Safety of Rocks in their Water Dish

Beasty_Artemis

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Do rocks in your tortoises water tray make it safer, or are they dangerous?
I remember reading conflicting advice on putting pebbles in their water dish....
Are rocks a flipping hazard?
Or do rocks prevent drowning if your tortoise flips in the tray , by helping them flip themselves back over ?
I have read both things online now, and I thought I would ask to make sure...
 

MPRC

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I believe people will put large stones in dishes that may be too deep for their small tortoises to make it safe if they flip. You just have to make sure they are large enough that they cannot be ingested. Some people also put large rocks on top of the substrate around water dishes to keep the dirt out.

Personally I just use dishes that are the appropriate depth for my tortoises and don't bother with rocks.
 

wellington

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I use rocks for my hatchlings dish. It will either help right herself but will also keep her from drowning if she can't right herself. They need to be rocks though of good size. Adults I don't do this for. As for using appropriate size dish, well it has to be deep enough for the tort to drink, which most put their head all the way into the water and then outwards. The dish has to be deep enough which for small ones can still be dangerous.
 

Yvonne G

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I always put clean pea gravel in the bottom of hatchling waterers. It makes the water shallower if they should tip upside down in the water.
 

TammyJ

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I use rocks in my water dishes, always. For a number of reasons including: to weigh it down so it does not turn over; to give the tortoises a better chance to right themselves if they flip; better surface for them to keep their claws trimmed; to look nice and natural.
 

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