How Often to Soak a Tortoise (and for How Long)

How often to soak a tortoise depends mostly on its age. Hatchlings do best with a soak every day, while juveniles and adults are usually soaked about twice a week. Each soak lasts 10 to 30 minutes in shallow, lukewarm water that comes no higher than your tortoise’s chin.

Below is a chart by age, how to run a soak step by step, and what changes for Russian, Hermann’s, Greek, sulcata and red-footed tortoises.

Why do tortoises need to be soaked?

A soak is mostly a drink. Tortoises drink by dipping their head into water, so a shallow bath gives them an easy, low-effort place to do it. The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) describes a bath as a good way to get a tortoise drinking, and as a way to encourage it to pee and poop, which is why your tortoise will often do both in the tub.

Small tortoises need it most. Hatchlings can dehydrate quickly, and young tortoises in general are more vulnerable to drying out than adults.

A soak doesn’t replace the water dish, though. The Tortoise Trust is clear that tortoises do drink and should get fresh water regularly, and the RVC’s care sheets say water should always be available and changed daily. Think of soaking as a top-up on top of that.

How often to soak a tortoise: chart by age

A few notes on the chart:

• Hatchlings: ReptiFiles and the Tortoise Protection Group both recommend daily soaks for sulcata hatchlings, and the British Chelonia Group refers to hatchlings getting a “daily bath”.
• Juveniles: ReptiFiles soaks juvenile Russian tortoises twice a week. Sources don’t agree on exactly when to step down from daily soaks, so for a small, fast-growing juvenile it’s reasonable to stay at the more frequent end for longer.
• Adults: The RVC’s care sheets for Mediterranean and red-footed tortoises recommend a shallow warm bath twice a week. They don’t give a time, so use the same 10–30 minute window the other sources give.

Not sure which row your tortoise fits? Our guide on how to tell how old a turtle is covers the clues, and tortoises are turtles too. If you’re still unsure, go with the more frequent schedule for a small tortoise.

How long should you soak a tortoise?

Between 10 and 30 minutes. The sources land in that range:

• 10–15 minutes for juvenile Russian tortoises (ReptiFiles)
• About 20 minutes for sulcata hatchlings (Tortoise Protection Group), or 20–30 minutes (ReptiFiles)
• 30 minutes for tortoises just out of hibernation (RVC)

There’s no prize for a long soak. The goal is a drink and a chance to pee, so once your tortoise has done that and starts trying to climb out, it’s fine to end the soak.

How to soak a tortoise, step by step

1. Pick a tub. A smooth-sided container a bit wider than your tortoise works well. The RVC suggests a cat litter tray, which is shallow and easy to clean.
2. Use lukewarm water. It should feel warm, never hot or cold. ReptiFiles gives 85–95°F (29–35°C) for sulcata hatchlings; a cheap thermometer takes the guesswork out.
3. Keep it shallow. Fill to where the top and bottom shell meet, and never above the chin. For hatchlings, ReptiFiles says no deeper than the elbows.
4. Stay with your tortoise. The British Chelonia Group warns that hatchlings can drown even in very shallow water. Don’t leave the room.
5. Let it drink. You’ll often see it lower its head into the water and hold it there. That’s the drink you’re after.
6. Lift it out and put it straight back in its warm enclosure. The RVC’s post-hibernation sheet moves the tortoise to a warm spot under a heat lamp after each bath. A damp tortoise in a cool room is the thing to avoid.
7. Tip out the water and rinse the tub. It will often have poop in it.

Plain water is all a soak needs. No soap, no scrubbing.

How often to bathe a tortoise: is it the same thing?

Yes. “Bathing” and “soaking” mean the same shallow, warm-water session. UK care sheets, including the RVC’s, tend to say “bath”, while US care sheets say “soak”. The schedule above applies to both.

Soaking a Russian, Hermann’s, Greek, sulcata or red-footed tortoise

Russian (Horsfield’s) tortoise

ReptiFiles soaks juveniles twice a week for 10–15 minutes in shallow lukewarm water, with a water dish no deeper than the tortoise’s knees. The RVC notes that Horsfield’s tortoises don’t do well in damp conditions, so treat the soak as a quick drink stop and get your tortoise back into its dry, warm enclosure afterwards.

Hermann’s and Greek tortoises

These are covered by the RVC’s Mediterranean tortoise care sheet, which recommends a shallow warm bath twice a week, plus a water container that’s always available and changed daily.

Sulcata tortoise

Sulcata hatchlings get a daily soak of about 20–30 minutes (ReptiFiles, Tortoise Protection Group). Adults are another matter: the Tortoise Protection Group points out that a sulcata can reach 30 inches (76 cm) and 150 pounds (68 kg), and bathing an adult that size isn’t practical. For a big sulcata, a sturdy water container it can’t tip over and can always reach does the job.

Red-footed tortoise

ReptiFiles says red-footed tortoises love to soak and recommends a shallow dish they can walk in and out of, rinsed daily. The RVC’s red-footed care sheet gives the same twice-a-week bath as for Mediterranean species. Red-foots also need a more humid enclosure than the dry-country tortoises above.

Soaking a tortoise after hibernation

If your tortoise hibernates, the first days after waking are when soaking matters most. The RVC’s post-hibernation care sheet recommends:

• Warm baths with the water just under the chin
• 30 minutes at a time, twice a day
• Back into a warm enclosure under a heat lamp after each bath

Sulcata and red-footed tortoises don’t hibernate, so this section is for the Russian, Hermann’s and Greek tortoises that do (not every Greek tortoise hibernates, the RVC notes).

Common soaking mistakes

• Walking away. Even shallow water isn’t safe for an unattended small tortoise.
• Water that’s too deep. If it reaches the nostrils, it’s too deep.
• Cold water. Lukewarm to warm, every time.
• Using soaks instead of a water dish. Your tortoise still needs fresh water every day.
• Forgetting. A twice-a-week job slips easily. A calendar reminder works, or ShellPal can remind you when a soak is due.

When to see a reptile vet

Soaking is routine care, not a fix for a tortoise that seems unwell. Book a visit with a reptile vet if:

• After hibernation, your tortoise hasn’t eaten, peed or pooped within seven days of waking up (the RVC’s threshold)
• You see discharge from the eyes, nose or mouth
• It seems weak or uninterested in food for more than a few days, even though its temperatures and lighting hours are right

The RVC also recommends a health check every year for pet tortoises, which is a good time to ask about the soaking schedule for your tortoise’s species and age.

Sources

• Mediterranean tortoise care (Royal Veterinary College, Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital)
• Red-footed tortoise care (Royal Veterinary College, Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital)
• Post hibernation care sheet (Royal Veterinary College, Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital)
• Russian tortoise care sheet (ReptiFiles)
• Sulcata tortoise care sheet (ReptiFiles)
• Red-footed tortoise care sheet (ReptiFiles)
• Sulcata care sheet (Tortoise Protection Group)
• Hatchling care sheet (British Chelonia Group)
• Do tortoises need to drink? (Tortoise Trust)