Hydration via lettuce?

[Livingstone]

I have removed the water bowl from my sulcata, he walks through it every time I fill it. So I started increasing the amount of green leaf lettuce (not romain), he thinks its the jackpot. Anyways, I see him urinate at least once a week with no water bowl, only on the lettuce.
Is there a problem with what Im doing?
He is also being fed dandelion daily along with mazuri. He is 3 years old and 12" long, 8" wide.

 

[jaizei]

How often do you soak?

I think a water dish is necessary and water should be available at all times.

 

[Arizona Sulcata]

It's a good idea to have a water dish in there at all times. It adds to humidity and gives your tortoise the option of drinking. Even of he never uses it at least its there. I mean its not hurting anything by being in there so I'd keep it for sure! Plus the fact that he is walking through it is a good thing.

 

[Laura]

change where you place the bowl so he may not walk thru it..
you can dampen the greens and they get even more water that way..
If you Have to remove the dish.. then i would make sure you do frequent soaks.

 

[DanaLachney]

My redfoot sometimes just climbs in her water bowl and sits and drinks. Nothing wrong with that it may just get a little dirty faster

 

[GBtortoises]

I don't think I'd rely on lettuce for hydration. Not only that, but by increasing the volume of green leaf lettuce, which is absolutely poor in nutrional content, the lettuce become filler food and displaces the more nutrional foods that should be fed. Mazuri and dandelion are by no means a completely nutrional diet either.

A well hydrated tortoise will be urinating more than once a week too.

Stick with water for hydration and expand the diet more.

 

[Len B]

I am not going to question what you do and how you do it, I've seen pics of your tortoise and it's Beautiful, I have a sulcata that was eight years old before I caught it drinking from a bowl.

 

[ascott]

All the tortoise here have a water dish in their enclosure/yard....they do use them and I do have to tend to the dishes at least once a day (especially in the summer) however, about the middle of the heat of summer I do begin offering them a larger amount of red leaf lettuce and romaine as well as a couple times a month I offer either squash and/or watermelon....I do this simply to assure that in addition to the water they drink/soak in they take in more moisture and water by the change up on the items I offer and it damn near brings a smile to their faces (lol, not really) but it stimulates their taste buds...keep in mind though that my CDTs graze as a large part of their season and I rarely give them any offerings until summer has set in....and the RFs love to muck about in their water dishes when they are in their indoor enclosures....so I leave the dishes

I know that the icky water dish is not pretty but it does serve a purpose, at least here in the hot harsh high desert, especially in the summer months....

It is absolutely up to you what you decide, of course.

 

[bfmorris]

I have removed the water bowl from my sulcata, he walks through it every time I fill it. So I started increasing the amount of green leaf lettuce (not romain), he thinks its the jackpot. Anyways, I see him urinate at least once a week with no water bowl, only on the lettuce.
Is there a problem with what Im doing?
He is also being fed dandelion daily along with mazuri. He is 3 years old and 12" long, 8" wide.

Assuming your Mazuri is moistened, G sulcata definitely don't need daily drinks in those conditions. Given his size, I'd offer him a drink once a week. I would try to get him to eat ground up grass hay fragments by sprinkling on his green leaf.

 

[Livingstone]

How often do you soak?

I think a water dish is necessary and water should be available at all times.

Soaks are daily for 15 to 20 minutes.

It's a good idea to have a water dish in there at all times. It adds to humidity and gives your tortoise the option of drinking. Even of he never uses it at least its there. I mean its not hurting anything by being in there so I'd keep it for sure! Plus the fact that he is walking through it is a good thing.

I will probably add the water dish back, but I need to find a sturdier one.

change where you place the bowl so he may not walk thru it..
you can dampen the greens and they get even more water that way..
If you Have to remove the dish.. then i would make sure you do frequent soaks.

Thanks, I dont have an ideal location, but the soaks are daily.

I don't think I'd rely on lettuce for hydration. Not only that, but by increasing the volume of green leaf lettuce, which is absolutely poor in nutrional content, the lettuce become filler food and displaces the more nutrional foods that should be fed. Mazuri and dandelion are by no means a completely nutrional diet either.

A well hydrated tortoise will be urinating more than once a week too.

Stick with water for hydration and expand the diet more.

What do you recommend for the diet? He does get turnip greens and grassland food.

I am not going to question what you do and how you do it, I've seen pics of your tortoise and it's Beautiful, I have a sulcata that was eight years old before I caught it drinking from a bowl.

Thank you.

I have removed the water bowl from my sulcata, he walks through it every time I fill it. So I started increasing the amount of green leaf lettuce (not romain), he thinks its the jackpot. Anyways, I see him urinate at least once a week with no water bowl, only on the lettuce.
Is there a problem with what Im doing?
He is also being fed dandelion daily along with mazuri. He is 3 years old and 12" long, 8" wide.

Assuming your Mazuri is moistened, G sulcata definitely don't need daily drinks in those conditions. Given his size, I'd offer him a drink once a week. I would try to get him to eat ground up grass hay fragments by sprinkling on his green leaf.

I think I will re-introduce the water bowl... Thank you for the ideas.