Reptile & Amphibian Forums

How much is too much? How deep should the water be? Should I treat the water with chlorout first? How warm?

I've been soaking her around 2-3 times a week in warm water up to her chin (about 1/2-1 inch or so) Just want to make sure I am doing it right and not going to harm her.

After her bath, I usually wrap her up in towel for a few minutes and towel her off. Then she eats like a fiend...

My russian passed away at the beginning of the year, but heres what I always did:

Very warm water. Like a nice extra warm bath for you. Around 80-90 F.

I put enough water so it rose past his mouth, but still under his nostrils. They like this since they don't have to do much work to get a dirnk if they want one and if they want to breathe better, they'll just stick their head out more. This also ensures the water level is past the cloaca which also helps absorb water into the system.

One more thing, I was very meticulous when towel drying. I'd try to get every drop of water that I could (including on the legs, all the neck, etc). Even though the water is warm, it quickly evaporates taking alot of heat with it which can cause a little chill for the poor little guy. I also put him right in his normal sunning spot.

While torts have some pretty flat brain tissue, they're still bright enough to know when they need to breathe and thus stick their head out higher or find the optimal temp under the basking lamp if they feel chilly after the bath.