What’s the best way to bathe my tort?

[Throckmortok]

Hi! I have a Russian tortoise named Throckmorton. He’s finally starting to trust me, so I finally feel conformable enough to bathe him. He definitely needs one since he decided it would be super fun to walk right into his freshly dropped poop LOL. How do I do this? What have you found is the best way to bathe him? I know not to use soap, so I definitely won’t, but I’m so anxious to bathe him! I’ve read to use a toothbrush to get into his little folds and everything… but ooh I’m so anxious that I’ll somehow harm him! Any and all advice would be super duper appreciated. Thank you!!!

 

[Tom]

I don't bathe my torts. I soak them in warm water. The main purpose is hydration, not cleaning.

Get a tall sided opaque tub that is larger than your tortoise. Use warm water and keep it warm for the whole soak. 80-95 degrees. The water should come about 1/3 to 1/2 way up the tortoise. They should not struggle to keep their head above water. Soak the tortoise for 30-40 minutes. Feel free to refresh the water after a bowel movement if you want to. Sometimes it helps to have a second tub ready to switch to while your rinse the first soiled tub. Don't worry about it if your tortoise claws at the sides trying to get out. We call this the tortoise tread mill and it is beneficial. Tortoises, much like horses, rely on locomotion to help move things through the GI tract. Even large tortoise enclosures are restrictive compared to how much walking they would do in the wild, so all that walking in the tub gives them much needed exercise, mental stimulation, and helps with digestion. After the soak, I rinse them with demineralized water to get the poopy water off of them and prevent hard water stains. I leave them wet and put them back in their enclosure.

 

[Throckmortok]

I don't bathe my torts. I soak them in warm water. The main purpose is hydration, not cleaning.

Get a tall sided opaque tub that is larger than your tortoise. Use warm water and keep it warm for the whole soak. 80-95 degrees. The water should come about 1/3 to 1/2 way up the tortoise. They should not struggle to keep their head above water. Soak the tortoise for 30-40 minutes. Feel free to refresh the water after a bowel movement if you want to. Sometimes it helps to have a second tub ready to switch to while your rinse the first soiled tub. Don't worry about it if your tortoise claws at the sides trying to get out. We call this the tortoise tread mill and it is beneficial. Tortoises, much like horses, rely on locomotion to help move things through the GI tract. Even large tortoise enclosures are restrictive compared to how much walking they would do in the wild, so all that walking in the tub gives them much needed exercise, mental stimulation, and helps with digestion. After the soak, I rinse them with demineralized water to get the poopy water off of them and prevent hard water stains. I leave them wet and put them back in their enclosure.

Thank you so much!!!!!!!!

 

[wellington]

I agree with Tom. I don't bathe mine either, never have. Soaks only. They would never get "bathed" in the wild but they would/could soak themselves if they found a good puddle or body of water.