hey all. i put a thread up introducing my tortoise humpfrey.
i was just wondering how often i should bathe him?
indoors he is kept in a tank, with a heat lamp and uvb light and he has a small water dish that i refresh everyday. its not big enough for him to get in its for drinking purposes.
thankyou

what type and size is your tortoise.most land tortoises benefit from being able to get right into their water bowls.bathing frequency is very dependant of how you keep them and of course very small tortoises dehydrate easily if kept in a dry environment so will need daily soaking regardless.
terry

What kind of tortoise is yours? And how big is your tortoise?

Normally, tortoises like shallow water, because they like to poo in the water. And the water keeps them from dehydration (from the UV light). If you see your tortoise has not been moving much, give them a wide shallow dish so they can soak themselves in the water.

Tortoises don't need to be bathed, but you can give them a special spray (I use Vita Spray from Four Paws) which is good for their skin and prevents it from drying.

We bathe our Sept 10 hatchling most days and he can climb into his water bowl. He usually passes poo and urates while being bathed but definitely chooses to go into his water sometimes too in addition to drinking at both times.
You say your tortoise is in a tank? I understand vivarium can be difficult to monitor and cause problems for some species due to incorrect temps and humidity. I don't spray my tortoise he's unlikely to get sprayed if he lived in the wild, but I suppose in the wild he might choose to go into a puddle if thirsty. I do moisten the soil to stop it getting too dry but the it would rain in the wild, I presume most tortoises would seek shelter in the rain but don't know for sure so maybe spraying is ok?

__________________

I bathe The Doctor about once a week, especially if she's not been out for a bit as it encourages eating. I let her stomp about in lukewarm water for a while and she seems to enjoy it.