How do I get Torty used to soaking in water. Everytime I put him in his soaking tub, he tries very hard to get out. I dont want to stress him out to much and dont soak him more than 5 minutes, I know the norm is a good 10 minutes. It has been over a month where I have been soaking him every other day but he's been acting the same from day 1.
How to train Torty to soak?
- Thread starter samstar
- Start date
- Status
I soak Alfie in a clear tub, about doubble the size of her. Actually, it's an old carte dor ice cream tub. She is soaked every 2-3 days and doesn't fight to get out, seems to like it. I make sure the water is warm and she has fed etc before i soak. If your tortoise doesn't like soaking he probably will never like soaking. Or ar least this is my understanding. I notice that if i donot soak alfie in 3 days, she comes to the front of the table to get some attention, and if she doesn't get any, she will go in her water tub that is in her enclosure. Sorry, i wish i was of more help.
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2009
- Messages
- 43
Must it be 10 mins? Because Q don't stay more than 5 mins too
"Q" use to not liking being soak too...and I find out the water temp was not right that's why she don't like being soaked and walk right out when I put her in the water.
Now when I soak Q everyday and she just stay inthe water and drink ...when she have enough she just walk out and I let her.
"Q" use to not liking being soak too...and I find out the water temp was not right that's why she don't like being soaked and walk right out when I put her in the water.
Now when I soak Q everyday and she just stay inthe water and drink ...when she have enough she just walk out and I let her.
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2009
- Messages
- 3,617
- Location (City and/or State)
- The Catskill Mountains of New York State
I don't think there is any "training" involved. Some tortoises simply accept soaking in water better than others. It's not species, size or age dependent. I do think the depth and temperature may play a role with some tortoises reaction to water. I keep the depth low, just enough to entirely cover their plastron when they are laying flat in the water. The temperature is just slightly above room temperature. Some of my tortoises sit for barely a minute, never take a drink and want out right away by trying to climb the sides. Most will sit for a minute or two, taking their time drinking and once they are finished usually begin to try to climb out. There are a few that will sit in the water, drink and then just sort of lounge around, showing no sgin of wanting out until I get tired standing over them and take them out!
I try to soak my young tortoises 2-3 times a week. Adult 1-2 times a week.
I try to soak my young tortoises 2-3 times a week. Adult 1-2 times a week.
i don't soak my tortoise more than over 5 minuits usually because right after I put it in the bathtub with a little water, it immediately puts its head under the water and starts drinking.
I'm so jealous of all of you who have torts that will drink when they're being soaked! I have *never* seen Nelson drink in his bath!!
He will drink from his water dish in his enclosure, luckily!
He will drink from his water dish in his enclosure, luckily!
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2009
- Messages
- 3,617
- Location (City and/or State)
- The Catskill Mountains of New York State
Drinking from a water souce while not being in it is a much more natural method for them. Some tortoises panick when placed in water. I water mine that way when they're indoors out of necessity. When they're outdoors they have water available at all times in their enclosures and I just replace it every other day or sooner if they've defecated in it.
So when they're indoors I make sure the water is as shallow as possible and slightly warmer than room temperature so that it isn't as much of shock to them.
I've personally never seen any major problems with soaking tortoises and will continue to do it. But if someone's situation allows them to keep clean drinking water in the enclosure at all times and be able to keep the substrate around it clean and bacteria free than it's probably a much more natural and less stressful situation for the tortoise.
So when they're indoors I make sure the water is as shallow as possible and slightly warmer than room temperature so that it isn't as much of shock to them.
I've personally never seen any major problems with soaking tortoises and will continue to do it. But if someone's situation allows them to keep clean drinking water in the enclosure at all times and be able to keep the substrate around it clean and bacteria free than it's probably a much more natural and less stressful situation for the tortoise.
I wonder how maggie gets bob to soak 
ChiKat said:
There's really nothing to be jealous about. Nelson isn't dehydrated and not thirsty. A turtle or tortoise that immediately dunks his head and starts to drink is a turtle or tortoise that is pretty darned thirsty.
I never understood the concept of soaking. I never soaked any of mine...boxies or my tortoise. I can understand if they are dehydrated, but if their enclosure is humid enough, and they have a water dish, why can't they go in the water, or drink on their own? Maybe I'm the one doing something wrong all these years, but I would really like to know....I'm always willing to learn. This is a good question for the debate section. To soak or not to soak.
