what does your tort do when you bath them?

[missgemma]

what does yours do and advice on how to do it.
my tort is 2 and my brother got him about 3 months ago, i took him on over the weekend and am loving it.
now i know my brother never bathed him, but i want to do things right. i thought he would love it as hes always in his water pot.
i got a larg tray on filled it about half and inch in luke warm wter and put him in and bathed his back, but to me he seamed to be trying to get out. should i just persist cos i know hes new to it?
im getting a outside house aswell this weekend, should i put him a bath bowl in there and let him get on with it?
what should i do?

 

[Stazz]

Well I bath Tallula in our actual bath (we shower,never use the bath!), put warm water in (not hot), the water should go up to where the carapace (top) meets the plastron (bottom), round about, I make sure the water covers her back legs completely, and the front legs almost completely, and I leave her there to chill...I sit and watch her incase, but I bath her for 15/20mins 3 times a week She loves it !! Some torts may just be squirming to get out cos they're not used to being out of their normal enclosure, I'm sure your hermann's will get used to it

 

[bikerchicspain]

My torts just sit there, I put Miya in her water last week and an hour later she was still there.. mine love their baths.

 

[Crazy1]

I soak my Greeks if they seem to be dry. That is I have one that is a young one and tends not to drink alot and is not a self soaker so if her head seems dry I soak her. Now I have taken to soaking her 3 times a week for about 20 min each time. She just sprawls out in the water and will enjoy it. If I place a flower in her water she will often eat while soaking. I use Liquid Bird Vits. (Vita Sol) in her water to help with vit. consumption for her. But my larger greeks that soak themsleves I rarely soak them. Two hate-I mean hate to be soaked (They try to climb out of the soaking tub and it obviously stresses them) and since I see them sitting in their water bowls daily I do not soak them.

 

[naomij]

i bath our herman which we got almost a week ago, daily, he will sit in it for 5 mins then tries to get out, he often poos in this warm water and tends to eat after and be wide awake

 

[Laura]

Mine have access to a recessed 'dish' and either lean in to drink or climb in and 'swim' with their legs. or walk thru it. If I spray them with the hose, one wiggles his butt back and forth..

 

[Candy]

Dale just poops!

 

[tortoisenerd]

I stopped soaking my tort regularly because he's in his dish drinking at lease once a day. If he looks dry or poops on himself, I'll bathe him and clean him up a bit. Usually he'll just sit there for 5-10 minutes before getting antsy if the water is the right temperature. He's only pooped in the bath a couple times. He does pee in it a lot. This is because they only pee when they replenish their water (eating moist foods and drinking).

If the tort is otherwise healthy and is seen in the dish in its enclosure drinking, I don't see a reason to soak, especially if it is stressed by it. Some have a different opinion. If you just moved it to a new home, you may want to soak just in case its a bit dehydrated from the unfamiliar surroundings. It's your call whether you think it is necessary. You don't have to soak him necessarily to "do things right", as long as the tort has access to and uses the water in the enclosure. Some owners like the peace of mind that the tort may absorb some fluids even if it doesn't drink in the soak, if they don't see it drink in the enclosure. Others think it is forced soaking and would never think of bathing the tort.