I accidentally left baby tort in poop water for an hour…

[Lbland]

Hello! I have a baby sulcata that I found as a stray in my backyard 6 months ago (my neighbors breed them turns out and he was an escaped baby). I’ve been very good about taking care of him and trying to get his diet right, etc…

He always poops in his water bowl (a casserole dish I use just for him) and today I put him on the counter and started taking care of my other animals and totally forgot about him. When I noticed him, he had been soaking in his own poop for probably at least 30-45 min. I feel awful and I can’t imagine he’s too happy about it either. I gently rinsed him off for a while under the sink, and he’s eating now. Is he going to be okay? 🥺😭 In the future I’m going to set an alarm when he’s bathing so I remember to check on him. 🤦🏻‍♀️

 

[wellington]

Don't worry he should be fine. I did it a couple times to my baby leopard years ago. Once even over night. He's fine and is now 11 years old and never been sick a day in his life.
I just soaked him in warm water for a short time and then put him back in his warm enclosure.

 

[Yvonne G]

That's how I learned that leaving them in the water for a long time makes them scramble to get out which loosens their bowels.

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome,
Hopefully he'll be fine and we all make mistakes.
This is the caresheet that will help you give him the right conditions and temps etc that he needs.

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Tom]

Hello! I have a baby sulcata that I found as a stray in my backyard 6 months ago (my neighbors breed them turns out and he was an escaped baby). I’ve been very good about taking care of him and trying to get his diet right, etc…

He always poops in his water bowl (a casserole dish I use just for him) and today I put him on the counter and started taking care of my other animals and totally forgot about him. When I noticed him, he had been soaking in his own poop for probably at least 30-45 min. I feel awful and I can’t imagine he’s too happy about it either. I gently rinsed him off for a while under the sink, and he’s eating now. Is he going to be okay? 🥺😭 In the future I’m going to set an alarm when he’s bathing so I remember to check on him. 🤦🏻‍♀️

That won't harm him whatsoever.

The casserole dish might though. They are too slick and the sides are too tall and too steep. Get a terra cotta plant saucer and sink it into the substrate instead. I use them for food too.

 

[JMM]

Hello! I have a baby sulcata that I found as a stray in my backyard 6 months ago (my neighbors breed them turns out and he was an escaped baby). I’ve been very good about taking care of him and trying to get his diet right, etc…

He always poops in his water bowl (a casserole dish I use just for him) and today I put him on the counter and started taking care of my other animals and totally forgot about him. When I noticed him, he had been soaking in his own poop for probably at least 30-45 min. I feel awful and I can’t imagine he’s too happy about it either. I gently rinsed him off for a while under the sink, and he’s eating now. Is he going to be okay? 🥺😭 In the future I’m going to set an alarm when he’s bathing so I remember to check on him. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Sounds like you are having fun with your stray!! However, I'd suggest putting the soaking dish on the floor.....torts learn to escape their soaking dish and a fall off the counter would be tragic.......

 

[MaNaAk]

I did the same Daisy who is nearly eighty and a Greek Tortoise.

Don't worry he should be fine. I did it a couple times to my baby leopard years ago. Once even over night. He's fine and is now 11 years old and never been sick a day in his life.
I just soaked him in warm water for a short time and then put him back in his warm enclosure.

 

[MEEJogja]

I have a little pond with relatively ineffective filter which the tortoises poop in and I drain and refill every day or two. The drain process involves me scrubbing the sides and lifting all the algae and poop sediment into solution to go down the drain. Half way through this, along came my female who, to my horror, put her face as deep as she could into the concentrated poop soup and started drinking. I have seen her drink exactly once before. It's like she was waiting for this moment.
I think I watched on in amazement to see if that was actually what she was doing before gently coaxing her away.
Suffice to say they do not seem to value water quality.