Bathing my tortoise.

[JamSam17]

I've got a horsefields tortoise and I was just looking for some tips on bathing him. At the moment I have a shallow dish and put some tepid water in it, he seems to enjoy it, has a little wriggle and a drink, but is he supposed to be getting clean, or just rehydrating? Am I supposed to be wiping him? Brushing him?
Many thanks.

[jules77]

what you are doing is right, it is fine if he drinks some water, give him around 10 minutes to hydrate his skin and drink a little if he wants, then scrub his shell gently with a toothbrush, replace the water and give him a good rinse. Do not add any chemicals, shampoo etc to the water.

I bought a large drip tray that you use in the greenhouse as a bath for my tortoise, (but she was quite big and yours sounds a baby?). it was ideal as she could walk around, and get out if she wanted. I had mine for 40 years, but lost her a few years ago to mouth rot.

[JamSam17]

Oh Jules, I'm sorry to hear that.
Alan was a rescue tortoise and the vet thinks he's about three. He's the size of my hand.
Thank you so much for the tips, he does seem to like it.

[Bigeye74]

Jules advice is very similar to some that as given to me by the reptile house from London zoo.