# Soaking



## Polonius (Nov 26, 2015)

When is the best time of day (or tort behavior?) to soak your tort? Also, is there any side effect of over or under soaking? Is there anything extra you should do to protect the tort's shell? I have heard people putting baby oil on their tort's shell.


----------



## keepergale (Nov 26, 2015)

Probably many opinions but I like to soak them first thing in the morning. It warms them up from slightly lower overnight temperatures and it kind of fires them up for breakfast. The most important meal of the day


----------



## GRohr (Nov 26, 2015)

Mine get soaked right when I get home from work as that's when I have time. The only thing I make sure of is that they soaked early enough that they fully dry off before the lights and day heaters turn off.


----------



## Yvonne G (Nov 26, 2015)

I don't believe in putting *any* topicals on a tortoise's shell. Upon occasion I have been known to paint the growth lines in between the scutes for one reason or another, but never the whole shell. And then I use either mineral oil or coconut oil. (Baby oil is mineral oil with fragrance added)


----------



## Rutibegga (Nov 26, 2015)

I soak my guy every morning, because as @keepergale says, it seems to wake him up, warm him up, and get his appetite up. I also tend to do a brief evening soak because he doesn't usually poop in his morning soak, but he almost always does in the evening. The less poop I have to clean out of his enclosure, the better. I don't think you can really soak them "too much," unless you're leaving them in a tub all day.

If you want to put anything on your tort's shell, use coconut oil, not baby oil. I use it once in a while, but mostly he looks shiny and healthy without it. There's an entire thread devoted to pros/cons of coconut oil you might want to search for.


----------



## Maro2Bear (Nov 26, 2015)

We soak our Sully first thing in the morning about 30 mins after his lights come on. By then he is awake and starting to exit his hide ready to start the day. A nice warm soak, followed by a hearty breakfast, keeps our sully healthy and growing. He has us trained well.


----------



## Professor Brenda (May 16, 2019)

At what age or size is soaking no longer needed?


----------



## Tom (May 16, 2019)

Professor Brenda said:


> At what age or size is soaking no longer needed?


Its is beneficial to all sizes and ages.

I soak babies every day. After they pass 100 grams, I will start skipping a day once in a while. As adults I try to soak once or twice a week for most of the year. Sometimes less in winter. Can adults survive without it? Yes. If they drink regularly, eat the right foods, exercise enough, are housed correctly, etc... Can anyone ever be 100% certain all of the above is covered? No. Soaking is cheap insurance. No reason to _not_ do it. If you soak a tortoise that didn't need it that day, no harm is done.


----------



## jsheffield (May 16, 2019)

I've combined my redfoot's daily soaking with his feeding... it keeps him happily hanging out in the washtub for twenty or so minutes, and when he's done eating I call the soak done as well.

Jamie


----------



## Professor Brenda (May 16, 2019)

Will the adults soak themselves if provided a pool they can access with ease?


----------



## SweetGreekTorts (May 16, 2019)

Professor Brenda said:


> Will the adults soak themselves if provided a pool they can access with ease?


Of course. I keep the larger terra cota plant saucers with water in them for my tortoises. The dish is heavy so won't flip, it's large enough for the tortoise to crawl into and drink or soak themself, and it's shallow enough to prevent drowning. I use them for all my torts (the babies just use a smaller size).

I've seen both my adults and babies completely in their dishes.


----------



## Professor Brenda (May 16, 2019)

Super thank you.


----------



## Tom (May 16, 2019)

Professor Brenda said:


> Will the adults soak themselves if provided a pool they can access with ease?


Some will some of the time, but I'm not willing to risk that. I can't watch them 24/7, so I don't know with any certainty how often each of my tortoises self soaks or for how long. When I stick them in a tub and leave them there, I know exactly how long they soak and how often.


----------



## Chubbs the tegu (May 16, 2019)

I notice right after i soak or spray the enclosure mine likes to go right after his food and then does laps


----------



## Ketta (May 19, 2019)

Tom said:


> Its is beneficial to all sizes and ages.
> 
> I soak babies every day. After they pass 100 grams, I will start skipping a day once in a while. As adults I try to soak once or twice a week for most of the year. Sometimes less in winter. Can adults survive without it? Yes. If they drink regularly, eat the right foods, exercise enough, are housed correctly, etc... Can anyone ever be 100% certain all of the above is covered? No. Soaking is cheap insurance. No reason to _not_ do it. If you soak a tortoise that didn't need it that day, no harm is done.


So my tort that is 167 grs you suggest to skip a day?


----------



## Maro2Bear (May 19, 2019)

Ketta said:


> So my tort that is 167 grs you suggest to skip a day?



I soaked mine every day until she outgrew our kitchen sink. Pretty much for three years, daily soaking. Why skip?


----------



## Ketta (May 19, 2019)

Maro2Bear said:


> I soaked mine every day until she outgrew our kitchen sink. Pretty much for three years, daily soaking. Why skip?


I don't know @Tom says he skips a day once they reach 100g


----------



## Tom (May 19, 2019)

Ketta said:


> So my tort that is 167 grs you suggest to skip a day?


I don't think any harm will come to your tortoise if you skip a day now and then. Likewise, no harm will be done if you continue to soak daily.


----------