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2009
- Messages
- 3,617
- Location (City and/or State)
- The Catskill Mountains of New York State
I use the term "soaking" all the time but in reality I'm just placing them in a container of water to drink. I'm not expecting them to absorb water like a sponge or something.
Humidity plays a very important role in hydration. But humidity is the measure of moisture contained in the ambient air. It can change greatly and rapidly depending upon temperatures and air flow. Most people claim that they are keeping the substrate for their tortoise humid so that the tortoises stay hydrated. In reality it's being kept moist, not humid. A moist substrate can help to maintain humidity in the ambient air to a degree, again depending upon temperatures.
The reason that I am blabbering about the difference is because I also keep Redfoots (and used to keep Box turtles). I keep their substrate moist, very moist, so moist that you can wring water out of it at times. This absolutely aids in keeping them hydrated. But for the most part, I have never seen a Redfoot really bury themselves in the substrate. The exception being when the ambient air is too dry for them and they partially surround themselves with substrate in order to not dry out.
Mediterranean tortoises, by nature of where they're from geographically, do require a certain level of humidity but cannot tolerate constanly damp substrate conditions like tropicals. One of the main reasons is because of temperature drops that should be occuring to simulate their natural cycles. Higher humidity exists at higher temperatures if their is moisture present. But at cooler temperatures that humidity becomes a damp coldness.
So while keeping tropicals warm and humid 24/7 works well to keep them hydrated, it doesn't work the same way with Mediterraneans for long periods.
The simple solution is to add a water dish with clean, fresh water in it for them to drink from when they need to. I do not do that for a few reasons. One being that I would have to clean and dry over 20 bowls each night I get home and refill with new water, two being that I personally don't like the idea of tortoises expelling wastes in the water and coming back to drink from it and track the wastes all over throughout the day and three, while no set up is hospital sterile, I can't see adding more bacteria food (tracked feces) to the substrate than necessary.
I'm not preaching against a water bowl in the enclosure 24/7. I'm just saying that it works well for some people based on their daily schedule and situation and for some, like myself it doesn't. Given the differences, it is probably less stressful and more closer to natural behavior for a tortoise to be able to drink from a shallow puddle (i.e.-water bowl) at their leisure than to be taken out of their enclosure, put in a plastic tub in water while some middle-aged bald guy (me) watches over you waiting for you to drink and poop.
Humidity plays a very important role in hydration. But humidity is the measure of moisture contained in the ambient air. It can change greatly and rapidly depending upon temperatures and air flow. Most people claim that they are keeping the substrate for their tortoise humid so that the tortoises stay hydrated. In reality it's being kept moist, not humid. A moist substrate can help to maintain humidity in the ambient air to a degree, again depending upon temperatures.
The reason that I am blabbering about the difference is because I also keep Redfoots (and used to keep Box turtles). I keep their substrate moist, very moist, so moist that you can wring water out of it at times. This absolutely aids in keeping them hydrated. But for the most part, I have never seen a Redfoot really bury themselves in the substrate. The exception being when the ambient air is too dry for them and they partially surround themselves with substrate in order to not dry out.
Mediterranean tortoises, by nature of where they're from geographically, do require a certain level of humidity but cannot tolerate constanly damp substrate conditions like tropicals. One of the main reasons is because of temperature drops that should be occuring to simulate their natural cycles. Higher humidity exists at higher temperatures if their is moisture present. But at cooler temperatures that humidity becomes a damp coldness.
So while keeping tropicals warm and humid 24/7 works well to keep them hydrated, it doesn't work the same way with Mediterraneans for long periods.
The simple solution is to add a water dish with clean, fresh water in it for them to drink from when they need to. I do not do that for a few reasons. One being that I would have to clean and dry over 20 bowls each night I get home and refill with new water, two being that I personally don't like the idea of tortoises expelling wastes in the water and coming back to drink from it and track the wastes all over throughout the day and three, while no set up is hospital sterile, I can't see adding more bacteria food (tracked feces) to the substrate than necessary.
I'm not preaching against a water bowl in the enclosure 24/7. I'm just saying that it works well for some people based on their daily schedule and situation and for some, like myself it doesn't. Given the differences, it is probably less stressful and more closer to natural behavior for a tortoise to be able to drink from a shallow puddle (i.e.-water bowl) at their leisure than to be taken out of their enclosure, put in a plastic tub in water while some middle-aged bald guy (me) watches over you waiting for you to drink and poop.
terryo said:
Terry I have vowed to not 'reply' to any/many posts this year.. but I don't think you are wrong - by not 'soaking' your redfoot!
