Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Yesturday I went out, and I came home to see a yellow urate in my plateds enclosure. Today I found out for sure it was from my female plated as she did another one. I know this can happen when they are on a poor diet or if they are dehydrated. I don't think it could be down to any of these as

1) They have a good diet of fresh food and live insects.
2) she is forever going into the water and drinking it.

Does anyone have any pointers as to what to look at next?

Hi Ronst3r,

Not much experience with lizard poops/urates, but I know snake defecation will change based on diet. Different food types will change stool consistency. Usually fish eating species produce looser, runnier stools than a mouse eater. A mouse eating species fed chicks will have a change in stools (softer, different color, etc). Tort stools change to based on food type as well. The stools will change going from a green to a fruit, etc.

It could be just food type, not necessarily a "good" food vs. "bad" food scenario. Can you pinpoint a change in dietary item prior to the urate color change?

Hope this helps.

There hasn't really been a "diet change" just become a strict diet. No different things to what they have had, apart from I tried them on locust over a week before so that would of passed through by now.

Stict meaning "reduced", or "more scheduled"? Could be not mixing it up as much or reducing volume may be impacting digestion??

More scheduled. I aint really giving them more than they normally have or less as I am going through the same amount of food (well a little more as I have added a leo to my collection of reptiles)

Well, I am stumped LOL!! It could be just a simple gastric thing that is no big deal. As you stated previously, its well hydrated, which is a big concern for all herps in general. Hey, even ours is different time to time.

Well I have had a day off today so thought I would dig deeper into yellow urates. Could be hundereds of reasons, main ones being liver failure (not that as she hasn;t got other symptoms) Change of diet (as was said, but not really done that)

Then I came across a site saying "Some female lizards produce a yellow urate when gravid" Luckily I keep everything on microsoft excel, (such as feeding, shedding, weights)So I checked her weight (was only checked on the 7th) and from the 7th to the 17th she has put on 50grams. So MAYBE she could be gravid.

Let's just hope this is the reason. Will keep posted on here if I get eggs.

Thats always pretty good news. Definitely keep us posted.

oh, I hope she's gravid. sounds like you've been doing reseach, lots of its, I had never heard that befor.What species do you have?
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T-spoon
my menagerie:
1.1 Ball Pythons
1.0 Amazon Tree Boa
1.0 Corn Snake
1.0 Dumeril's Boa
1.2 Bearded Dragons
2.1 Crested Geckos
2.1 Sudan Pated Lizards
0.0.5 Eastern Painted Turtles
1.2.5 Eastern Box Turtles
1.1 Eastern Red-spotted Newts
1.0 Northern Mockingbird
0.3 Chickens
2.0 Cats
1.1 Ferrets
0.0.40 some kind of goldfish

They was both bought as G. Major, but as I have researched further I found that one is G. Major Major and the other is G Major Bottegoi. Which will breed if kept in the right conditions. Hopefully she is as I haven't really heard of anyone breeding Plateds in the UK (so maybe I could be the first )

how do you keep them? I know that your plated isn't nessisarily gravid, but it might be. I have two major boteli(spelling?) that are both males and a major major that is a female that I would like to breed. did you cool them at all? give her a nest box and let me know what happens!
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T-spoon
my menagerie:
1.1 Ball Pythons
1.0 Amazon Tree Boa
1.0 Corn Snake
1.0 Dumeril's Boa
1.2 Bearded Dragons
2.1 Crested Geckos
2.1 Sudan Pated Lizards
0.0.5 Eastern Painted Turtles
1.2.5 Eastern Box Turtles
1.1 Eastern Red-spotted Newts
1.0 Northern Mockingbird
0.3 Chickens
2.0 Cats
1.1 Ferrets
0.0.40 some kind of goldfish

I never really did anything special, wasn't going to attempt to breed them this season.
No temp drops.
My lay out is just basic really, 1 hide for them to share, childrens play sand as a substrate and a medium sized baking tray for them the bath in.

I use an Exo Terra Solar Glow light (which provides UVA/UVB and Infra Red for basking), and alternate days with their foods. One day Crickets and/or Morio Worms next day fruits (as all they will seem to eat is banana and berrys such as strawberrys, blackberrys and Raspberrys)All live foods dusted with calcium and once a week dusted with a vitamin and minral supliment.

Oh and another thing I have read up on is. If you suspect your female is gravid make sure you take the male out before putting in the nesting box as the male will eat the eggs.

"2) she is forever going into the water and drinking it."

That behavior isn't normal for a desert dweller. Check your humidity settings and make sure they have humid places (moist burrows/hide holes) to disappear into. Desert dwelling lizards generally gain all water intake from the food they eat. Organ failure generally occurs from being dehydrated. Are you using a screen top enclosure? Those are lizard killers, they are commonly nicknamed as beef jerky makers. They are great for drying out the enclosure and your lizard. Dehydration is one of the top killers in captive reptiles. If you are using a screen top work on covering it up.

Hopefully she is gravid, but this something to look into.