Rain water??

[Isa]

Hello

I saw on the internet an article that says normal water and bottled water should not be offered to tortoises. It says we should use rain water. Does anyone one of you have already heard that or know if it is true?

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Hello

I saw on the internet an article that says normal water and bottled water should not be offered to tortoises. It says we should use rain water. Does anyone one of you have already heard that or know if it is true?

I saw that too...but I have never seen a wild tortoise setting up a barrel to collect rain water.
I understand what's intended but I think it's stupid. Generations of tortoises, that could be hundreds of thousands of tortoises have been drinking from puddles and moving streams and living just fine...
it sure rains enough here to give all my animals rain water...but I won't. Like I said, I just don't agree with that

 

[Crazy1]

Isa, I think what they may be focused on is that bottled water usually contains lots of salts and are not even good for plants and normal water that comes from your tap is treated water. So there is less chance that you will get sick with things like e=coli, etc. So they put nitrates and other chemicals into it. But Rain water now has things in it too like acid and the junk we have put into the air, that each drop carries back to earth with it. So weighing all that I would say that water yep the stuff we drink would be better than bottled and perhaps even better than some rain water. I use a chemical that is made for reptiles that takes some of the bad chemicals out of water and makes it better (or so they claim) for reptiles. I'm not sure it is necessary but it makes me feel better at least right now. As I even have difficulty drinking the water in my area it just tastes bad and is filled with nitrates.

 

[Isa]

Thanks for your answers Maggie & Robyn

Robyn, what product do you use, I would love to have something like that. I use bottled water and tap water, from now on, I will only use tap water.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Hello

I saw on the internet an article that says normal water and bottled water should not be offered to tortoises. It says we should use rain water. Does anyone one of you have already heard that or know if it is true?

I saw that too...but I have never seen a wild tortoise setting up a barrel to collect rain water.
I understand what's intended but I think it's stupid. Generations of tortoises, that could be hundreds of thousands of tortoises have been drinking from puddles and moving streams and living just fine...
it sure rains enough here to give all my animals rain water...but I won't. Like I said, I just don't agree with that

Please forgive the previous post. The whole thing was about distilled water. Sometimes I'm just an idiot and I think someone else has edited my posts.
I meant distilled water ...NOT rain water. ALL tortoises drink rain water...
just laugh at me and go on...I am so sorry I didn't edit that better...

 

[Isa]

No problem Maggie

Hello

I saw on the internet an article that says normal water and bottled water should not be offered to tortoises. It says we should use rain water. Does anyone one of you have already heard that or know if it is true?

I saw that too...but I have never seen a wild tortoise setting up a barrel to collect rain water.
I understand what's intended but I think it's stupid. Generations of tortoises, that could be hundreds of thousands of tortoises have been drinking from puddles and moving streams and living just fine...
it sure rains enough here to give all my animals rain water...but I won't. Like I said, I just don't agree with that

Please forgive the previous post. The whole thing was about distilled water. Sometimes I'm just an idiot and I think someone else has edited my posts.
I meant distilled water ...NOT rain water. ALL tortoises drink rain water...
just laugh at me and go on...I am so sorry I didn't edit that better...

 

[Yvonne G]

Have to say that you're NOT an idiot, Maggie, but have to admit I thought I was having a Senior Moment!! LOL!!

Yvonne

 

[Redfoot NERD]

Is that better Maggie?

Ahhhh.. I'm in good company now!

Seriously I have 2 large plastic watering cans in the tort building that I allow water to "cure" for 24 hours at least so the 'chemicals' will dissolve? out of. [ or whatever that process is ] And I use a pitcher inside that filters the water for coffee etc.

Terry K

 

[Itort]

In my days of keeping fish I found that drawing hot water, letting sit 24 hours at room temp that the chemicals in treatment of municipal water would evaporate off. A special problem today is many cities treat with chlorimine and many chlorine removers work on chlorine and leave ammonia in the water. I feel the sitting method is best and also cheapest. Also I think city water will do no harm to reptiles unlike fish and amphibians.