Tortoise Drinking A TON of water

[Karissa]

Hi all,
My tortoise Miss Zeus has been drinking a strangly large amount of water lately. Today, she drank two bowls of water! This is strange for her because she usually only drinks like half a bowl. Could anyone tell me what's going on?
Thanks!
-Karissa

 

[ascott]

What has the tortoise been eating? Have the temps changed at all in the enclosure? what age is the tortoise? Is the tortoise confirmed female--if yes, is the tortoise of laying age?

 

[ascott]

Oh and what type of substrate is the tortoise housed on?

 

[motero]

What type of water dish do you have? Could she have spilt it?

 

[Karissa]

Ascot-she is 2 and tuning 3 on the 14th. We are pretty sure that she is a girl but she hasn't been confirmed. The temperatures haven't changed and she has been eating Zoo Med Natural Grassland Tortoise Food and All Living Things Dried Fruit and Veggie Mix.

 

[Karissa]

Motero- I checked and the water was not spilt. Her dish looks like this

 

[ascott]

Ascot-she is 2 and tuning 3 on the 14th. We are pretty sure that she is a girl but she hasn't been confirmed. The temperatures haven't changed and she has been eating Zoo Med Natural Grassland Tortoise Food and All Living Things Dried Fruit and Veggie Mix.

When you offer the dried processed food, do you wet it at all? If yes, do you wet it enough to moisten/soften all of it or just some of it...I would suspect that the tort likely is simply needing to hydrate in response to the commercially processed food....do you also offer actual fresh dark leafy greens just as often as the other food items?

 

[wellington]

The water looks really dirty, it didn't spill out when she got into it? Have you double checked your temps and not just assume they haven't changed? Do you hydrate the food before feeding? If not, not sure if it's possible, but maybe it's using too much of her own fluids to hydrate it in her gut?

 

[Yvonne G]

If your tortoise is very small, that dish might be a problem. With those straight up-and-down sides, it's a hazard for a stiff-shelled tortoise that can't bend. It might end up tipping over backwards in the water and drown. If you haven't actually seen the tortoise drinking, my guess is that it's climbing into the dish and her weight is displacing the water.

 

[Karissa]

Ascot- yes I do moisten the food. For the fruit and veggie mix I soak it for around a minute and for the grassland food I spray it with water

 

[Karissa]

Yvonne G.- my tortoise is almost full grown...I have seen the tortoise drinking. At first I thought the water had spiked too, but then I checked and the substrate wasn't wet at all. I'm pretty puzzled myself.

 

[Karissa]

Wellington- yes I have been checking the temps...they stay around 80 degrees. And I do hydrate her food...I would never give it to her dry!

 

[Karissa]

Wilmington- Oh and about the water spilling, I checked and the soil isn't wet. Hmmmm

 

[Karissa]

Ascot-oh and yes I give her leafy salad

 

[Karissa]

I don't know what's going on this is what she is doing now she is just boring at the air with her mouth wide open please help!

 

[Karissa]

. Here is another picture please help

 

[Karissa]

Never mind it's the same pic but still

 

[Karissa]

She's just biting at the air

 

[Karissa]

Omg she's doing it again

 

[stojanovski92113]

Can you take a close up pic of your tortoise?