I have been wrong in my understanding of how and whether reptiles absorb liquids in the cloaca. The sources I initially used that taught that absorption does not occur appear to have been an inadequate sampling of the research.
It seems that most reptiles do absorb something (although there is still debate about what all passes inwardly, etc.), and it is a benefit for stressed or dehydrated tortoises.
So, if your tortoise is stressed, loosing weight, showing signs of dehydration (sunken eyes, dry skin, light body weight, etc.) then a forced soak in water, rehydration or electrolytic solution, and/or thinned fruit or veggie purees (baby foods) probably helps quite a bit more than I had thought or taught.
In partial penance, allow me to offer a recipe for home-made oral rehydration solution, developed by the World Health Organization.
- 1 liter of clean water (H2O)
- 1/2 teaspoon of table salt (NaCl, sodium chloride)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt substiture (KCl, potassium chloride)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (NaHC02, sodium bicarbonate)
- 2 tablespoons table sugar (C12H22O11, sucrose)
Combine and drink (soak in for reptiles). It will taste very salty to someone who is well-hydrated, and delicious to someone who needs the electrolytes (fancy term for the various salts).
Tweaks and hacks include:
- Using 1 teaspoon of Morton 'Lite Salt', which is a half-and-half mix of NaCL and KCl, in place of the first two ingredients.
- For humans, especially kids, use no-sugar flavorings, like Crystal Light, to make it more palatable.
- For tortoises, I might consider cutting back on the sugar, and/or replacing it with a simpler sugar, like fructose or glucose (corn syrup), but I would definitely leave some sugar in the formula since sugars have such an important role in the system. Another option would be to leave the sugar out and use some pureed fruits or vegetables instead.
- For tortoises that are not very dehydrated, I would not use this at all, or dilute it.
- While the jury is still out on WHAT can 'flow' though the cloacal membranes, you may want to add some liquid vitamins to the mix as well!
How often and how long? The most common answers seem to be 2 daily soaks for 15-30 minutes each for very dehydrated tortoises, to once a week or so to help prevent dehydration in healthier tortoises.
So- the sicker the tortoise, the saltier the water (using the above recipe as a guide) and the more often it is soaked.
It seems that most reptiles do absorb something (although there is still debate about what all passes inwardly, etc.), and it is a benefit for stressed or dehydrated tortoises.
So, if your tortoise is stressed, loosing weight, showing signs of dehydration (sunken eyes, dry skin, light body weight, etc.) then a forced soak in water, rehydration or electrolytic solution, and/or thinned fruit or veggie purees (baby foods) probably helps quite a bit more than I had thought or taught.
In partial penance, allow me to offer a recipe for home-made oral rehydration solution, developed by the World Health Organization.
- 1 liter of clean water (H2O)
- 1/2 teaspoon of table salt (NaCl, sodium chloride)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt substiture (KCl, potassium chloride)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (NaHC02, sodium bicarbonate)
- 2 tablespoons table sugar (C12H22O11, sucrose)
Combine and drink (soak in for reptiles). It will taste very salty to someone who is well-hydrated, and delicious to someone who needs the electrolytes (fancy term for the various salts).
Tweaks and hacks include:
- Using 1 teaspoon of Morton 'Lite Salt', which is a half-and-half mix of NaCL and KCl, in place of the first two ingredients.
- For humans, especially kids, use no-sugar flavorings, like Crystal Light, to make it more palatable.
- For tortoises, I might consider cutting back on the sugar, and/or replacing it with a simpler sugar, like fructose or glucose (corn syrup), but I would definitely leave some sugar in the formula since sugars have such an important role in the system. Another option would be to leave the sugar out and use some pureed fruits or vegetables instead.
- For tortoises that are not very dehydrated, I would not use this at all, or dilute it.
- While the jury is still out on WHAT can 'flow' though the cloacal membranes, you may want to add some liquid vitamins to the mix as well!
How often and how long? The most common answers seem to be 2 daily soaks for 15-30 minutes each for very dehydrated tortoises, to once a week or so to help prevent dehydration in healthier tortoises.
So- the sicker the tortoise, the saltier the water (using the above recipe as a guide) and the more often it is soaked.