Russion Tortoise throwing up, i think

Question
for the past couple of days my Russian tortoise has been leaving piles of white, slimy stuff laying around.  i'm feeding him moistened pellets called "t-rex tortoise dry formula" along with carrots, and since he's pretty new we still havent found out what other veggies he likes.  he's got a hefty appetite, eats a lot (we feed him up to 3 times a day), and is still active and drinks, but we don't know what this substance is.  he leaves poop piles too, but those are definately poop (they're brown) and this stuff is...well, different.  we keep the temperature between 75-85f, and humidity is set at about 50%.  is this normal?  what is it?  is it bad?

Answer
Hi Rachelle,

The white stuff is urates (urine) and is normal.  You want them to be watery or soft.  Dry and gritty means the tortoise is dehydrated.  Other than that, you're keeping your tortoise all wrong.  The pet store may have given you bad advice on care, but I would definitely make some major changes.

You didn't say what type of enclosure you're using, but an adult Russian tortoise needs a minimum of 3' x 4' of space, and more is better.  No tanks--tortoises don't do well in tanks.  Something open with good air circulation will work.  You need a basking area of 90-95 degrees and a cool area of 70-75 degrees.  A good UVB bulb is vital.  I recommend the T-Rex Active UVheat, which provides heat and UVB in one.  A good substrate is a mix of half coir (bed-a-beast/ecoearth) and sand.  Keep it a little damp to provide humdity.  If you keep your tortoise completely dry, he will become dehydrated and may develop serious problems like bladder stones.  Water should be available at all times.

Throw out the pellets.  They contain ingredients that aren't healthy for tortoises--I know they say they're good for them, but you'd be surprised at how many products made for reptiles are actually bad for them.  Carrots contain too much sugar and should be fed no more than monthly, if at all.  Russian tortoises need a diet of high calcium leafy greens such as dandelion, turnip, collards, mustard, kale, chicory, etc.  NO vegetables and NO fruit.  Don't feed him more than he can eat in 20 minutes, and if he's an adult it's a good idea to skip feeding one day a week.  Eating too much can cause health issues.  If you can build an outdoor pen for the warmer months, you can seed it with plants he can graze on and you wouldn't have to feed him extras on the days he's outside.

Hope this helped--if you have more questions, please ask.  Here's some other good places to get information:  www.russiantortoise.org and http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RussianTortoise

Edited to add:

Hi Rachelle,

Don't feel bad; as I said, pet store advice is often pretty bad and if you're new to tortoises you don't know what's right and what isn't.  I did want to mention that since you got him from Petco he's wild caught (even if they told you otherwise).  Wild caught tortoises are imported under very stressful conditions and often have heavy parasite loads.  Since he's eating well for you, I wouldn't worry about parasites right now, but if you see him acting lethargic or losing his appetite I would take him to a good herp vet for an exam and fecal check just in case.  Otherwise, if you make those changes I suggested, he should do just great.  Enjoy your tortoise!