It sure sounds like a lot of 'keepers'(?) insist on handling their tortoises.. when providing their tortoises needs would be the best thing - like as if a redfoot isn't smart enough to figure out when they are thirsty or not???
I guess it's easier to soak a tortoise than to maintain a water dish? Do keepers(?) soak their tortoises because that's what everybody else says they should do? Again I'm with you.. never have understood the concept of "soaking" a tortoise.
Do eastern hemisphere [ non-forest/mountain ] tortoises have different needs than south american tortoises?
Will someone explain this for TerryO, samstar and me.. please?
Thank you...
Terry K
samstar said:
To answer your Q? samstar.. I provide a plastic flower pot base [ with flared rim ] for my stars to use at will. They mess it up everyday! Sometimes they drink from it.. sometimes they just sit in it -- their choice!!!
Terry K
Thank you guys...GBtortoises and Terry K.
I guess it's different when you only have one tortoise. I keep all my boxies in seperate enclosures when inside as they are all different sizes., so I do change the water dishes ever day. All their water bowels are deep enough for them to get in and soak or just drink. I notice the Three Toed's do more soaking then the Easterns.
I tried keeping my substrate soaking wet, and my Cherry Head got the start of a fungus, so now I just keep the plants wet,for humidity and his hide damp and warm. Seems to be working better for me. The same with all the boxies. When hatchlings, I do feed them in a little bit of water in a seperate bowel. I just seem to think if you don't have to ....why soak, when it just stresses them out.
I guess it's different when you only have one tortoise. I keep all my boxies in seperate enclosures when inside as they are all different sizes., so I do change the water dishes ever day. All their water bowels are deep enough for them to get in and soak or just drink. I notice the Three Toed's do more soaking then the Easterns.
I tried keeping my substrate soaking wet, and my Cherry Head got the start of a fungus, so now I just keep the plants wet,for humidity and his hide damp and warm. Seems to be working better for me. The same with all the boxies. When hatchlings, I do feed them in a little bit of water in a seperate bowel. I just seem to think if you don't have to ....why soak, when it just stresses them out.
Plus, if you have a dry substrate like aspen, then the water dish might grow mold under it.
This is my 2 cents worth...
Some tortoises love to soak, some hate it. If they hate it, why do it? The answer would be you are trying to keep them properly hydrated.
So- if your tort IS hydrated enough, why soak if it hates it? You can use tools like the Donoghue Ratio to see if your tortoise is dehydrated (SCL in centimeters, to the third power, times 0.191 equals expected minimum weight in grams, or SCLcm^3 x 0.191 = WTgr). Dry skin, and sunken or weeping eyes and a low body weight are also signs.
If your tortoise is DEHYDRATED, then in my mind, you would take more aggressive steps than just soaking.
Some tortoises love to soak, some hate it. If they hate it, why do it? The answer would be you are trying to keep them properly hydrated.
So- if your tort IS hydrated enough, why soak if it hates it? You can use tools like the Donoghue Ratio to see if your tortoise is dehydrated (SCL in centimeters, to the third power, times 0.191 equals expected minimum weight in grams, or SCLcm^3 x 0.191 = WTgr). Dry skin, and sunken or weeping eyes and a low body weight are also signs.
If your tortoise is DEHYDRATED, then in my mind, you would take more aggressive steps than just soaking.
emysemys said:
Yvonne that's "husbandry" issues.. has nothing/little to do with whether a tortoise should be "force" soaked or not and why.
NERD
Madkins007 said:
Mark.. samstar and TerryO and I want to know how and why "force" soaking in in order?.. on a regular basis.. not otherwise.
Terry K
Water for humans can be a therapy but Torts, mine at least, it's stressful. However I still do feel there are more plus points from soaking than not. I will continue soaking but just wanted him to get used to it. I guess there is no easy way around it other than to just keep soaking but maybe 5 minutes instead of 10 minutes on alternate days. He does have a water dish in his enclosure which he drinks from.
samstar said:
Then samstar.. you have provided him what he needs! I was under the impression all along here you couldn't get him to even drink from a waterdish.
Who gave you the idea that you need do anything else? You feel stressing him is o.k. then?
So what do we do forum?
Terry K
- Status
