hi, new here. Hope someone could help me with my tortoise.

deathlyhallows

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I came into ownership of this lovely tortie. I have no idea what he is. I was told he's a testudo tortoise but when i google that, SO many different guys come up. I am also unsure of his age and sex. I got him from someone who was trying to dump him. I've always wanted a tortoise so i figured i would give this cutie a new home. He's currently in a huge plastic storage container that is 36 inches by 18. He was in a tiny glass aquarium before and is loving his new digs. the highest end of the cage get about 90 and the other end is 70ish and he has a 10.0uvb by reptisun. and is on reptibark since thats what the previous owner had him on. If anyone has any pointers, or suggestions to change please let me know!

tort 001.JPG tort 002.JPG tort 003.JPG tort 004.JPG tort 005.JPG tort 006.JPG
 
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dmmj

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you have a male Russian. It will be impossible to determine but based on the condition of the shell he looks pretty old to me 10 + years
easily
 

Blakem

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You have a Russian tortoise, congrats! Here's a care sheet for it. http://www.tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/80698/

You'll find out quickly that they love space, in the warmer months they'll romp, stomp and climb anything and everything. They're escape artists. In the winter months, now, they slow down a lot; ie sleeping a lot, not eating much, etc. Your heat seems good, how's the diet? You'll need to work on a much larger enclosure.

Welcome to the forum!
 

Tom

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You have a male russian tortoise. Testudo horsfieldii.

The orchid bark is perfect.
The tub is way too small.
The basking temp should be closer to 100.
And if your UV bulb is the coil, cfl type, you should turn it off immediately and return it to the store. They sometimes burn reptile eyes, and they are not an effective UV source. The pet store might try to tell you that that problem was a long time ago and the manufacturer fixed it. Not true. We see new cases all the time.

Read these for up-to-date care info:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
 

deathlyhallows

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I know he will need a bigger enclosure. This is a temporary set up, as I am moving soon and plan to custom build a large cage for him. He was being kept in a tank that was I think a 29 gal tank, so it's definitely an upgrade for him. They were feeding him tortoise pellets from zoo med along with dehydrated veggies. I just got him today, so I did get the tortoise food and will be giving him fresh veggies. Any suggestions on what is best? I did purchase a cfl style bulb, it's been turned off. What would you sugest? I saw the had a floodlight style one, and a compact florescent bulb.
 

Gillian M

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A very warm welcome to you and your cute tort! :tort:

I would not recommend a glass aquarium: torts do not understand the concept of glass, therefore they keep struggling to get out of it. :rolleyes:
 

Lyn W

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Hi and welcome, there's a lot to learn but this is the best place for up to date information.
If you look at the caresheet that will tell you about diet, and also www.thetortoisetable.org.uk has a great database to tell you which plants are tort safe or not.
Have you soaked him at all yet? Soaking in an container with highish sides big enough for him to turn in, with warm (not hot - just slightly warmer than your hand ) but shallow water (up to where the bottom of the shell meets the top) will help keep them hydrated as they not only drink but also absorb water. You may find he poops in it which is good as it less mess for you to clean up in his enclosure but make sure you change his water straight away. Don't let the water get cold so you may need to bail some out and top up with warm.
 

Yvonne G

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Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

I use the Mercury Vapor Bulb for heat and UVB all in the same fixture:

mercury vapor bulb.jpg

I do have a couple of the tube-type fluorescent bulbs. They work good too, however, they don't also provide heat, so you will need another fixture for heat:

T-5 fluorescent bulb.jpg
 

Tidgy's Dad

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Hello, Harry Potter fan :), and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum to you and your lovely Russian tortoise.
 
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