Forced soaking

[carrilac]

I want to thank everyone that responded to my question about pyramiding. I have a question about forced soaking I’m hoping this forum can help me with. As I stated before I have 2 LTC about 3-4 years old with a significant amount of pyramiding.

I’ve made water available to them, but they are not soaking in it. They live outside in a 3X4 children’s plastic playhouse and have a heated hid, they are also let outside to roam during the day. Their enclosure is too large for me to keep humid. It’s been around 65 degrees where I live & it’s too cold for me to squirt my tortoises down (I don’t feel comfortable doing it in this weather). So I’ve been soaking my redfoots in warm water 1-3 times a week.

I read somewhere not to force soak tortoises. It might be my imagination but I think that soaking them is making them more timid. However I don’t want them to pyramid any more than they already are. I keep thinking that the way they grew up they may not have learned to soak themselves. Does anyone have any advice?

 

[Yvonne G]

I don't think the whole pen needs to be humid...just figure out a way to make their hiding place humid. Like pack it with sphagnum moss and keep that moist.

Yvonne

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I believe in soaking but I don't like the thought of "forced"...I realize that's what it is, but if you start soaking them from a baby by the time they are adults they should be used to soaking. I soak all my animals except for the cat...and there are times I'd like to soak him.
Bob is my 80 pound Sulcata and all winter he has lived in his own shed and drinks from a dog dish. It's now in the 50's outside and I fill a mud hole for him and he drinks from it and splashes mud on his back then he goes back inside to warm up. He's gone out twice this week and both times he played in the water. Today it was 54 degrees, and he played in the mud...

 

[Madkins007]

65F is way on the cool side, even with a heated hide- and most humidification processes will chill it even more. There is also not a lot of research I can find to indicate that soaking itself really affects pyramiding- the goal is to keep them hydrated ALL of the time, not just during soaks.

One suggestion I have seen that looks good is to sew sphagnum moss inside simple linen bags, soak them, and hang them in heated hides. You can also set up a heavy container of water and heat it up some- just a few degrees above room temp- and it will humidify things,

 

[Stazz]

I'd like to make a humid hide for tallula, where would I find sphagnum moss? Sorry to take over thread Just one q'

 

[Itort]

I'd like to make a humid hide for tallula, where would I find sphagnum moss? Sorry to take over thread Just one q'

Do you have any orchid fanciers there? Sphagnum moss is commonly used as a growing medium. I don't know how common it would be Dubai or even S. Africa as it is grows in northern US and Canada (boreal).

 

[russian]

I'd like to make a humid hide for tallula, where would I find sphagnum moss? Sorry to take over thread Just one q'

I just got some from Lowe's today. The package says it can hold 20X its weight in water. Must be what those Sham-wows are made from!

 

[Stazz]

I've honestly never even heard of a orchid fancier, thanks for the info though Larry ! You learn something new everyday!!! I will find out But I'd say most flowers are imported here, not the most fertile land here

I'd like to make a humid hide for tallula, where would I find sphagnum moss? Sorry to take over thread Just one q'

Do you have any orchid fanciers there? Sphagnum moss is commonly used as a growing medium. I don't know how common it would be Dubai or even S. Africa as it is grows in northern US and Canada (boreal).