Does soaking do any harm at all?

[MyTortoise]

Is there anything bad about soaking your tortoise?
Can you over soak your tortoise!?!!
Finally, how long should I soak my tortoise?

 

[Arizona Sulcata]

For the most part no it doesn't cause any harm. Only if you leave your tort in there too long and it gets cold can it cause a problem. I usually recommend anywhere from 10-20 min a day depending on the size/age of the tortoise and its condition.

 

[Barista5261]

And also just make sure the water isn't too deep, we want our babies to be able to relax and soak without straining to keep their heads above the water level [TURTLE]

 

[Arizona Sulcata]

Re: RE: Does soaking do any harm at all?

And also just make sure the water isn't too deep, we want our babies to be able to relax and soak without straining to keep their heads above the water level [TURTLE]

Ditto! ^

 

[Jacqui]

The real answer to this question is open for more research at this point. One thing often believed is the warm soaks make the tortoises push the food through their digestive systems faster then nature intended, which could have dietary and health issues.

 

[Tom]

The real answer to this question is open for more research at this point. One thing often believed is the warm soaks make the tortoises push the food through their digestive systems faster then nature intended, which could have dietary and health issues.

The "real" answer? Really?

I have heard this theory and many others over the years, but in practice I have never, not once in 35 years of keeping chelonians have I ever seen one problem from soaking. Not for any species. One of my friends here on the forum soaks his sulcatas for hours a day and they grow and thrive. They have no dietary or health issues. I have raised literally hundreds of baby sulcatas, leopards, russians, CDTs, pancakes, stars, with daily soaks and not one single issue of any kind whatsoever.

So no, there is nothing bad about soaking your tortoise.

How often and how long depend on many factors including size, species, sex, time of year, climate, current weather, etc. I recommend soaking babies daily for 15-30 minutes.

Also, Bill Zovickian, top breeder of some of the rarest and most precious tortoises on earth since the mid 60's "religiously" soaks his babies every day for the first four years.

 

[Yvonne G]

I too, have heard what Jacqui proposed about too frequent soaking. I'm pretty sure the theory wasn't referring to daily 15 or 20 minute soaks, but rather to soaking more than once a day for extended periods of time.

A tortoise usually poops in the soak water. So, if you then soak the tortoise again the same day, you cause him to poop again before his body has finished processing that food and taking all the nutrients out of it.

There's nothing wrong with daily soaks, but twice or more times a day isn't necessary or healthy.

 

[Jacqui]

Different folks have different opinions and experiences on this subject. Tom as usual has his and I have mine. I try for natural methods which nature intended for the tortoise and which has done it well for a long long time. Unless your baking you tortoise or keeping in wrong, why do all the soaking and then why suffer from the worry of how long is too long? Is the tortoise being stressed? Is the water too cold or too hot? Let the tortoise have the option of how much soaking it wants and needs rather then playing god is my belief.

 

[Tom]

And its my belief that a box with and incandescent light bulb in a living room or a wire pen in a backyard is NOT nature and there is nothing natural about it, especially when its thousands of miles from the animals native range. Dehydration is a very common problem among captive tortoises for a wide variety of reasons and soaking is a good, easy way to make sure your tortoise and your wallet don't suffer from the horrible, painful complications of dehydration.

 

[zenoandthetortoise]

The real answer to this question is open for more research at this point. One thing often believed is the warm soaks make the tortoises push the food through their digestive systems faster then nature intended, which could have dietary and health issues.

Has there been any research or indications along this line? I have not been able to find anything other than conjecture. Would be interesting, if substantiated, as would the potential mitigating factor of providing consistent nutrition, something 'nature ' often lacks.

 

[diamondbp]

I agree that a warm 10-20 minute long soak does only good. My tortoises have quickly become accustomed to have a soak, pooping toward the end of the soak, then enjoying a meal. In the extremely hot months of the year I think doing a second 10 min soak is good practice but not totally necessary.

 

[mctlong]

I haven't personally run into any problems soaking my torts; however, I don't soak for long periods of time (i.e. more than 30 minutes or so). I've seen the benefits of soaking first hand with sick, dehydrated, and/or compacted torts. However, like Jacqui, I'd like to see more research in this area. Its seems reasonable that rushing food through the digestive system on a frequent/excessive basis could result in malabsorption of nutrients in otherwise healthy animals. Its a reasonable, common sense argument. There very well could be a point where soaking too much could be a problem. I'd like to see the issue investigated further.

 

[Jacqui]

Another thing I worry about is stress. Now I know some members in here don't worry about stress or think there is good and bad stress, but to me stress is stress. I think just being captive is enough stress without adding any other stress factors to the load.

I should make sure this is clear... these are MY opinions based on my many years of working with tortoises of many different types. Different folks care for their animals differently and have different setups or environmental factors at play. I know no one way is ever the only way. In my own practice I never soak a healthy animal. I allow them to determine what they need. I have never had a dehydrated animal with the way I care for mine, so my wallet has never had to worry about expenses that Tom refers to. Perhaps Tom has had those costs.

I do wonder if a redfoot was soak for long periods of time and also kept on the damp substate, if they would have a greater chance of plastron rot, since they are proned to it any how. Just a wondering thought, once more not something I have had to deal with myself.

As to if research has been done... not to my knowledge.