Soaking containers?

[Meganolvt]

Hi all-
Wondering if you all with indoor enclosures keep a water tub of some kind in the enclosure (big enough for your tort) or if you just take them out and soak them regularly? I've tried keeping one in his house, but he's rarely in it and i'm thinking of just soaking him daily instead. The most he does is walk through it and get the water dirty, like it is just in his path. Wondering if soaking daily would be more beneficial (right now I do it about once a week) since he literally never sits in it. My tort (yellowfoot) has a shell that is almost 10 inches, so it isn't as easy as with a little guy.

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

Both. I have a shallow water bath (a big terra cotta saucer) in the enclosure and then also do daily baths outside the enclosure. I see the saucer in the enclosure used occasionally, so I like having the option there.

 

[Tom]

I agree. You should do both.

I don't think you need to soak a 10" YF daily though.

 

[pfara]

I used to wonder why everyone posted how their tortoises always pooped or made a mess out of their water dishes. Up until a few months ago, I was blessed with poop-free, mostly clean water and they never seemed to soak in them. Now that they're older and bolder, I definitely have to wash their dishes every single day. They still don't really poop in it, but the food and soil get dragged in all the time. They now also self-soak a whole lot in the mornings because the CHEs are hung over the water dishes. There are huge differences in my reds after two and a half years.

I also agree that you should continue to do both.

 

[LRTortoises]

I don't soak adults daily. Weekly here and then keep them in a humid environment. I do always have a large pan of water available that they drink from.

 

[Meganolvt]

Ok I'll keep doing what I'm doing. Thanks for responding everyone.

 

[LadyKraken]

I have a 6 month redfoot do I soak it everyday or once a week? Thanks.

 

[christinaland128]

Both. I have a shallow water bath (a big terra cotta saucer) in the enclosure and then also do daily baths outside the enclosure. I see the saucer in the enclosure used occasionally, so I like having the option there.

I do exactly the same.

 

[AnimalLady]

I have a 6 month redfoot do I soak it everyday or once a week? Thanks.

I soak my little guy daily. He's about a year old.
My adult Russian gets soaked once a week.

 

[LadyKraken]

I soak my little guy daily. He's about a year old.
My adult Russian gets soaked once a week.

Ok ty

 

[waretrop]

In the summer Alice has a kiddie pool. I start it out with buckets of warm water and then it lays in the sun for a number of hours. She doesn't take kindly to using it. LOL

Alice can only fit in my corner shower in the winter. She doesn't take kindly to that either.

I just know it's good for her especially her head and face. I think of her as a child and that maybe once she get used to it she will learn to enjoy it. Either way, she will always get her bath time or shower time a few times a week.

 

[red foot tortoise]

For my red foot I have a water dish and a pool.
She also has a mist king myst dispenser that has a timer on it so she always has a timed soak so when I am not there I know she'll be hydrated.
She also has a tub which I soak her in every once in a while.

 

[MPRC]

I have big water dishes for my Redfoots and one uses hers constantly and the other only walks through it on his daily rounds and doesn't really use it to soak. They both get soaked in the sink as well as self-soaks in their enclosures.