Hey, I'm new and need a little advise

[Afedorenko]

Hello, my name is Alex, and I have a 2 month old Eastern Hermanns tortoise His name is Marvin, even though it might turn out to be female This is my first tortoise and I have been following the care sheets that the breeder provided me and he is doing very well. He is active and eats his food and he is noticeably less shy than the day I got him.

I have been told that he needs daily soaking to stay hydrated at his age for 10-15 minutes minimum. I have been soaking him in his enclosure water dish in luke warm water. Some days he is calm and will stay in the dish, but most days its a battle just to get him to soak for 5 minutes. I have tried changing the water temperature, providing him some food (which he completely ignores) and a dish with sides he can't climb out of, but that seems to stress him out more than me constantly picking him up to move him back into the water. He will crawl through it himself when he makes his "rounds" each day in the enclosure, but he will not sit in it on his own.

Is there something I can do to make soaking more enjoyable for him? Or a way that I can keep his hydration up without soaking as often?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Tom]

Putting the tortoise in its water dish is not "soaking".

You need a separate, tall sided, opaque tub to soak him in. Its okay if he's in an active mood and wants to run around. The exercise will be good for him. Let him slosh around for his 10-20 minutes and then put him away.

I like to clean the enclosure water and freshen up the food during soak time.

 

[Lyn W]

Hi Alex and welcome to the forum.
There is a good caresheet for hermanns which will tell you all about the correct temps, humidity, diet and soaking etc.
I also found the Beginners Mistakes thread useful and the Enclosures thread has lots of great ideas.
www.thetortoisetable.org.uk is a good website to help you ID tort safe plants.
Which part of the world are you in?

I have seen it recommended that a high sided container is best for soaking and if it is big enough for them to move about it will encourage them to poop in the water rather than their enclosure. But you have to replace the water as soon as soiled.
It is probably something he will get used to.

 

[AnimalLady]

If you soak him in that you'd be playing catch the running tort for hours! hehe!
I use a tub that has tall sides that you cannot see thru.

They need their soaking, its beneficial to them. My guy has already gotten use to it and takes it as his "spa time".

Good luck! Gorgeous tort you have there and welcome to the TFO~!

 

[Afedorenko]

Putting the tortoise in its water dish is not "soaking".

You need a separate, tall sided, opaque tub to soak him in. Its okay if he's in an active mood and wants to run around. The exercise will be good for him. Let him slosh around for his 10-20 minutes and then put him away.

I like to clean the enclosure water and freshen up the food during soak time.

Thanks Tom, I always change the water before and after "soaking". I just used the same dish. I will try a different dish again for it.

 

[Afedorenko]

Alrighty, I will try the other dish, I'm sure he will get used to it soon! That website looks great! Thank you!

 

[Afedorenko]

Hi Alex and welcome to the forum.
There is a good caresheet for hermanns which will tell you all about the correct temps, humidity, diet and soaking etc.
I also found the Beginners Mistakes thread useful and the Enclosures thread has lots of great ideas.
www.thetortoisetable.org.uk is a good website to help you ID tort safe plants.
Which part of the world are you in?

I have seen it recommended that a high sided container is best for soaking and if it is big enough for them to move about it will encourage them to poop in the water rather than their enclosure. But you have to replace the water as soon as soiled.
It is probably something he will get used to.

I am in Ontario, Canada. Barrie area right now for school. I have him inside for now, but I plan on making a summer outdoor enclosure for him

 

[Lyn W]

Rather than a dish use something like a big opaque plastic food box or plastic storage box or a washing up bowl that he definitely can't get out of but keep the water shallow - to about the bottom of his shell.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, Alex, and welcome to the forum!

Doesn't matter if your baby "likes" his soak or not. You're the boss, not him. He doesn't have to like something that's good for him.

 

[Afedorenko]

Hey! I know. And I did make him.
Still learning how to be a good tortoise owner Just wanted to see if there was a way to make him more comfortable with something I know stresses him out. He will get used to it I'm sure.
Thank you!

 

[Yvonne G]

He might just be scared of it, but make sure you're doing it right:

The water should be around 80F degrees.

The water should only come up to the middle of his sides (where the top shell meets the bottom shell)

He shouldn't be able to see out of the container or climb out of it.

He'll soon realize that the Food god rescues him from this fate worse than death, and he'll start to become accustomed to it.

 

[Afedorenko]

Haha ok I just soaked him in warm water at that depth and in a dish like everyone else also suggested. I'll get a thermometer so I can make sure the water is the right temp for him. He seemed no more active or scared than the way I was soaking him before. But it was definitely nice not to have to make sure he didn't climb out. Thanks for the advice! Marvin and I appreciate it a lot!

 

[Lyn W]

Haha ok I just soaked him in warm water at that depth and in a dish like everyone else also suggested. I'll get a thermometer so I can make sure the water is the right temp for him. He seemed no more active or scared than the way I was soaking him before. But it was definitely nice not to have to make sure he didn't climb out. Thanks for the advice! Marvin and I appreciate it a lot!

Apologies if I am saying something that you already know is good sense, but just make sure his soaking tub is clean and not used for anything else. As you know they absorb water as they soak, so you don't want any soap/chemicals etc in there.
(It wasn't something I would have known when I first had my tort - learned lots since I found this place!!)

 

[Carol S]

Welcome to the Forum.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello Alex

 

[Speedy-1]

Hi and welcome Alex and Marvin !

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello, Alex and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum to you and Marvin!!
Good advice can be found http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
and http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sticky-hermanns-tortoise-care-sheet-updated.101410/
as well as http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/closed-chambers.32333/
and http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/the-end-of-pyramiding.15137/
A digital thermometer and hygrometer would be good so that you can measure temperatures and humidity in the enclosure too.