Needing advice (about soaking)

Bmarion

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i have recently gotten a baby sulcata tortoise and I was wondering if I'm supposed to do the weekly soak? I saw someone on here mention it but the pet store didn't. What does the soak do for the tortoise?
 
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Yvonne G

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Baby tortoises should be put into a bowl of shallow water daily for about 15 minutes. Use a bowl they can't climb out of. This keeps them hydrated. You have your baby sitting under hot lights and because of his small size, he dries out (inside) very quickly. This is not good for him. Please read the care sheets pinned at the top of the sulcata section.
 

Cowboy_Ken

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i have recently gotten a baby sulcata tortoise and I was wondering if I'm supposed to do the weekly soak? I saw someone on here mention it but the pet store didn't. What does the soak do for the tortoise?
Yes you need to do daily WARM water soaks. And then all of what Yvonne has said. You mentioned the pet store didn't say anything about that. That's unfortunately the case with most pet stores and even some veterinarians offer old, outdated tortoise care information to their customers.
I'm very happy to welcome you to the TortoiseForum. Here you will find good, solid information on helping your tortoise to live the long life he deserves.
 

Bmarion

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Okay I now have 4 pages of notes from the links posted above...is it okay that I just started some of these things since the pet store didn't inform me to do half of them?? I don't want anything to be wrong with my tortoise because I didn't know
 

Bmarion

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Also where is the best place to buy a remote probe thermometer and an infrared temp gun? And what is the best colored incandescent bulb to buy? And last question for the night...what are the best vitamins to buy? Sorry for all the questions I just really want my tortoise as healthy as can be
 

Tom

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Also where is the best place to buy a remote probe thermometer and an infrared temp gun? And what is the best colored incandescent bulb to buy? And last question for the night...what are the best vitamins to buy? Sorry for all the questions I just really want my tortoise as healthy as can be

Don't feel bad. You are not the only one to receive bad advice from a pet store.

Most of your shopping for tortoise supplies will be at Walmart, Target, Home Depot or Lowes. These are the places to get timers, thermometers, basking bulbs, fixtures, terra cotta saucers for food and water.

Specialty things like reptile vitamins and ceramic heating elements and thermostats can be bought on-line. I've used Herptevite for years, but to be honest, with a good diet, and some occasional Mazuri (Original Formula), you really don't need the vitamins all that much. A little RepCal for calcium once or twice a week should do it.

Don't be sorry for questions. We are all here to talk tortoises, so ask away. Your questions fuel the conversation.
 

tortdad

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Make sure the water stays warm sitting the daily soaks. This means changing it out every 4-5 mins or keeping it under a lamp. If the water gets cold the tort can get sick.
 

Bmarion

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Okay I have been searing and searching and I cannot for the life of me find a hideaway that I can soak to help with the humidity...I found an edible hamster log but not a soakable one. Where do y'all get them?
 

JeannetteBasil

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Okay I have been searing and searching and I cannot for the life of me find a hideaway that I can soak to help with the humidity...I found an edible hamster log but not a soakable one. Where do y'all get them?
Instead of soaking the hide, you could keep some moss or a sponge in side of it to promote humidity. You'd need to soak the sponge or moss pretty frequently.

Another thing that can help with humidity is putting a damp rag on top of the cage lid (if it has a lid).
 
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