Soakings in winter

[GreciaGalgos]

Hi!
My little tortoise is doing great, She already broke the 100g mark, she's been with me almost 4 months now and went from 64g to 105g and from 5cm to 10.5cm on her shell. She arrived with slight signs of pyramidism on her irregular scutes, but the new growth is smooth and slowly catching on. Anyway, it is getting really cold, and I can't find a spot in the house where I can keep the temperature high enough to soak her, I used to do it in the bathroom but not even there is warm enough anymore, I tried putting her bath inside the shower with me while I'm taking a bath but she gets really nervous with the sound of the water and the bathroom extractor fan....I don't want to stress her. Would it be fine to stop soaking her until the weather is a little bit better? she has free access to water in her terrarium and the humidity is always between 60 and 90. Or should I keep trying to soak her in the shower and let her get used to it?

 

[dmmj]

soak her under a heat source for the soaks you can use just a regular light bulb for warmth

 

[Jodie]

Soak her in her enclosure. I wouldn't stop soaks. A light on half of the tub would work too.

 

[Speedy-1]

Maybe a small electric heater in the bathroom ? I wouldn't stop , there are lots of easy ways to bring temps up .

 

[AZSid]

We put a heating pad under Remi's bath for now. It keeps the temps absolutely perfect!

 

[Tom]

Would it be fine to stop soaking her until the weather is a little bit better? she has free access to water in her terrarium and the humidity is always between 60 and 90. Or should I keep trying to soak her in the shower and let her get used to it?

It would NOT be fine to stop soaking all winter. You should still be soaking one that size daily.

If you don't have a warm area, MAKE a warm area. I simply put the soaking tub inside the enclosure. Or you could try using a heating pad. Set up your soaking tub on top of a heating pad and watch the water temp for a couple of hours and see what it does, WITHOUT having the tortoise in there. Like a pre-test. Covering the top of the soaking tub also work wonders for keeping the heat in. A piece of clear plastic of some sort would do it.

Heat lamps can also be placed over the soaking area, but I worry about carapace desiccation.

 

[Prairie Mom]

Please forgive my question if it is naïve. I guess I don't really understand the problem.

I've always soaked my tortoise daily for roughly a half an hour (sometimes longer, sometimes less). My tortoise likes the water pretty toasty and sprawls out in relaxation (she has loved it more the older she gets). I soak my tortoise in a decent sized Tupperware that is placed in my bathtub, which is also a pretty cool room in the house.

I just figured out through experience that in my particular circumstances, the water starts to cool down after about fifteen minutes. So I set a timer for fifteen minutes and when the timer beeps, I take my tortoise out, refill with warm again, and set back for the final fifteen or so minutes.

I live in the cold north, my family is comfortable with lower heat, but room temperature has not really mattered when I soak, because my tortoise is relaxing in constant warm water that I don't allow to get cool. I got my sulcata as a younger tortoise, but not a hatchling. Are people soaking their hatchlings for hours at a time? Is this what is recommended? Why not set a timer and replace the warm water, so the tortoise doesn't have the chance to even get cold in there? Thoughts?

 

[Speedy-1]

I soak Speedy for 45 min to an hour every day , he likes the water warm and just spreads out and relaxes ! When it starts to cool off he lets me know by running around , so I just pull him out when he starts letting me know ! We like it on the cool side and have our thermostat set at 65 . Since Speedy is either in his enclosure , or in the warm water it really has no effect on him ! It is 65 and sunny today and he is outside catching some rays !

 

[Maro2Bear]

Please forgive my question if it is naïve. I guess I don't really understand the problem.

I've always soaked my tortoise daily for roughly a half an hour (sometimes longer, sometimes less). My tortoise likes the water pretty toasty and sprawls out in relaxation (she has loved it more the older she gets). I soak my tortoise in a decent sized Tupperware that is placed in my bathtub, which is also a pretty cool room in the house.

I just figured out through experience that in my particular circumstances, the water starts to cool down after about fifteen minutes. So I set a timer for fifteen minutes and when the timer beeps, I take my tortoise out, refill with warm again, and set back for the final fifteen or so minutes.

I live in the cold north, my family is comfortable with lower heat, but room temperature has not really mattered when I soak, because my tortoise is relaxing in constant warm water that I don't allow to get cool. I got my sulcata as a younger tortoise, but not a hatchling. Are people soaking their hatchlings for hours at a time? Is this what is recommended? Why not set a timer and replace the warm water, so the tortoise doesn't have the chance to even get cold in there? Thoughts?

Yep, i do exactly the same thing as Praire Mom. 45 minute morning soak, but I remove the cooler water and add in nice fresh warm water 3-4 times during that timeframe. I keep a thermometer handy to triple check.

 

[Gillian M]

A very warm welcome to the forum!

I soak Oli each and every day-Winter and Summer alike-but obviously during Winter I have to change the water that cools down so quickly. Don't want anything to irritate/annoy Oli.

 

[W Shaw]

I soak Ronan under a heat lamp. The water never has time to cool because he poops in it immediately. He's rarely in one tub any longer than it takes for me to rinse and refill the next. Before I take him out of the warm water, I have a towel ready. I pick him up, wrap him quickly in the towel and pat off most of the water, then set him back in his enclosure under his basking lamp. So he doesn't have a chance to get chilled.