Upending the water dish

[Reptilian Feline]

Tank Girl is a bulldozer. She decided she wanted to hide under the water dish instead of her normal hide. Good thing there wasn't much water in it.

I thought I'd do something about it, so I cleaned the water dish, put it back and placed a heavy flat rock in it... it's a large square water dish, and refilled it. Next thing... she has dug under it again, the water is all gone, and the rock is still in the dish. *SIGH*

So, for now, they are without a water dish. There will be daily soaks both for Tank Girl and Embers instead.

Is this a common problem? What do you do to keep them upending the water dish?

 

[Careym13]

Tank Girl is a bulldozer. She decided she wanted to hide under the water dish instead of her normal hide. Good thing there wasn't much water in it.

I thought I'd do something about it, so I cleaned the water dish, put it back and placed a heavy flat rock in it... it's a large square water dish, and refilled it. Next thing... she has dug under it again, the water is all gone, and the rock is still in the dish. *SIGH*

So, for now, they are without a water dish. There will be daily soaks both for Tank Girl and Embers instead.

Is this a common problem? What do you do to keep them upending the water dish?

For my Leopards, I had to bury mine in the substrate (I use terra cotta saucers) and place smooth rocks around it to help keep them from tracking dirt in. The rocks also inhibit their ability to get under the saucer. In my Russian enclosure I have the saucer on a flat tile, but he doesn't try to flip his dish.

 

[Reptilian Feline]

For my Leopards, I had to bury mine in the substrate (I use terra cotta saucers) and place smooth rocks around it to help keep them from tracking dirt in. The rocks also inhibit their ability to get under the saucer. In my Russian enclosure I have the saucer on a flat tile, but he doesn't try to flip his dish.

I had the dish buried in the substrate. I'll try the rocks around it. When I gave Tank Girl her soak last night I saw her drink for the first time, so they do need their water dish, but I can't use one of those heavy ones because Embers is too small to reach without difficulty to drink from a smaller but heavier bowl.

I love those redfoots, but they sure know how to destroy any assemblanse to order. There is no way a plant will stay in place, the hide is moved all over the place, and they bury part of their food when they dig. I guess that's what it's like to be a tort mom, right?

 

[Moozillion]

I had the dish buried in the substrate. I'll try the rocks around it. When I gave Tank Girl her soak last night I saw her drink for the first time, so they do need their water dish, but I can't use one of those heavy ones because Embers is too small to reach without difficulty to drink from a smaller but heavier bowl.

I love those redfoots, but they sure know how to destroy any assemblanse to order. There is no way a plant will stay in place, the hide is moved all over the place, and they bury part of their food when they dig. I guess that's what it's like to be a tort mom, right?

Yeppers!!! Welcome to the delightfully unpredictable world of tortoises!!!! They are headstrong little buggers!!!!!

 

[Reptilian Feline]

Hmm... I've been thinking. Could I make a wooden frame for the water dish (since it's square) so the torts can't get their heads under it? The sloping edges are the culprit here I think.

 

[Moozillion]

You could certainly try it. With torts, there's no guarantees- that's part of the challenge and part of the fun!

I wish I had some helpful ideas for you, but my Hermann's tortoise doesn't dig under her water dish- in fact, she ignores it except to walk through it, dragging in dirt, leaves and substrate.

 

[Reptilian Feline]

I'm always up for a challenge. I put in a small water dish... used to be a glass candle holder, and hope they can at least drink from that if the big dish gets dug out again until I've fixed things. I think that part of the problem is that they don't have a big hide, just two smaller ones. Embers is small enough to just dig into the substrate, but Tank Girl is more of a tank. I guess it also mean that they are settling in.

 

[Moozillion]

I'm always up for a challenge. I put in a small water dish... used to be a glass candle holder, and hope they can at least drink from that if the big dish gets dug out again until I've fixed things. I think that part of the problem is that they don't have a big hide, just two smaller ones. Embers is small enough to just dig into the substrate, but Tank Girl is more of a tank. I guess it also mean that they are settling in.

You may be on to something there: tank girl may be looking for a nice secure hide. My Elsa's favorite hides are big curved section of palm tree boots. She always pushes to the back where her carapace contacts the "ceiling" of the boot.
Can you put 2 big dishes in there: one for her to dig under and one for her to hopefully ignore?

 

[Reptilian Feline]

I have two hides, one a little larger than the other, made from upside-down bowls made for whipping cream or making cake batter. A hole is cut in each so the torts can get inside. It usually looks a mess after they've been digging around and walking around in and on them (when they tip over). I don't have access to palm roots covers... I've seen them and that seems like a wonderful kind of hide. I have to build one made of wood so it gets a bit heavier and fit them better. I don't want to make it too small, or Tank Girl won't be able to get in. A weekend project for sure.

 

[Hermany'sMum]

Ours doesn't drink unless in her daily bath, but I do have one of those terracotta wide dishes in case she wants water and it's on a paving slab. So there's nothing soft to dig under even if she wanted to. Perhaps a paving slab would be too heavy for yours to bother with?

 

[Reptilian Feline]

Ours doesn't drink unless in her daily bath, but I do have one of those terracotta wide dishes in case she wants water and it's on a paving slab. So there's nothing soft to dig under even if she wanted to. Perhaps a paving slab would be too heavy for yours to bother with?

It's a glass tank, so I have the dish on the glass, but the edges are sloping outwards and up, and I fill that with the coco coir. I placed a stone (piece of a paving stone of special variety here in Sweden) to butt up against the dish and so far that seem to work. They can also play around with their hides so that seem to be OK as well. Keeping them busy.

I was thinking of attaching the dish to something heavy, but that would make cleaning it very difficult.