bathing

[sammy28]

is it ok that I just bathe my turtle one to two times a day, or is it better to have the 'pool' in the enclosure?

She keeps burying herself, but not completely, in the soil so I'm wondering if she's needing moisture, and because there's no pool in there that's what she does?

thanks for advice in advance
sam

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Sam:

This seems like a pretty familiar question. Didn't you already ask it on a different thread? Anyway:

Box turtles really like to sit in the water. Every morning when I go outside to start my chores there are several box turtles sitting in there little pool. Outside is no different from inside. Whether your turtle is in the house or outside, he would really benefit from having a water dish in his habitat. It doesn't matter if it gets yucky while you are away at work. They don't seem to care. When you get home, just change it. And they don't bury because they are trying to get moisture, they bury because that's what they do. Box turtles like to be buried in the dirt.

I would provide a nice water dish for your turtle, clean the water as frequently as you can, and don't worry about forced soaking.

Yvonne

 

[sammy28]

yeah, I did post it, but i think it was in the wrong section *blush*...

So it would be better to have a pool in her habitat. What should the depth be? I was just given her less than a week ago, so I'm experimenting. She can float and swim, but would it be better for her to be able to touch the floor the entire time? These are probably dumb questions, I just want to make sure

-sam

 

[Yvonne G]

yeah, I did post it, but i think it was in the wrong section *blush*...

So it would be better to have a pool in her habitat. What should the depth be? I was just given her less than a week ago, so I'm experimenting. She can float and swim, but would it be better for her to be able to touch the floor the entire time? These are probably dumb questions, I just want to make sure

-sam

The most important thing about a water dish is ease of climbing out. A lot of times when they climb out, if the sides are too steep, they get off balanced and tip over backward, landing on their back in the water. For indoor habitats I like to use plant pot saucers. They have a sloping side, not too high and you can get one with a bigger floor area to hold more water. It would probably be a good idea to get one where the water would only be up to the side of the turtle, where the bottom meets the top. That way its not too deep in case she gets tipped over in it.

Yvonne