large tail- Young russian tortoise.

wiktoria

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Mar 15, 2015
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Hello, i am worried about my tortoises health because every once in a while he "flashes" and i read and if it goes back in with no problem its okay so im not worryin too much, but he has a sandy-kind of an environment and after he flashes it seems the sand gets stuck and the end of the tail looks larger can someone help im not sure if to worry or not
 

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AnimalLady

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Hello and welcome! I'm not sure what we're looking at here? I see a male...

What kind of substrate are you using? Sand is no good.

Topsoil/coco coir is good, some also use orchid bark.
 

wellington

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In the wild they would get sand, dirt, weeds, etc stuck to it too, so I wouldn't worry about that much. However I would worry about the sand with him possibly eating some of it while he is eating or other ways, as sand can cause impactions. So, I would get rid of the sand
 

gg888

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Give him a good soak and change the substrate. I stopped using sand/ soil because of the health problems it can cause, and also because it's to messy! It get a stuck to food when they trample and drag it everywhere, and gets stuck in between their claws and stuff. Orchid bark is working much better for me.
 

JoesMum

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Sand isn’t recommended as substrate, either wholly or in part, as it doesn’t hold the moisture necessary to raise humidity. It also sticks to food and gets eaten and then impacts in the gut.

I recommend you read the TFO care guides and compare them with your setup.

They're written by species experts working hard to correct the outdated information widely available on the internet and from pet stores and, sadly, from some breeders and vets too.

Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Baby Russian Tortoise Care (if you have a very small/young tort)
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/

Russian Tortoise Care
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

We are happy to look over photos of your enclosure and lighting to see if there are any modifications we would recommend.
 
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