# Cleaning Your Tortoise/ Tortoise Hygiene



## AustinASU (Jun 5, 2013)

Just as anything personal tortoise hygiene is of the most importance to me. So once a week I bath and soak all of my torts in fresh clean luke warm water and brush their shells clean of junk with new tooth brushes ( Dollar a piece) ...note this is done seperately for each tortoise. Also i use a mini sponge to clean off their face and all of their exposed skin. At first they hated this but now they enjoy getting their beaks cleaned and especially their feet they seem to enjoy it. 

Anyone else on here have tortoises that love being cleaned?


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## Tom (Jun 5, 2013)

My tortoise are dirty. My outdoor sulcatas all have a thick coat of dried mud on them right now. They seem to like it that way.


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## AustinASU (Jun 5, 2013)

Haha I bet it's a challenge to clean the big ole guys Tom!! haha


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## ascott (Jun 5, 2013)

> My tortoise are dirty. My outdoor sulcatas (CDTs) all have a thick coat of dried mud on them right now. They seem to like it that way.



I smiled at the mere thought of approaching the men folk here with the cleaning tools you outlined....fun stuff.... they would let me, and then they would retreat to either their natural dug burrows, flicking tuffs of dirt on their way down....or into their hides with scowls glaring back at me----the stink eye....lol


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## Team Gomberg (Jun 5, 2013)

The only time I really clean a turtle/tortoise is when it first comes in. I'll trim the beak if needed and give a good scrub down. After that it's either they get misted with the hose while in the outside pen or just a standard soak in a dish tub.

Heather
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## AustinASU (Jun 6, 2013)

ascott said:


> > My tortoise are dirty. My outdoor sulcatas (CDTs) all have a thick coat of dried mud on them right now. They seem to like it that way.
> 
> 
> 
> I smiled at the mere thought of approaching the men folk here with the cleaning tools you outlined....fun stuff.... they would let me, and then they would retreat to either their natural dug burrows, flicking tuffs of dirt on their way down....or into their hides with scowls glaring back at me----the stink eye....lol



Always makes me frown when they do that....i'm like well at least they were clean for 5 mins. On the bright side i'm sure it helps keep harmful bacteria from entering our fellow friends.


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## SpdTrtl (Jun 6, 2013)

Other than their soaks I had not thought of giving them a real bath, I mean they live in dirt...lol 
Now that you have put this idea in my head I think at least one of mine would really like this, I have to try it out.


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## tortadise (Jun 6, 2013)

I do my big ones a few times a year. But the little ones get a chlorahexadine scrub bath every few months. 

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## AustinASU (Jun 6, 2013)

How much do you mix into the water tortadise?


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## tortadise (Jun 6, 2013)

None. I use straight 2% chlorahexadine. But i do not get it anywhere near the head, and thouroughly rinse. I buy a bunch of jusy super cheap dollar store brushes and throw them out each time too.

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## AustinASU (Jun 6, 2013)

I'll def give that a try where do you get the chlorahexadine from?


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