I wanna know why is it so important to soak tortoise?
Soaking
- Thread starter Tortoise boy
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Honestly, I have NEVER once seen any of my 3 babies drink! Sounds crazy, right? I would guess that they're doing it, but not when I'm watching. I soak them daily, and sometimes twice a day. They're healthy, active, and they eat like little brontosaurus' so I'm not too worried about it.
Tnewton said:
AnthonyC said:
My redfoot will drink rarely by himself, otherwise if I put him in the dish he will drink. My sullys never drink it seems. My elongateds are bigger at almost a year and they do tend to drink but still get soaked as well
Most captive tortoises are at least somewhat dehydrated. Yours should feel like a bag of wet sand when you pick it up. If it feels light, it is probably dehydrated. Dehydration can lead to bladder stones, skeletal (including shell) and nerve issues, digestive issues, slow decline in health, reproductive failure, and more over time.
To be more accurate, you can apply the Donohue Formula- take the length in centimeters, cube it, then multiply it by 0.191 to get the minimum desired weight in grams. This works for all species of tortoise, but is not as accurate for very young ones.
If you are a metric-phobe, a.) get over it, metric rocks!, and b.) the formula for inches and pounds is to multiply by 0.113 instead- although it is not as accurate.
Soaking, especially in water with a bit of a good mix of salts and a bit of sugar, is one tool to help rehydrate a tortoise. They drink it, absorb some through the cloaca, and it 'plumps up' skin cells which helps resist infection and evaporative loss. Another important element is that soaks often trigger urination, which in turn often triggers a desire to drink and restock the bladder.
Other things to try are:
- Boosting humidity to a level appropriate to the species (misting, live plants, subsoil heating, etc.)
- Offering at least some high-moisture foods (live graze, melon, pre-soaked greens, etc.)
- Offering plenty of clean, easily accessible water even if it is rarely drank
- Simulate a rainstorm the best you can, especially if it is raining outside (so the barometric pressures match)
How often you soak would depend on how dehydrated the tortoise is, and the soak should last for at least as long as it takes to trigger urination, and usually defecation.
To be more accurate, you can apply the Donohue Formula- take the length in centimeters, cube it, then multiply it by 0.191 to get the minimum desired weight in grams. This works for all species of tortoise, but is not as accurate for very young ones.
If you are a metric-phobe, a.) get over it, metric rocks!, and b.) the formula for inches and pounds is to multiply by 0.113 instead- although it is not as accurate.
Soaking, especially in water with a bit of a good mix of salts and a bit of sugar, is one tool to help rehydrate a tortoise. They drink it, absorb some through the cloaca, and it 'plumps up' skin cells which helps resist infection and evaporative loss. Another important element is that soaks often trigger urination, which in turn often triggers a desire to drink and restock the bladder.
Other things to try are:
- Boosting humidity to a level appropriate to the species (misting, live plants, subsoil heating, etc.)
- Offering at least some high-moisture foods (live graze, melon, pre-soaked greens, etc.)
- Offering plenty of clean, easily accessible water even if it is rarely drank
- Simulate a rainstorm the best you can, especially if it is raining outside (so the barometric pressures match)
How often you soak would depend on how dehydrated the tortoise is, and the soak should last for at least as long as it takes to trigger urination, and usually defecation.
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