when to soak?

[sara]

ok. yet another one to ask! I am sorry, but books dont really answer me well enough, so i gotta bug you guys,hope you all dont get sick of me! I'll stop eventually
O.K. I soak bert 2 times a week. is it best to soak after he eats or before? I have been soaking him in the morning. he usually eats a little in the morning but seems to munch mostly in the late afternoon.
He is a bit piculiar this guy. he does not poop in his enclouser. he only poops outside. I am home alot and can do alot of observing.(pretty sure i bug him). I herd soaking helps with this. but he wont poop when soaking either. but once outside, no problem. but winter will be here soon. cant take him out in the snow! how long can they go without going before one starts to worry? and is such a thing as too much soaking?

 

[Missy]

You are not bugging anyone How old is Books ? How long are you soaking him? Tank is 2 yrs old and I still soak him almost everyday for about 20 min. in the morning. I would not worry if he goes a few days without pooping. He could be eating his poo in his enclosure.

 

[chairman]

I think that in a decade we'll be looking back at soaking as a relic of the beef jerky enclosure days. Forced soaking is good for sick/stressed tortoises, but I don't think it is necessary for healthy tortoises as long as humidity levels in your enclosure are appropriate for the age/species of your tortoise AND you provide a couple different water sources that allow for self soaking. If your humidity levels are low (say in/near a desert or an indoor enclosure during the winter), I would soak my tortoises at least daily in addition to providing them opportunities to soak on their own.

That said, there's really no harm in soaking a tortoise. You could do it 2, 3 times a day if you really wanted to. You just need to make sure that you're not keeping your tortoise so wet that shell rot occurs, and you need to keep them warm when they're wet to avoid illness.

 

[sara]

You are not bugging anyone How old is Books ? How long are you soaking him? Tank is 2 yrs old and I still soak him almost everyday for about 20 min. in the morning. I would not worry if he goes a few days without pooping. He could be eating his poo in his enclosure.

well bert is about 3 according from the guy i got him from. I soak him about 20 min. a couple times a week, then get him with the spray bottle once or twice a day.

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I think that in a decade we'll be looking back at soaking as a relic of the beef jerky enclosure days. Forced soaking is good for sick/stressed tortoises, but I don't think it is necessary for healthy tortoises as long as humidity levels in your enclosure are appropriate for the age/species of your tortoise AND you provide a couple different water sources that allow for self soaking. If your humidity levels are low (say in/near a desert or an indoor enclosure during the winter), I would soak my tortoises at least daily in addition to providing them opportunities to soak on their own.

That said, there's really no harm in soaking a tortoise. You could do it 2, 3 times a day if you really wanted to. You just need to make sure that you're not keeping your tortoise so wet that shell rot occurs, and you need to keep them warm when they're wet to avoid illness.

he actually has 2 water sources. at one end he has a soaking dish, but never goes in , and at the other he has a drinking dish.
and you are probably right about years from now. kinda like how eating eggs were bad , now they say its good. same with coffee. things are always changing. thank you for the input.

 

[terryo]

I have never soaked mine. There is plenty of clean water, and I think they would know enough to drink or soak if they wanted to. I feed my boxie hatchlings in a little bit of water, but never did my tortoise.

 

[Tom]

First of all, please DON'T stop asking questions. Lots of other people learn (including me) when you ask your questions.

Bert is a redfoot, right? There is some risk of shell rot with keeping a redfoot too wet all the time, but a 10-20 minute soak shouldn't do it.

Your question has many answers depending on the age, species, current weather, season, type of housing, substrate, temps and climate where you live.

I disagree with Mike that soaking will be a thing of the past. I wish I had known to do it more often, back in the 90's when I was raising my current adults. It is very dry where I live and I have hatchling sulcatas, so I soak them everyday at least once, and sometimes 3 times a day. Too much hydration cannot hurt them and sulcatas are very resistant to shell rot so why not keep them as hydrated as possible? Also, mine don't touch their water dish, except to accidentally walk through it on their way to the food or basking site. My adults won't touch their standing water either. I soak them 2 or 3 times a week during hot weather and less during the winter.

Having said all of that, I have never seen a more healthy, smooth, beautiful redfoot than Pio, Terryo's tortoise. So, in short, the answer is different for everybody. If your three year old drinks on his own and has a nice smooth shell and a humid environment, then you probably do need to soak as much as I do, with a totally different species, in a totally different area.

