May be a stupid question but...

[MichelleCarrigan78]

Is it okay for tortoises to be dirty? I mean like all the pics i see they are all shiny and sparkley clean. Mine digs so much hes always covered in dirt. Just curious how often to soak them and if topsoil/sand mix is good enough for him? I have sphagnum moss on top to keep up the humidity so I dont have to make mud.

 

[Missy]

LOL, Tank gets dirty to. I give him a soak every morning then put him in his outside pen to graze. If it is real hot I will spray him and his pen during the day to cool things down. How old is your tort? If he is less than a couple years old I think it would be helpful to soak him every day.

 

[MichelleCarrigan78]

Well I got him at Petco, I was told he was under a year, but I dont think he is, hes around 4 inches SCL. And hes pretty beat up to be a baby.

 

[Jacqui]

Often in the pictures, folks wash or atleast soak their tortoises before taking pictures. It's okay for them to be dirty just like it's okay for a child to get dirty. During the summer some tortoises even like to take mud baths.

As to how often to soak, does yours go into his water dish by himself? Unless it's a tortoise I am concerned about, I usually don't give them soaks especially adults. Does he like his soaks? When you soak him, how do his urates looks? If he likes them, once or maybe even twice a week would be fine and won't hurt him, if you really are concerned. If he hates them, I would be worried of causing him stress for something he might not need, especially if he is eating well and a good diet (remember he does get some moisture from greens).

I don't use it myself top soil/sand is just fine.

 

[dmmj]

My russians are dirty all of the time, exceot when they bathe, mine actually throw dirt on one and another so no worries.

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no tortoises , russian right? is under a year old at petco, they may mean they have only had it a year, but all russians at petco are WC.

 

[BuffsTorts]

Mine hate to bathe, so I do it once a week for 10-15min, or until they defecate the water a second time.
I am lucky, my 2 bigger ones only ever dig down to bury the lower plastron and never bury the carapace past the connections.
My little girl.....

Not so clean lol

 

[MichelleCarrigan78]

mine doesnt seem to want to soak a lot, he will go in his water dish once in awhile but not for very long. I guess if other peoples are dirty then Im okay with mine being dirty too! So is a topsoil/sand mix okay? It was straight sand but i think it bothered his eyes, so now its about half and half or maybe a little more topsoil than sand

 

[Jacqui]

Buffs I am sure it was just either the picture was taken just before you re-wet it or it's just the lighting, but your coir substrate is looking like it might be a bit dry.

Top soil/sand is fine. Straight sand not only can bother his eyes, it can easily cause impaction problems. Just be sure it's chemical/additive free top soil. Also yes having the top soil more then 50% is fine too. I happen to use the coir (Bed-a-beast bricks)/sand mix myself and mine are no where near 50% sand.

 

[GBtortoises]

My Russians live outdoors 24/7 year round, if they get a bath it's because they were out in the rain! This is photo of one of the females emerging from her burrow in the morning:

 

[BuffsTorts]

Buffs I am sure it was just either the picture was taken just before you re-wet it or it's just the lighting, but your coir substrate is looking like it might be a bit dry.

The top layer dries out pretty fast, you can see in the pic that where she dug up from is darker, if I stick my finger into it, it stays moist pretty long 1cm down..
I water at night time, and that pic was the day after I got her, and the day before I added soil to the coir.

 

[Yourlocalpoet]

Nah everyone loves a mucky tortoise, your picture is very cute

 

[Adarsta86]

I give my russian, Rasputin, a 10-15 minute soak once or twice a week. He'll go into his water dish on his own, but he likes to have more room to spread his legs out. He loves to dig and he gets quite dirty himself.

 

[MichelleCarrigan78]

well its nice to see some pics of dirty tortoises! I'll have to take a pic of my dirty one too!

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ok so he doesnt look real dirty right now, though he is quite a bit darker than when hes clean but here are a couple pics of him eating

 

[tortoisenerd]

Nothing wrong with a dirty tort! I do like to keep at least the butt and mouth clean. Indoors helps keep them clean lol. Outdoors is best. By the way, 99.9% sure your Petco tortoise is wild caught, and 4 inches is older than a year. Yours looks done growing. Someone else can estimate age. If you want sex, get underside and a backside shots. Sorry, but pet stores lie or just pass on info they were told from management. People are much likely to buy a baby than a wild caught middle age tort. I would get a fecal test for parasites and vet check up for any tort.

 

[MichelleCarrigan78]

I figured he was full grown, and I think its a boy, but i'll post some pics and you guys can let me know for sure

 

[Jacqui]

Your right!