Christmas present
- Thread starter satdiver
- Start date
Congrats. If it's an adult the zoomed house is too small. They are okay for hatchlings up to about 2 years give or take. An adult needs a minimum of 4x8 feet. The tubs work good and can be added onto with more tubs.
Rusky
Active Member
Setup looks very nice, and Toby looks adorable! Just need to point out that that water bowl has caused some tortoises to flip over and drown. I would say use a saucer just like the one you have for food. Also, is that a mercury vapor bulb you're using?
I bought Toby at LLL Reptile along with what they recommended, here is what I got:
I replaced his water dish with a different one as well that has a rougher stone like feel to it as it seemed the other one was to slick for him to crawl out of without struggling. Plus I figured the new one would help keep his nails filed down as well.
As far as the light bulbs go, I am pretty sure those are the ones I got, but I could be wrong. Is this the Mercury Vapor Bulb you are talking about? Are they not recommended for our tortoises? If so, why?
By the way Toby is very active and looks like he is getting bigger already. I also put up a Tortoise Cam so I can watch him from my cell phone. What can I say, I am a Tortoise-Holic, its a disease that I have no control over
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Tino the Tortoise
New Member
My Russian is about 9-10 years old...I remember when she was the size of Toby and could be carried in the palm of my hand!
She is now about 6-7 inches and weighs about 950g...I think they grow to around 8-10 inches (depending on the sex) but they're sneaky about it...I didn't really notice until I started having to use two hands to pick her up
This magazine article has some good, if basic, info http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Russian-Tortoise/
Hope this helps somewhat, I'm sure others will have more in depth answers for you
She is now about 6-7 inches and weighs about 950g...I think they grow to around 8-10 inches (depending on the sex) but they're sneaky about it...I didn't really notice until I started having to use two hands to pick her up
This magazine article has some good, if basic, info http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Russian-Tortoise/
Hope this helps somewhat, I'm sure others will have more in depth answers for you
Males about 6", females 8". How long it takes really depends on how they are kept. In the wild (many months of brumation and aestivation) it'll take at least 10 years, in captivity it can be much faster.
That is a good article but, there is some mis information in it. For the more up to date info, it is better to read our sticky notes in the Russian tort section. Example would be, the article says a mixture of sand. Sand can and has been deadly for torts. It irritates the torts eyes and skin and can cause a deadly impaction. Another was the size of the enclosure. A 4 X 8 enclosure is the smallest you should go, and that is for only one tort. Also, it says housing two torts together. That is highly not recommended, they will bully each other and can cause stress or death. Please read our info in the Russian tort section, we have many experienced people that have put time in getting it rightMy Russian is about 9-10 years old...I remember when she was the size of Toby and could be carried in the palm of my hand!
She is now about 6-7 inches and weighs about 950g...I think they grow to around 8-10 inches (depending on the sex) but they're sneaky about it...I didn't really notice until I started having to use two hands to pick her up
This magazine article has some good, if basic, info http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Russian-Tortoise/
Hope this helps somewhat, I'm sure others will have more in depth answers for you
The coiled or compact bulb, reptisun, is not a good bulb to use. It is known to cause eye irritation in torts.I bought Toby at LLL Reptile along with what they recommended, here is what I got:
View attachment 227999 View attachment 228000 View attachment 228001
I replaced his water dish with a different one as well that has a rougher stone like feel to it as it seemed the other one was to slick for him to crawl out of without struggling. Plus I figured the new one would help keep his nails filed down as well.
As far as the light bulbs go, I am pretty sure those are the ones I got, but I could be wrong. Is this the Mercury Vapor Bulb you are talking about? Are they not recommended for our tortoises? If so, why?
View attachment 228002
By the way Toby is very active and looks like he is getting bigger already. I also put up a Tortoise Cam so I can watch him from my cell phone. What can I say, I am a Tortoise-Holic, its a disease that I have no control over
Rusky
Active Member
Yeah, that's why I was asking. I couldn't see the fixture properly. If it was an MVB it would be okay. If it was only heat, it wouldn't. If it was a double fixture with a coil uvb, it wouldn't.
Rusky
Active Member
The basking spot lamp in your combo pack is not actually the same as the mvb, although it looks very similar. My understanding is that the mvb is basically both bulbs in the combo pack combined into one bulb. It makes things easier if you have a smaller enclosure for a hatchling, which you do have.
For when he gets bigger and has a larger enclosure, you'll want a separate basking lamp (although this can be the mvb), and a separate uvb strip light. The coil bulb that you're using can have issues with tort eyes.
The basking spot provides heat, the uvb provides uvb, and a mercury vapor bulb provides uvb in the basking area (heat and uvb).
UVB doesn't need to cover the entire enclosure, which is why it's okay to just have the mvb for a hatchling.
Before buying anything, wait for someone to back me up on this because I'm not an expert.
Please remove the ramp. Its a death trap for babies and yearlings. It can drown. Replace it with a shallow saucer plate from a pot for plants. Close up the toof. Babies need humidity at this stage of their lives. Home looks great.
I did replace the ramp but with a different one that has a courser surface as the last one was kind of slippery. The roof is always closed on the humid side, it was just open for the pic.
