I want to be the best mommy i can be but it seems like the more i learn ,with so many different opinions it confuses me. Ok so here is what nyle has. Large cement mixing tub inside with cypress bedding, log for hide,uvb/uva/mercury vapor bulb with stand,food dish ,cuttle bone and he eats organic spring mix with suppliment powder and weeds. I soak him everyother day but also he has kiddie pool setup outside i take him out everyday for an hour or so he gets in his water dish there lol which has organic dirt in it with a hide also am i doing this rignt? I must say he looks better now then he did a week ago when i got him he looked really dry.

Every thing looks good so far.

Sounds good to me too

Yay what a relief ! Thanks so much !

You can simplify a little- the UVB bulb is not a big deal as long as he is getting outside with real sunlight.

Raising a tortoise is kind of annoying in some ways. On one level, you just take a tub and toss in some dirt, food, and lights, and you are done. But the more you get into it, the more you find out that there are a lot of little tricks and tweaks and hidden details.

Some of them really make a difference in the health and happiness of the tort, some of it is actually a bit of fear-mongering or over-reaction, some of it is old information or distorted info, some if it is more faddish than anything else, and some of it makes your life easier or safer.

There is also the detail that SOME of it does not really matter. There is only one reality for what a tortoise needs to eat to be healthy, but there are probably a hundred ways to accomplish it- mixed salads, free-grazing in a garden, alternating food by day, pellets, home-made gel, avoid X, rarely use X, use X all you want in rotation with other stuff...

You are doing a fantastic job!

There's tons of conflicting information out there, but as Mark posted, there are many ways to raise a happy, healthy tortoise. The best you can do is use your common sense when sorting through the material and pick a strategy that makes sense to you. Right now, everything you're doing sounds good..

Are you going to post pictures of Nyle? We love pictures.

When you say "spring mix" what is that and where do you get it? I think of the salad bags from the grocery store but I don't know if that's what you mean.

yes it is dole organic spring mix in bag and his light is all in one uvb/uva /heat i got from online reptile store

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and i will post pics when i get my laptop back lol Im on my nook

Personally, I prefer the mixes in the plastic tubs. What I look for is a lot of variety of color and shape in the mix.

Many people avoid spinach like the plague, others feed it pretty freely. I use it as part of the overall rotation so if I see a 'Spring Mix with Spinach' and I have not used it in a bit, I will get some. I especially like things like 'Spring Mix with Herbs' and some of the Mediterranean mixes.

Also- I prevent waste by using the same mix for my own salads.

Ok great ii will look for some and ill plant some turnip greens when its time i appreciate all your help so very much !

(07-20-2012 07:59 AM)MarianneL711 Wrote:  When you say "spring mix" what is that and where do you get it? I think of the salad bags from the grocery store but I don't know if that's what you mean.

Yes, they mean Spring Mix as in bagged salad mixes. Less spinach is better as Mark suggests.
Using this as a base, with a wide variety of other dark leafy greens, flowers and weeds.
http://russiantortoise.net/russiantortoisediet.htm

You would be surprised what you can find in your own yard (if untreated).
http://russiantortoise.net/edible_plants.htm

Why not keeping him OUTDOORS, in a simple enclosure?? Protected against predators, of course.