Today I soaked Morla for a good long time and she had a nice big pile of feces in her soaking bin. She hadn't gone in the three days since I'd gotten her despite having a big, wide, shallow water bowl twice her size to go into. I know that young sulcutas often have health problems if not soaked routinely enough. My question is, how often should she be soaked at this age (~ 5")? I'm finding some conflicting info on frequency.
Soaking Q's
- Thread starter RandomWiktor
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RandomWiktor said:
I think 3 times a week is good. Some do it daily, some don't even soak if they provide a water dish.
I don't have a sulcata, but I do have a Leopard. I soak him 2-3 times a week for 10-15 minutes. This is on top of him having water 24/7.
I don't think you can really go wrong with how many soaks you do, it doesn't hurt them in the slightest if you did it daily.
Rob said it best. I agree with him 100%.
I have a sulcata right around that size and I soak her almost daily. I also spray her shell with water several tiles a day.
It also depends on the climate and humidity where you live. Its very hot and dry here, so hydration is tough to maintain. If you live in a humid area, its not so bad.
I have a sulcata right around that size and I soak her almost daily. I also spray her shell with water several tiles a day.
It also depends on the climate and humidity where you live. Its very hot and dry here, so hydration is tough to maintain. If you live in a humid area, its not so bad.
Thanks for the feedback - I appreciate it. It is relatively humid here but the enclosure is very dry due to the substrate and heating. Since soaking can't actively harm her, I'll probably do it daily or thereabouts just to make sure she doesn't get dehydrated.
Since you brought it up, why are you still using a dry substrate? Get some plain soil, cypress mulch or coco coir in there, will ya? Keep that humidity up a little.
I do just like Tom said. My sully loves his soaks, he falls asleep in his bath! And do like Tom said, wet down that substrate!!! I pour water in my enclosure, about a GALLON every other day!!!....keeps it nice and moist!
RandomWiktor said:
As far as bowel movements, don't expect your sulcata to defecate every day.
My older Leopard only goes every couple of days if that.
I'd soak Morla every few days but thats my opinion.
Cheers
M
Maggie Cummings
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RandomWiktor said:
Her substrate needs to be moist and she needs a humid hide. All of that is to prevent pyramiding. They come from a humid area and most of us here on the forum try hard to prevent pyramiding and a moist substrate and a humid hide are absolutely necessary for that. So please for the sake of that tort get her some cypress mulch and wet it...Thanks!
Message recieved loud and clear! I will definitely change her substrate to something more appropriate.
Do you suggest a humidity gradient, ie. one "dry" end and one "moist" end with a damp hide? Or the whole thing fairly humid?
Do you suggest a humidity gradient, ie. one "dry" end and one "moist" end with a damp hide? Or the whole thing fairly humid?
M
Maggie Cummings
Guest
I keep the whole substrate area moist.
Traveller...I am on a Sulcata Leopard listserve and the Leopard keepers say that leopards don't defecate as often as other torts...and interesting thing I think...
Traveller...I am on a Sulcata Leopard listserve and the Leopard keepers say that leopards don't defecate as often as other torts...and interesting thing I think...
I'm planning on re-vamping the little lady's enclosure tomorrow to make it more suitable; apparently some of the info I'd read on humidity was MISinformation. Thank goodness I joined this forum!
BTW: Ever since her initial soak she's been poopin' like a champ. Not nearly as much as from that soak too. When I first brought her home she looked a little "sunken in," so I'm thinking she was probably a bit dehydrated and "stopped up" with waste. I'm soaking her daily now and while she doesn't always poo in the soak, she definitely is passing healthy looking waste daily.
BTW: Ever since her initial soak she's been poopin' like a champ. Not nearly as much as from that soak too. When I first brought her home she looked a little "sunken in," so I'm thinking she was probably a bit dehydrated and "stopped up" with waste. I'm soaking her daily now and while she doesn't always poo in the soak, she definitely is passing healthy looking waste daily.
If it makes you feel better, mine has never pooped in his water. But I've seen it elsewhere. So don't worry if you don't always 'see it'.
It used to worry me too!
It used to worry me too!
Out of curiosity, how do YOU guys make a humid hide? My thought was to buy a large-ish square storage bin, and cut a nice big door about halfway up, then fill the whole bottom with nice damp coco coir. I do a mini-version of this for my lizards for their humid hides. Would that work well for a young sulcuta, or is there a better way to do it?
I got better substrate and other supplies to make her enclosure more enriched I'll have to post pictures when everything is all done. Again thanks so much for the help.
I got better substrate and other supplies to make her enclosure more enriched
I'll have to post pictures when everything is all done. Again thanks so much for the help.
RandomWiktor said:Out of curiosity, how do YOU guys make a humid hide? My thought was to buy a large-ish square storage bin, and cut a nice big door about halfway up, then fill the whole bottom with nice damp coco coir. I do a mini-version of this for my lizards for their humid hides. Would that work well for a young sulcuta, or is there a better way to do it?
I got better substrate and other supplies to make her enclosure more enriched
That is a way to do it sure. I honestly just built little hides myself out of wood. They have big openings. I keep my substrate moist (around 50-70% humidity), and even inside these more open hides, the humidity is in the 90's.
Some people stick wet sponges on the "ceilings" of the hides too, or add a lot of moss and wet it down.
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