# soaking: best baby food



## kikokoko (Aug 9, 2011)

hello, 
I often read about soaking dehydrathed tortoise in water mixed 50% with baby food (Gerber, etc.) 

What kind of baby food do you recommend for vegetarian tortoise:
fruit, vegetables, meat, ... ? 

Thx a lot

Roberto


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## paschallraschalls (Aug 9, 2011)

I've read carrot or yellow squash


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## ChiKat (Aug 9, 2011)

Carrots seem to be commonly used, at least on this forum. I have never done a baby food soak though, so I'll let someone else chime in


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## arby2774 (Aug 9, 2011)

I have never heard of doing a baby food and water soak. What is the benefit? Are the skins of tortoises that absorptive that the nutrients soak in or is it to provide the nutrition when they drink so hyperhydration is avoided?


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## kikokoko (Aug 9, 2011)

Here in Italy the yellow squash is not easy to find

Could I use instead the green squash (zucchini) ? 
(See attached image)





arby2774 said:


> I have never heard of doing a baby food and water soak. What is the benefit? Are the skins of tortoises that absorptive that the nutrients soak in or is it to provide the nutrition when they drink so hyperhydration is avoided?




arby2774 what do you mean with "hyperhydration" ? 

My turtles sometimes have dehydratation problem.

Do you think soaking them, they will "inflate" (or other healt issue) because too much water absorbed by skin?


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## savigreen (Aug 9, 2011)

I believe using the baby food is to entice the tortoise to drink the water, so it really does not matter which baby food you use along as it is a veggie one and the tortoise likes it. I used a little bit(very small amount) of tomato juice to soak my baby tortoise in when I first got him b/c he was sick and not eating or drinking. He seemed to enjoy it


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## Yvonne G (Aug 9, 2011)

Hi Roberto:

The reason we use baby food in the soaks is for the vitamin A content. That's why we use the red/orange baby foods...carrots, sweet potatoes, squash. If you don't want to use baby food, then you can use liquid bird vitamins.



arby2774 said:


> I have never heard of doing a baby food and water soak. What is the benefit? Are the skins of tortoises that absorptive that the nutrients soak in or is it to provide the nutrition when they drink so hyperhydration is avoided?



The tortoises (especially young ones) absorb some of the nutrients through the thin skin on the throat and around the cloaca.


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## arby2774 (Aug 10, 2011)

Hyperhydration is a condition caused by an intake of plain water that exceeds the body's ability to process the unneeded amount out. It can dangerously dilute the blood, damage red blood cells and cause tissues to swell. In humans it is known as being "water drunk" and it can be fatal. That is why severe dehydration is treated by I.V. saline and not by drinking glass after glass of water.


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## Fernando (Aug 10, 2011)

Carrots and Squash


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## kikokoko (Aug 10, 2011)

Thanks alla for precios suggestions

I've hard about people soaking tortoises in sport drinks ( GATORADE and so on)
to allow saline balanced hydratation

what do you think about?


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## Angi (Aug 10, 2011)

I think....and this is just an idea that came up in my head. We know that torts empty their bladders when soaked they then reabsorb through their pee hole I guess that is called the cloca. Well my theory is that they fill there bladder with the nutrishious baby food water. I think carrots are probably best because they are rich in vitamin A which is used in cosmetics because the small molicules can be absorbed into the skin.


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