At what point do you stop daily soaks?

[Tortus]

I heard Tom mention something about 4 inches. Mine is exactly 4" at 6 months old, over 230 grams as of today.

Would it be ok to soak every other day now, or should I continue daily soaks? It seems it's taking longer and longer to poop in the soak now. Sometimes nearly an hour. I normally leave the soaking dish on the stove with the oven on to keep it warm, then "set it and forget it" until I see doo doo.

But at this point, I'm not sure if it needs to go or be soaked every day.

 

[RedfootsRule]

I don't keep leopards, but soaking is a general tort thing so....I think it completely depends on the time you have. At 4", I would still say soak daily, if you have time. 5-6"+ its fine every other day, but like I said, it depends on how much time you have. If you had the time, it wouldn't hurt to soak them daily til 12"...See what I mean? Its healthy, is the point. Eventually, its not NEEDED like it is for young ones, but still beneficial to do it as often as possible.

 

[sibi]

I would Continue daily soaks until he's a year old. I personally don't see why I should soak every other day because I have the time and I think it's healthy for my torts. Even if they don't poop, they love the warm soaks and stretches. If you don't have the time, soaks every other day or 3 times a week is fine. Torts internal movements(pooping) are very slow, so they may just not go as often, but it won't hurt to continue daily soaks until they reach 1.

 

[wellington]

I soaked my leopard every day until he was approx 1 and 1/2 then switched to every other day. He is two in March and almost 6 inches. I will continue to soak every other until he is about 8 inches then will switch to 2-3 times a week. 6 months is two young to stop the daily in my opinion. Besides, it's not hard and is good for them.

 

[Tom]

As you noted, I start reducing the soaks as they gain size. Once they are over 100 grams, I'll occasionally skip a day. By the time they are 300 grams, I soak them every other day or so. It is variable due to the weather and other factors. If its particularly dry and hot, I might still soak them everyday if they are outside for long periods of time. If they are indoors all day in their humid enclosure with drinking water available, as often happens in winter, I start skipping more and more days as they gain size. I have no set rule, but I try to soak hatchlings everyday, and gradually cut them back as they gain size.

Many years ago, I almost never soaked them, and they all survived. They were stunted and pyramided, but alive and well otherwise. It's not the end of the world if they skip a soaking day once in awhile, even as babies. The hotter and drier their environment, the more critical soaking is. So in an open topped enclosure with heat lamps and CHEs, soaking is much more critical than in a humid closed chamber with much lower wattage heating elements. Or if you live in South FL, soaks are less critical than if you live in the CA desert or Phoenix AZ.

 

[Tortus]

I started this thread because yesterday I felt like crap and didn't have the motivation to soak. But glad it's ok to miss a day now and then.

I also noticed as it gets older, it doesn't want to sleep over the heat mat. I'm not sure if it's looking for a cooler night temp or what, but I'll often check in the morning and it's on the other side of the enclosure. I guess during the summer it won't need a night source of heat at all.

 

[GBtortoises]

Soaking is not an absolute necessity at any size or age. If the three components of hydration are being adequately maintained soaking is just an added insurance. If the tortoise has constant, easy access to drinking water; the substrate is maintained at a proper moisture level and the ambient air humidity is within the suitable range for the species there is no need for soaking a tortoise. However, soaking is also not a negative action. It is another step in assuring that your tortoise has an opportunity to drink and absorb moisture. But at the same time the other components should not be ignored in lieu of soaking. Except in very hot and dry conditions tortoises of most species rarely will enter water to sit in it. Under normal environmental parameters they will sit at the edge of a water source and drink from it or drink from the ground during rains and/or from water dripping from plant leaves. This is very likely why soaking is stressful to some tortoises and they will often immediately attempt to escape the water. Most in captivity, after a while will become used to being soaked if done on a regular basis. The cause of stress, if any, might be the only negative aspect of soaking. But again, if captive environmental conditions, especially as they apply to hydration, are maintained correctly soaking isn't a necessity anyway.

 

[Mich]

I usually only soak my leopard tort on the weekends (or sooner if shes dirty) but she has a large water dish in her enclosure that is deep enough for soaking and she uses it every single day, sometimes I have to clean the bark and stuff out that she drags through it a few times a day (or poo! lol) so I know for a face she uses it and it's not hard to walk in and catch her soaking. I also spray about 1/4 of her enclousre every morning to help with humidity and keep the substrate moist. I have a hide at that end too but honestly she never uses it no matter what substrate I put in.

 

[surie_the_tortoise]

evan at 14 inch i still soak my female sulcata every couple days some stretches daily . if nothing else because she loves the couple min shower