carrot soaks

Cathie G

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Aug 9, 2018
Messages
14,904
Location (City and/or State)
Lancaster
I'm wondering what the recipe for a carrot soak is. How much baby food with the water? Can this soak be used once in awhile for just a little boost? It must do more then just warm a tortoise up...
 

JoesMum

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Oct 26, 2011
Messages
21,610
Location (City and/or State)
Kent, South East England
No. A healthy tort should not have a carrot soak. The soak helps to get a few calories and some sugars into a sick tort. The tort drinks the diluted pureed carrot.

Testudo (Greeks, Russians, Hermann's, etc) Sulcatas and Leopards all cannot digest sugars properly, they cause digestive and kidney problems, so sweet foods like carrot, tomato, fruit and bell pepper should only be fed very sparingly and very occasionally if at all.

The carrot soak is for emergency use only.
 

Cathie G

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Aug 9, 2018
Messages
14,904
Location (City and/or State)
Lancaster
No. A healthy tort should not have a carrot soak. The soak helps to get a few calories and some sugars into a sick tort. The tort drinks the diluted pureed carrot.

Testudo (Greeks, Russians, Hermann's, etc) Sulcatas and Leopards all cannot digest sugars properly, they cause digestive and kidney problems, so sweet foods like carrot, tomato, fruit and bell pepper should only be fed very sparingly and very occasionally if at all.

The carrot soak is for emergency use only.
Ok. But I'm now wondering if other baby food or even herbs could be beneficial in a soak. Not everyday of course. I'm thinking about mud puddles in the wild. Or even the humid burrows having a natural tea from dew and the surrounding vegetation. I'm probably being dumb but I'm just wondering. I'll keep my baby food carrots for emergency use only. Lol. Thanks for the input.
 

JoesMum

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Oct 26, 2011
Messages
21,610
Location (City and/or State)
Kent, South East England
Ok. But I'm now wondering if other baby food or even herbs could be beneficial in a soak. Not everyday of course. I'm thinking about mud puddles in the wild. Or even the humid burrows having a natural tea from dew and the surrounding vegetation. I'm probably being dumb but I'm just wondering. I'll keep my baby food carrots for emergency use only. Lol. Thanks for the input.

Really, no. You are overthinking this. Plain tap water and a good diet are the way to go.
 

Arzu78

Active Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2018
Messages
109
Location (City and/or State)
San Juan, Puerto Rico
I'm wondering what the recipe for a carrot soak is. How much baby food with the water? Can this soak be used once in awhile for just a little boost? It must do more then just warm a tortoise up...

Hi, the carrot soaks are done when the babies are not eating/lethargic in order to provide nutrients and help them recover. The nutrients go in by way of drinking the water and thru the bottom. I filled the bin with very warm water and added about two tablespoons of carrot baby food. The soak is not needed if your tort is doing okay!!! But recently, I mashed a grassland tortoise pellet with a bit of warm baby food and voilá Lizzy ate it (she would not touch them before), but just a bit because of the sugar content.
 

Cathie G

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Aug 9, 2018
Messages
14,904
Location (City and/or State)
Lancaster
Really, no. You are overthinking this. Plain tap water and a good diet are the way to go.
Ok. That's actually what I do. He's not good about taking supplements and was trying to figure out a devious way to get them into him. Thanks for taking the time to answer.
 

Cathie G

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Aug 9, 2018
Messages
14,904
Location (City and/or State)
Lancaster
Hi, the carrot soaks are done when the babies are not eating/lethargic in order to provide nutrients and help them recover. The nutrients go in by way of drinking the water and thru the bottom. I filled the bin with very warm water and added about two tablespoons of carrot baby food. The soak is not needed if your tort is doing okay!!! But recently, I mashed a grassland tortoise pellet with a bit of warm baby food and voilá Lizzy ate it (she would not touch them before), but just a bit because of the sugar content.
I'll try that. He eats good but I always worry because he's picky about what he'll eat and I'm afraid he's not getting a well balanced diet.
 

drew54

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2018
Messages
903
Location (City and/or State)
Indiana
Ok. That's actually what I do. He's not good about taking supplements and was trying to figure out a devious way to get them into him. Thanks for taking the time to answer.

I don't typically have issues with supplements. I use vitasol and put it in the soak water or on her mazuri since it's a guarantee she will eat it. Calcium I can sprinkle on her food and she will eventually eat it. I sometimes put the supplements in her soak also. Just depends. I would put it in the soak water and mix it.
 

Cathie G

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Aug 9, 2018
Messages
14,904
Location (City and/or State)
Lancaster
I don't typically have issues with supplements. I use vitasol and put it in the soak water or on her mazuri since it's a guarantee she will eat it. Calcium I can sprinkle on her food and she will eventually eat it. I sometimes put the supplements in her soak also. Just depends. I would put it in the soak water and mix it.
Thanks. I was hoping it might do some good sneaking a supplement in the back door of my baby brat. And he likes his bath.
 

drew54

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2018
Messages
903
Location (City and/or State)
Indiana
Thanks. I was hoping it might do some good sneaking a supplement in the back door of my baby brat. And he likes his bath.
that is what i do sometimes. I think putting it always on her food would get a bit old, so i try to switch it up sometimes. -shrugs- not sure how much of it she gets in the soak, but i don't worry too much about calcium since she nibbles on her cuttlebone. I just mainly focus on the multivitamins.
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,405
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
Ok. But I'm now wondering if other baby food or even herbs could be beneficial in a soak. Not everyday of course. I'm thinking about mud puddles in the wild. Or even the humid burrows having a natural tea from dew and the surrounding vegetation. I'm probably being dumb but I'm just wondering. I'll keep my baby food carrots for emergency use only. Lol. Thanks for the input.
The reason you use baby food strained carrots is because it has a high vitamin A content. When a sick baby stops eating the first thing that causes him a problem is the lack of vitamin A, this means swollen shut eyes. The baby food soaks gets the eyes open within three days. Other baby foods without the high vitamin A content would not have this effect and would do little to help a sick baby.

I mix the baby food 50/50 with warm water.
 

Cathie G

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Aug 9, 2018
Messages
14,904
Location (City and/or State)
Lancaster
The reason you use baby food strained carrots is because it has a high vitamin A content. When a sick baby stops eating the first thing that causes him a problem is the lack of vitamin A, this means swollen shut eyes. The baby food soaks gets the eyes open within three days. Other baby foods without the high vitamin A content would not have this effect and would do little to help a sick baby.

I mix the baby food 50/50 with warm water.
Thank you so much for answering. It's really great to find answers for a just in case situation. I'm thinking the soak is like an iv turdess style...
 
Top