 

[terryo]

Thank you Tom for that nice compliment. I live on an Island, and no matter what the weather is, it's always humid here. Also I raised Pio in a very humid (planted) environment, so that might have helped too. If I get another one I will try to do the same for him, but who knows why he turned out so nice. But I agree, I should have said all that, and taken all the factors into consideration...sorry.
Oh yeah....I am still asking questions after almost 4 years with a tortoise, and also still asking questions about boxies after having them all my life.....so Sara....ask away....we never stop learning, and no one really has all the answers.

 

[Eighttrack]

Please don't stop asking questions. We all learn and enjoy. That's what the forum is for.
I have Russian. I've found that after soaking she doesn't want to eat. So I soak at night and feed in the morning. I don't soak every day. It kinda depends on how much time I have. Find what works for you and your tort , that's my advice. But, I'm no expert.

 

[Madkins007]

I cannot recall the original source of the comment, but I have heard someone I respect state that it is almost impossible to avoid pyramiding Red-foots in the drier parts of the world, and not to worry about it too much as long as it is mild and cosmetic in those areas.

Depending on how dry your place is, you may need to use increasingly heroic measures to keep your tortoise well-hydrated. Soaking is just one tool we can use.

Ideally, your tortoise will self-soak. Try offering a bigger dish in the warmer part of the habitat. Aim for something easily big enough to rest in with room to spare, sunk to the rim for easy access, and deep enough that it covers a good part of the shell (a bit shallower for young'uns, deeper for big'uns.) Make sure it can get in and out easily. Glazed plant saucers work well for me, others have used paint roller trays, etc.

I've noticed that a lot of people who say their torts do not soak also do not offer large, sunken, warm water soaking places. Give it a try. (It is also important to keep the water clean!)

I worry about stressing my torts when I soak them, so here is what I do now...
1. Use the Donohue Ratio to see if they are dehydrated. (shell length in centimeters to the third power, times 0.191 gives you the minimum target weight in grams. If you are using inches and ounces, use 0.331 instead. If the torts are babies, they will probably show up as too light, so give yourself some leeway for them.)
2. IF dehydrated I look for ways to boost water and humidity without getting the top layer of the habitat wet (although I like mud puddles outside!)
3. ONE of the tools I use is warm water soaks- about 15 minutes a day or so, or until they seem to want out. I fill a large plastic tub with warm water, prop it up so there is a shallow end, and heat it somehow- lamps, pads, sunlight, whatever.

If they are not dehydrated, then I just do a 'clean and soak' once every so often when I check them over, weigh them, etc. but I also have a pretty humid thing set up indoors. Most of my problems with pyramiding happen outside here in Omaha.

 

[Madkins007]

I cannot recall the original source of the comment, but I have heard someone I respect state that it is almost impossible to avoid pyramiding Red-foots in the drier parts of the world, and not to worry about it too much as long as it is mild and cosmetic in those areas.

Depending on how dry your place is, you may need to use increasingly heroic measures to keep your tortoise well-hydrated. Soaking is just one tool we can use.

Ideally, your tortoise will self-soak. Try offering a bigger dish in the warmer part of the habitat. Aim for something easily big enough to rest in with room to spare, sunk to the rim for easy access, and deep enough that it covers a good part of the shell (a bit shallower for young'uns, deeper for big'uns.) Make sure it can get in and out easily. Glazed plant saucers work well for me, others have used paint roller trays, etc.

I've noticed that a lot of people who say their torts do not soak also do not offer large, sunken, warm water soaking places. Give it a try. (It is also important to keep the water clean!)

I worry about stressing my torts when I soak them, so here is what I do now...
1. Use the Donohue Ratio to see if they are dehydrated. (shell length in centimeters to the third power, times 0.191 gives you the minimum target weight in grams. If you are using inches and ounces, use 0.331 instead. If the torts are babies, they will probably show up as too light, so give yourself some leeway for them.)
2. IF dehydrated I look for ways to boost water and humidity without getting the top layer of the habitat wet (although I like mud puddles outside!)
3. ONE of the tools I use is warm water soaks- about 15 minutes a day or so, or until they seem to want out. I fill a large plastic tub with warm water, prop it up so there is a shallow end, and heat it somehow- lamps, pads, sunlight, whatever.

If they are not dehydrated, then I just do a 'clean and soak' once every so often when I check them over, weigh them, etc. but I also have a pretty humid thing set up indoors. Most of my problems with pyramiding happen outside here in Omaha.

 

[sara]

wow! everyone is so helpful! I take everything into consideration.So thank you everyone for all the advice.I hope to one day figure it out. but so far I must be doing something right cause its been over a month now and Bert is still with me! so thanks agian all!