Water dish

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blackbird

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I'm so sorry to keep asking so many dumb questions- I feel like I've got a lot of catching up to do and I'm definitely a little worried that I'll miss something big. :shy:

For the past week and a few days, I haven't noticed Bogey drinking from her terra cotta soaking tray- she's still been eating and "going" regularly xD I just haven't seen her drinking from the dish, which is weird because she normally takes a sip or two before she decides to hop in and soak for a while- however I figured she was just being shy again and not drinking in front of me- which she usually is, I normally have to hide before she'll drink anything. :rolleyes: The last couple days I noticed a lot more urates though, which is what tipped me off so today I got rid of the terra cotta, filled a plastic container with warm water and set her in. Voila, she took 6 or 7 big gulps- a lot more than she normally drinks.

I've been scrubbing the terra cotta out regularly with soap and water because I really don't like the bacteria slime, and normally as long as I do, she's cool with it. Is it possible she knows something I don't and it's just not clean enough anymore, even with the scrubbing?

She's currently making the rounds all bright eyed and curious looking, I just really hope I won't mess her up by not having caught this sooner.
 

Tom

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This is a common thing. Most tortoises prefer to drink out of muddy, disgusting puddles, even when there is clean clear fresh water right next to them. It might be that she smelled the soap residue and didn't like it. I never use soap on mine. The surface is so porous that it will absorb it like a sponge. I just wipe them out with my hands most days and occasionally bleach them. After bleaching I rinse thoroughly and let them soak and then sun dry for a few hours. I make sure I can smell no bleach residue before they go back into the enclosures. I'd leave the water dish in, but still soak in the separate deeper tub on occasion.
 

blackbird

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Okay, thanks for the info- so it's not that it's not clean enough, it could be too clean? Oh, Bug, you're so fussy sometimes. xD

I have noticed that since she drank all that water she's been making messes everywhere. Jeepers. I think next time think I'll just wash the terra cotta out well and let it dry in the sun, heh. Thank you!
 

SulcataSquirt

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I use the glazed terra cotta plant sausers that way i dont have to worry about them being porous, they cost more but they clean up very nicely, some people say they dont like them because it seems their tort cant get out as easily, But this has never been the case for my tort easy in, easy out.
 

Yvonne G

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Since most of my habitats are outdoors, my waterers are pretty green and ugly most of the time. All I do is rinse them out with the hose. I used to take a brush to them and brush out all the slime and algae, but for the past couple years, all I do is rinse them out and re-fill. I don't think there's anything wrong with them drinking algae water. (in my opinion :p )
 
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