Russian not drinking

[GeorgeFrancis]

Hello all. My Russian tort, George, hasn't been drinking from his water dish at all. He will drink when we soak him but otherwise he won't drink. His water dish is about as tall as he is. Is that too big? Thanks

-Xander

 

[Tom]

Yes. It is too big. He could drown in there and he knows it.

Try a terra cotta plant saucer. For an adult male an 8 or 10" ought to do it. They only cost a few bucks. Sink it into the substrate so the rim is level with the surface and plop him in it once or twice a day for a week so that he learns that he can easily get in and out of it and its not a giant tortoise swallowing bottomless pit.

Keep up the soaks for a while until you are 100% SURE thats he's drinking on his own. And there is no harm in regular soaks even if he IS drinking on his own.

 

[GeorgeFrancis]

Thanks