Hideaway qty and placement

[Bobo's Dad]

I am re working my 1 month old baby RT's enclosure. I am using a large plastic cement mixing tray with coco coir and topsoil mix. I have a half log and a stone cave for hideaways. Do I need 2 an if so where should I place them? Also should the substrate be moist? Also should I get some silk vine plants from the pet store and use them also in his setup. Opinions?

 

[wellington]

If you have room for two I would use them. One on the cool end one on the hotter end. I would also do fake or real plants to give him more coverage and make him feel safer. Your other questions I' ll leave to Russian owners. Oh, if you only have room for one hide, I would put it on the cool end.

 

[lynnedit]

Agree with above.
If you partially submerge the hides, so the opening is just high enough for him to get in, then you can pile the substrate up around the sides and he can also climb over it. Since he will likely try to climb them anyway , this lowers the height overall.
Yes, add moisture to the substrate and mix it in, so it just sticks together a bit if you roll it into a ball.
Ambient (air) humidity doesn't matter for Russians, even babies, as much, but soil moisture does.
Keep it moister near the warm side/basking light, slightly drier near the cool side.

You can also get some Sphagnum moss and moisten it, and stick it in the warmer hide.

You can twine fake ivy along the edge. Or, get a small branch and lay it across the top with the ivy wrapped around it. a couple of silk plants embedded in the soil. A real plant like a spider plant, still in its pot, embedded in the soil too.

Over time, watch what he likes. move things around to suit his habits: where he likes to burrow, walk, etc.

 

[Bobo's Dad]

Thanks guys for your advise! I am building his enclosure as we speak. I will be posting pic's soon