Hard water question

[Zouwu]

I apologize if this is addressed in another thread. But I live in salt lake City and we have some of the hardest water in the country. Is this an issue for Torts? (Leopard)

I use Prime dechlorinator with all my other pets. Is this safe/recommended/necessary for Torts? (Leopard)

Thanks!

 

[Tom]

If the tap water is safe for you to drink, shower and brush your teeth in, then it is safe for your tortoise.

No need to use dechlorinator. Its just adding more chemicals into the water.

 

[Zouwu]

Okay great, not as sensitive as hermit crabs or frogs then. And idk, safe is definitely debatable. It doesn't kill me but drinking a lot of it definitely makes me sick.

 

[Tom]

Okay great, not as sensitive as hermit crabs or frogs then. And idk, safe is definitely debatable. It doesn't kill me but drinking a lot of it definitely makes me sick.

If that is the case then I would use bottled water for soaking and drinking.

 

[Zouwu]

Okay cool. We are working on getting water softeners installed. I'll use the filtered and boiled water that I drink. It's about the same as the bottled stuff but cheaper lol

 

[Emma Hanson]

Minerals are what make hard water hard, and they’re not supposed to be making you sick. Get your water tested for any possible contaminants. You probably need more than a softener. A great setting, as suggested by the experts on Healthy Kitchen 101, would be a wholehouse water softener, and an undersink reverse osmosis filtration system for drinking and cooking water. Your pets may benefit from the RO system too (just remember to get one with remineralization).

 

[Stoneman]

I'm in Ogden, and I have used both at different houses. I have not noticed a difference. If you have some coin to spare I would upgrade them in other ways.

 

[Stoneman]

I just saw your updates. If you have to choose between not being able to change the soiled water with the filtered stuff, and using the tap, I would use the other water first. If it is warm enough to bathe outside I will use secondary instead of culinary, because it is cheaper.