# How Do Tortoises Hydrate?



## thegame2388 (May 30, 2014)

When I put my sulcata in his tub for his daily soaking, I don't see him drink or anything. 

He might stick his head inside his shell and a few bubbles emerge, but that's it.

I've heard they hydrate from their backside (there's a hole there somewhere), but I'm not sure.

Thx


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## Tom (May 30, 2014)

There is some debate about this. Some think they absorb water through their cloaca (that hole in back you spoke of), and some don't. Some think they can take water in through their skin too.

I rarely see any of my 49 tortoises drink, even in soaks, but I do see the evidence of them being in their water, and/or drinking it.


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## thegame2388 (May 30, 2014)

Tom said:


> There is some debate about this. Some think they absorb water through their cloaca (that hole in back you spoke of), and some don't. Some think they can take water in through their skin too.
> 
> I rarely see any of my 49 tortoises drink, even in soaks, but I do see the evidence of them being in their water, and/or drinking it.



So then how do you know they're being hydrated in the first place?


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## Tom (May 30, 2014)

Because they don't show the signs of dehydration.


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## mike taylor (May 30, 2014)

I've seen my red foots poke their heads in the water and their necks looks like there breathing . So I take that as drinking .


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## tortoisetime565 (May 30, 2014)

My red food scare me shatless some days. I'll come home and they will have their heads completing under water. I obliviously freak out like any tort owner would and lift them from the water. This irritates them. But they always do back in for more...

I assume this is them hydrating.


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## dmmj (May 30, 2014)

I don't see what is so confusing, tortoises mainly drink with their heads under the water, they take it in through the nostril, they can also get some of their moisture from their food. As for the cloaca, I have heard yes, but can't find any studies on it, could be an old wives tale sort of thing.


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## JoesMum (May 31, 2014)

The stories on absorption through the skin are rekated to how sea turtles hydrate. Sea turtles don't drink sea water as it is too salty. My vet said that it is believed that terrestrial tortoises have retained some of this ability, but it is difficult to prove or disprove... but if he thinks of a way of testing it he would love to!

as for Joe, I have seen and heard him gulping water. More often, he just seems to be dipping his face in the water whether he is soaking or at a water bowl!


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## Dizisdalife (May 31, 2014)

When my sulcata was a baby I had the same questions because I just never saw him drink. Then during a soak when he was about a year old I saw his head go under the water and stay. The movement in his throat let me know he was taking a big drink. That's when I realized that the many times I had seen his head dip into the water for a few moments he was actually taking a quick drink.


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## Yvonne G (May 31, 2014)

I read something a long time ago that said a type of turtle in Australia is the only turtle that actually 'drinks' through the cloaca. Turtles and tortoises drink water just like all animals do, just like you do. The only difference is they use their mouths plus their noses. They put their whole face in the water and slurp it up.


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## Yvonne G (May 31, 2014)

I found the article I was thinking about. But I was wrong. Its about breathing through the cloaca, not drinking. Scroll down to the question "Do Turtles Breathe Through Their Butts?":

http://www.tortoise.org/general/wildfaqs.html


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## bouaboua (May 31, 2014)

I do see my Sulcata and Leopard drink all the time. here are some pics...


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## taza (May 31, 2014)

here is a couple things I found
*In warm weather, it is essential that the tortoise have access to shade.* A tortoise may dig a shallow depression (pallet) in the soil, usually beneath a shrub or other low-growing vegetation for shelter from the summer sun. The pallet may become a frequently used shelter site during the warm months. Water is best provided by creating a depression in the soil or using a plastic saucer with water available at least twice weekly. It should be large enough for the animal to crawl into and soak and shallow enough to allow easy exit (tortoises can drown). Tortoises will absorb water through the cloaca (located in the tail) during this process.http://www.desertmuseum.org/programs/tap_tortcare.php


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## wellington (May 31, 2014)

I always see,mine drink, so I have never worried about it.


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## Elohi (May 31, 2014)

I also see mine drink. They don't usually drink in their soaks but they do from their enclosure dish. 
I believe there is something to water absorption through the skin. 


Elohi(Earth)


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