How often to soak?

[solstitialis]

So someone said my sulcata looked like he needed a soak. I put in a water hole thing for him which he has not used at all. So, should I soak him forcibly? I tried putting him IN his water hole and he hated it and promptly crawled away.

So should I put him in a tub with warm water (like 70 degrees warm?) How often?

He is 57 pounds and has only grown maybe 2 pounds in the past year.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I cannot say about the dehydration, but it sounds like he is not getting enough to eat. He should gain more then 2 pounds a year. Get a large garbage can lid and use that as the water dish. Then just fill it and leave it and see if he won't drink out of it instead of soak. Is he kept outside?

 

[solstitialis]

He is kept outside. He was living with someone else for a year and just came to me a few days ago. They said he was about 55 pounds when they got him, and I weighed him yesterday and he was 57.

I have been feeding him 1 bell pepper and 1 cactus pad a day plus bunch of watercress/collard greens, etc, and he has unlimmited grass and hay access.

 

[Missy]

If it is hot outside you can spray him with the hose too.

 

[Tom]

I soak my big ones like that about twice a week during the hot summer months and once a week during the cooler months. The water should be luke warm, not hot. It only needs to be deep enough to reach the area where the plastron meets the carapace, maybe 3" or so. I leave them in for 20-30 minutes.

Mine won't drink out or their water tubs either.

For anyone else reading, I soak babies every day until they are around 6" or so. Just my preference and so far its working great for me.

 

[Len B]

I turn the sprinkler on and mine will graze under the spray.But I don't pay for water by the gallon, my water bill is always the same

 

[chadk]

I don't bother soaking mine. But I live in the PNW, so we get rain here and there during the summer and of course a lot more the rest of the year. I just make sure I have water available (large how water tank pan from the hardware store) and trust the tort to drink when he wants. My grass and weeds tend to be fresh and green vs dried up stuff others may have, so I'm sure some hydration comes from that as well. I spray them sometimes while I"m cleaning their water dish and they happen to be around and it is hot out, but not often.