Re: Russian Tortoise

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Posted by bob on December 13, 2001 at 02:44:52:

In Reply to: Russian Tortoise posted by Robyn on December 12, 2001 at 22:36:23:

I'll side with Mike. Seen any pictures of Afganistan lately? Russian (Afgan)tortoises are very well adapted to living in extremely dry conditions; and well-fed adults do not need to drink water on a regular basis. The key word is "adults". Hatchlings need more access to water, but still I would not recommend leaving a water container in the cage. Why? The main use will be for a toilet; it will become a potential site for bacteria growth; it could also be a potential drowning pool (more so for babies, but not impossible for adults). We have kept adult(>4") Russians for over 5 years with no water bowl available - EVER!. We soak them about once every 2 weeks, but they rarely ever drink (sometimes many months without drinking). Our babies drink regulary when soaked (initially daily, then every other day after 1 month old, 2x/week at 2 months old). They also have a pronounced tendency to flip over in the water dish, which could prove fatal if not monitored (even in a very shallow dish - its head will be at the bottom).

I would strongly recommend soaking your Russian tortoise(s) once weekly and monitoring whether or not they drink. Use warm (80-85 degrees) water. If they defecate (very likely) before drinking, change the water immediately and soak a while longer. If they refuse to drink, but are eating well and otherwise seem normal, you can soak them less frequently.

Bottom line is: water is needed, but a water dish is unnnecessary and could potentially cause some disastrous problems. Maybe you would have no problems. Apparently, Tom hasn't; but why risk it?

The decision is yours

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: : I'll side with Mike. Seen any pictures of Afganistan lately? Russian (Afgan)tortoises are very well adapted to living in extremely dry conditions; and well-fed adults do not need to drink water on a regular basis. The key word is "adults". Hatchlings need more access to water, but still I would not recommend leaving a water container in the cage. Why? The main use will be for a toilet; it will become a potential site for bacteria growth; it could also be a potential drowning pool (more so for babies, but not impossible for adults). We have kept adult(>4") Russians for over 5 years with no water bowl available - EVER!. We soak them about once every 2 weeks, but they rarely ever drink (sometimes many months without drinking). Our babies drink regulary when soaked (initially daily, then every other day after 1 month old, 2x/week at 2 months old). They also have a pronounced tendency to flip over in the water dish, which could prove fatal if not monitored (even in a very shallow dish - its head will be at the bottom). : I would strongly recommend soaking your Russian tortoise(s) once weekly and monitoring whether or not they drink. Use warm (80-85 degrees) water. If they defecate (very likely) before drinking, change the water immediately and soak a while longer. If they refuse to drink, but are eating well and otherwise seem normal, you can soak them less frequently. : Bottom line is: water is needed, but a water dish is unnnecessary and could potentially cause some disastrous problems. Maybe you would have no problems. Apparently, Tom hasn't; but why risk it? : The decision is yours

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