How much water do you keep availble for your sully?

[Riperoo]

OK, how much water do you generally keep in your sullys habitat? I have about a 10 inch juvie, and I have never seen him drink from his water bowl. Usually just barrels it over going for his food bowl. I do soak him regularly, and generally when he gets done with his soak, he takes a nice long pee. So he is getting water from somewhere, possibly while soaking. Wondering how important it is to have a water source in his habitat? My thought at the moment is that being a desert tort he can probably go a while on limited water, and he is probably taking in a bit of moisture from his food as well. So, question is do you keep a water source in his habitat (and by that I mean a bowl of water) or not?

Thanks!!

 

[Tom]

I usually don't. I've had the same experience as you. They just make a mess of it and never drink from it. I do soak little ones daily and mist them several times a day. I'd soak one the size of yours every second or third day. I also spray the food down with water before they eat it.

Many years ago, when I raised my first sulcatas (early 90's), I didn't do any of these things and had no problems. They can tolerate a lot and survive just fine. I decided somewhere along the way that just because they can survive dehydration, doesn't mean it should be inflicted upon them. For a good sized one like yours, I don't think its all that critical.

So far, I haven't heard of any problems with too much hydration.

 

[Greg T]

I don't have a sully, but Leopards are similar. I keep a pan of water in their pen all the time and they will go drink from it quite often. They will drag water everywhere after they truck on through the pan unfortunately. Although you may not see them drink, I still believe they drink more than we believe which is why I prefer to keep water available.

 

[DAC8671]

I have a 20 inch flower pot base/plate in Ralph's enclosure. He walks through it, though I've only ever seen him drink from it a handful of times. During the summer I'll turn the hose on and he comes running and will drink from the hose. I keep the water in his enclosure if he wants to sit in it (usually poops & pees in it too), or if he does want to drink from it. I'm not with him 24/7 so I'm can't say how often he drinks. I know he uses his water dish for one reason or another every day.

 

[chairman]

IMO, desert animals survive despite living in the desert, not because of it. He may be adapted to live without water, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't provide him with access to his own private oasis 24/7. I'd go with a dish big enough for him to soak himself in if he so desires.

 

[dmmj]

Mine is still quite small but he loves his water bowl, every time I fill it up he goes right over to it and drinks then poops in it, and I fill it up almost everyday.

 

[DonaTello's-Mom]

I have a water bowl for my sully, near the heat lamp so it stays warm. Every morning he drinks and soaks in it, all by himself. He is 1 1/2 yrs old and this seems to be HIS routine and he's never pooped in his water dish, yet.

 

[dmmj]

almost all of my tortoises poop in their water bowls. except the CDT because he does not drink from a water bowl he only likes the muddy dirty grassy water when I water the yard.

 

[DAC8671]

Oh and I forgot, when we have the kids' slip-n-slide out on hot days, he'll go try to drink from the sprinkler part. Then he just lays in the middle of the slide digging, trying to throw the water on his back. Ralph LOVES water. But still not sure how much he drinks on a daily basis.

 

[DonaTello's-Mom]

Oh and I forgot, when we have the kids' slip-n-slide out on hot days, he'll go try to drink from the sprinkler part. Then he just lays in the middle of the slide digging, trying to throw the water on his back. Ralph LOVES water. But still not sure how much he drinks on a daily basis.

I saw a pic here of a tortie and the 'slip n slide', was that you? Maybe you could re-post it?....

 

[Laura]

I have garbage can lids upside down, placed in a slight depression in the ground.. I keep water in them, so if they are thirtsy its there. I also have a concrete 'hole' out in the far enclosure.. but it leaks,, so its not always full.

 

[DeanS]

My large sulcatas drink from puddles that have gathered on the concrete and will spend up to 10 minutes with their heads down in it...the yearlings will drink out of their soaking pool...

 

[Yvonne G]

Like Laura, my outside habitats have dumpster lids sunk down into the ground. I keep water in them all the time, however, it seems like the only time they take advantage of it is when I dump out the old and add new with the hose.

Dudley's water a few minutes AFTER I cleaned it out.

 

[DAC8671]

Oh and I forgot, when we have the kids' slip-n-slide out on hot days, he'll go try to drink from the sprinkler part. Then he just lays in the middle of the slide digging, trying to throw the water on his back. Ralph LOVES water. But still not sure how much he drinks on a daily basis.

I saw a pic here of a tortie and the 'slip n slide', was that you? Maybe you could re-post it?....

 

[DonaTello's-Mom]

Thanks DAC8671 !! I love these pictures........can't wait for mine to grow up.

 

[luvsulcatas]

Fred drinks from his water bowl every day. I keep a large plastic dish about 36 inches in diameter in his outdoor pen and his indoor pen. He likes to go to sleep in his water and take a nap, especially when the water is warm. He also comes a-running when I am filling his dish with the hose so he can run under the sprinkling water.