tortoiseplanet
Active Member
Do adult Sulcatas have to be soaked? If so, how often?
Once or twice a week to drink and flush their systemDo adult Sulcatas have to be soaked? If so, how often?
Do they "have" to be soaked? Not necessarily…
But I think they should be soaked. I soak my larger ones once or twice a week in summer in large cement mixing tubs and horse water troughs. Its never an easy task, but its good for them and keeps them from forming stones or getting constipated. I never have any health problems and I have to think the right diet (Grass, weeds, leaves, opuntia…) and good hydration have something to do with that. Proper night temps aren't hurting either.
Might they survive without this effort? I think so. My old ones did back when I followed the old incorrect advice, but I think my current ones are thriving while my older ones merely survived. I see a huge difference in many ways.
Hose won't do it and self-soaking doesn't do it. I think the hose and a large water dish are both good in summer, but not a substitute for soaking.Make sense thanks. Will hosing the big guy work (that would be much easier)? I’m thinking if I get a water dish large enough for him to sit in he will soak himself — do they freely soak themselves (if he does, that would be much easier as well)? I’m thinking of a water heater pan as the water dish. Let me know what you think. Thanks again.
Good question, I'm glad you asked it. I was kind of wondering the same thing and how people went about doing it.Do adult Sulcatas have to be soaked? If so, how often?
Good question, I'm glad you asked it. I was kind of wondering the same thing and how people went about doing it.
Our vet said, “It would be ideal to soak him twice a week, every week, for the rest of his life.”Do adult Sulcatas have to be soaked? If so, how often?
Our vet said, “It would be ideal to soak him twice a week, every week, for the rest of his life.”
Tom, aren't your torts huge? How do you manage to lift and soak them? I am already finding it hard to lift our tort in and out of the large utility sink that we are using to soak him in, and he has nearly outgrown that sink so I was looking for some alternatives to use in his outdoor enclosure. I see some folks referring to little ponds, baby pools or mud sinks but.....I can only picture how gross that water might get with tort excretions each time.Make sense thanks. Will hosing the big guy work (that would be much easier)? I’m thinking if I get a water dish large enough for him to sit in he will soak himself — do they freely soak themselves (if he does, that would be much easier as well)? I’m thinking of a water heater pan as the water dish. Let me know what you think. Thanks again.
Tom, aren't your torts huge? How do you manage to lift and soak them? I am already finding it hard to lift our tort in and out of the large utility sink that we are using to soak him in, and he has nearly outgrown that sink so I was looking for some alternatives to use in his outdoor enclosure. I see some folks referring to little ponds, baby pools or mud sinks but.....I can only picture how gross that water might get with tort excretions each time.
On the same note, what have people found that work for stable water dishes and setups that won't get immediately walked over, or just ignored? Our tort walks over anything that is shallow and does not seem to recognize drinking water in a larger/deeper pan. I am concerned about dehydration. He does drink when soaking but we are only soaking him a couple times a week.
Ideas, anyone??