Water Filtration for Red Foot TORTOISE

[ND135]

Sorry, I will have a lot of questions while I'm still building the next enclosure for my red foot. I've had her almost a year now - we guess she is probably a little over 2 years old.

I am curious about using filtered water for the fogger/bath/sprayers. I've learned a lot about my baby this year, but SO MUCH MORE to learn.

For a primarily INDOOR enclosure:
Does anyone here use filtered water for their TORTOISE and if so, what kind of filtration system? Regular Brita or Pur from stores or do you have a below sink filtration system? What exactly should be filtered out for bathing/spraying? I've seen some torts with mineral deposits on the shell. I live in the USA northeast coast, so creating indoor rain forest conditions is a challenge, so I want to do the best I can for her.
Thanks for the advice,
N

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello!
1. For misters/humidifiers and such it's better to consult the user's manual. Probably, they work better with distilled water (especially, ultrasonic humidifiers). But with a closed chamber you usually don't need any fancy gadgets.

2. For drinking dishes you can use water right from a tap or after filtering - whatever you consider safe for drinking yourself. Chlorine is probably most concerning chemical (used to desinfect water in some countries).

3. If water for soaking is high in calcium, you can rinse your tortoise with a filtered water after bathing (to avoid mineral deposits).

Collected rainwater can be good option, probably.

 

[ND135]

Hello!
1. For misters/humidifiers and such it's better to consult the user's manual. Probably, they work better with distilled water (especially, ultrasonic humidifiers). But with a closed chamber you usually don't need any fancy gadgets.

2. For drinking dishes you can use water right from a tap or after filtering - whatever you consider safe for drinking yourself. Chlorine is probably most concerning chemical (used to desinfect water in some countries).

3. If water for soaking is high in calcium, you can rinse your tortoise with a filtered water after bathing (to avoid mineral deposits).

Collected rainwater can be good option, probably.

Thanks! I worry about mineral deposits on the shell. Funny, I put an old large pot out recently to collect the rain water

Thanks so much!!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Many of us...Myself included. Have tried many times over the years to utilize a filter in our tortoise watering system. (If this is your question)
The tortoise poop and associated bacteria quickly overwhelm every type of filter I've attempted to use. And I don't recall a single member that was successful in making a self cleaning water feature with any sort of biological and or physical filter.
In fact, the only thing that I'm somewhat convinced would work would be for outside. A water stream fed by a very large and heavily planted "BOG" filter. And even then it'd probably be worrying trying to get the Nitrite/Nitrate levels settled. And in dedicating a large enough portion of my yard to become the bog. Although it could be a raised one.

I've always wanted to try placing a meandering stream in my yard. Fed through a pump to a bog filter. Then have that stream run through my three tortoise enclosures.
Maybe one day I'll give it a try.

If you find success in some way or another. Please post it.
This question comes up fairly often.

 

[Tom]

Sorry, I will have a lot of questions while I'm still building the next enclosure for my red foot. I've had her almost a year now - we guess she is probably a little over 2 years old.

I am curious about using filtered water for the fogger/bath/sprayers. I've learned a lot about my baby this year, but SO MUCH MORE to learn.

For a primarily INDOOR enclosure:
Does anyone here use filtered water for their TORTOISE and if so, what kind of filtration system? Regular Brita or Pur from stores or do you have a below sink filtration system? What exactly should be filtered out for bathing/spraying? I've seen some torts with mineral deposits on the shell. I live in the USA northeast coast, so creating indoor rain forest conditions is a challenge, so I want to do the best I can for her.
Thanks for the advice,
N

Foggers and sprayers should not be used or needed in tortoise enclosures. It is easy to maintain warmth and humidity in a large closed chamber. Constant wetness will cause shell rot.

Regular tap water is best for soaking and drinking. They need the minerals. No need to filter it. To prevent the hard water stains, simply rinse the tortoise with non-mineralized water. I use collected rainwater in a sprayer for this purpose, but distilled or reverse osmosis water will work too.

 

[ND135]

Many of us...Myself included. Have tried many times over the years to utilize a filter in our tortoise watering system. (If this is your question)
The tortoise poop and associated bacteria quickly overwhelm every type of filter I've attempted to use. And I don't recall a single member that was successful in making a self cleaning water feature with any sort of biological and or physical filter.
In fact, the only thing that I'm somewhat convinced would work would be for outside. A water stream fed by a very large and heavily planted "BOG" filter. And even then it'd probably be worrying trying to get the Nitrite/Nitrate levels settled. And in dedicating a large enough portion of my yard to become the bog. Although it could be a raised one.

I've always wanted to try placing a meandering stream in my yard. Fed through a pump to a bog filter. Then have that stream run through my three tortoise enclosures.
Maybe one day I'll give it a try.

If you find success in some way or another. Please post it.
This question comes up fairly often.

Thanks!!!

I'm actually asking more for fogger/sprayer and soaking water for shell health. I worry about mineral deposits or calcium build up on the shell. Keeping clean water in the enclosure so far just means me replacing it many times each day - these little bulldozers just don't care what they drag through the water.

Your stream idea sounds amazing! My other half is a mechanical engineer. I'll have to see what he can come up with this summer and share.

Thanks so much for the advice!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Dist

Thanks!!!

I'm actually asking more for fogger/sprayer and soaking water for shell health. I worry about mineral deposits or calcium build up on the shell. Keeping clean water in the enclosure so far just means me replacing it many times each day - these little bulldozers just don't care what they drag through the water.

Your stream idea sounds amazing! My other half is a mechanical engineer. I'll have to see what he can come up with this summer and share.

Thanks so much for the advice!

Distilled water works in foggers and has no calcium. I use it for my Chameleons cages. But Distilled water isn't suitable for drinking.
In a correctly set up CLOSED CHAMBER ENCLOSURE you will not need a mister or a humidifier.
Distilled water can also be used to pour into the substrate for humidity control.
But again, in a closed chamber, mineral stains and mineral deposits won't be an issue in the first place.