how often do you need to bath a tortoise?

Answer 1

Our lot have a half hour warm bath every time they emerge from hibernation to rehydrate them. Other than that I would be inclined to give them a very shallow pond or dish and let them decide.

Answer 2

A properly cared for tortoise (right temps, right substrate, right humidity, right diet, etc.) would not need a bath very often- if at all.

It used to be common to teach owners to give their tortoises a soak one or two times a week in warm water that only came up about 1/2 way on the shell. Typically, the tortoise would drink, soak, try to escape, and defecate in the tank.

Now... we are finding out more and more that most tortoise species need high humidity, even if only in a hiding box or something to help replicate damp burrows. In fact, low humidity has been linked to shell pyramiding even more than too much protein used to be.

The rule of thumb now is that a tortoise who needs a soak is a tortoise that is dehydrated and something needs to be tweaked to help keep them hydrated.

For a forest tortoise, like the Red-foot or Hinge-backs, this would mean keeping humidity in the entire tank up around 80-90%. For a grassland species, like Sulcatas, Russians, or Greeks, this means offering a humidity box or something similar.

(A humidity box is just a plastic tub with a lid, a couple inches of something like spahgnum moss or Bed-A-Beast that is almost drippingly wet, and a hole in the side of the box. Bury the box, or rig up a little ramp to get into the box, and then keep the box nice and warm- usuallky about 85F or so for most species.)

As for defecating in the water- with the right temps, diet, humidity, and access to water, they will defecate in the tank more naturally. besides, the defecation in the bath always seemed stress-related to me.

Having said all that, I give my two small Red-foots a quick 5-10 minute warm bath about once every two weeks- just before I photograph and weigh them. I'd give them a warm shower instead if my wife would let me use the sprayer in the sink on them!

Answer 3

The bathing helps them go to the toilet and it is recomended that you bath a young tortoise every other day in warm not hot water and with a cotton ball gently wet the rear end

Answer 4

i have a one and a half year old hermans tortoise and i bath him at least every other day.just warm water .you may well find that your tortoise goes to the toilet when in the bath ,this is normal.Change the water and continue the bath for at least 20 minutes.As for using mr sheen on your tortoise forget it.Ask your self who goes round in the wild doing this,NO ONE.
In the wild a tortoise would use any puddles that they can find and eat cactus ect .hannah

Answer 5

I would have thought that you don't normally bath tortoises?

Answer 6

every other week in the summer. once a month in winter. the biggest problem would be the bedding. tortoises dont smell. but their surroundings do. make sure you clean it out once every week

Answer 7

Every week. I bath mine in a mixture of fermented lime and coconut juice.

As a special treat I sometimes use "Mr Sheen" on his shell.

Answer 8

i don't really give mine many baths just been told to do it when shes waking from hibernation

Answer 9

depends on the species.. and the age.. once a week generally for adults or twice for a hatchling.

Answer 10

In the wild, never.