there is something I’m missing or not doing right.

Thanks

[Nina]

Hi and welcome to The Tortoise Table!

If you are bathing her often, that's great, and she shouldn't be dehydrated, but it's possible that she isn't drinking in the bath. How long do you bathe her for? We would recommend 15 - 20 minutes in a container that she can't see out of, in warm water that comes up to where her top shell meets her bottom shell, or her chin. The urates (the white dry stuff that you are seeing) should ideally be very watery, like raw egg whites, but they can be thicker (like toothpaste) and still be OK. If they are sandy or gritty or hard in any way then it does indicate dehydration.

Try thoroughly wetting any leaves/flowers etc. that you give her so that she gets a bit of extra water that way, and you can even try a bit of peeled cucumber, which has a high water content, every now and then. I find that feeding really wet leaves, etc. does help. If you want to take a photo of her urates and send them to us we can have a look.

Hope that helps,
Nina