new mother to a Russian boy

[Wolfhengesh]

Hello fellow tort lovers!!
Greg’s new enclosure has been built and I’m trying to figure out the best arrangement for him.

It’s 60x 30 with 16 inch walls. Its been coated in latex paint so I hope it holds up.

I am thinking of setting it up like this

I want to give him a range of temps/humidity/substrate. I have cococoir and orchid bark.
I am thinking about covering only a portion of the enclosure with a green house tent as I’m finding difficulty finding something 60 inches long.
The green house portion will have the humid hide, a Che, and a water bowl- thinking about having plants in there but playing around with location.

The open area will have another different heat source on the other side a large wading water dish and several food stations.

I have the substrates separated right now and am liking it as it’s easy to clean up the lettuce he throws around when it’s on the orchid bark. Where should the different substrate go in this arrangement? Should the cococoir go in the humid side. Or I could even just surround the water and food areas w orchid bark. And go coco coir everywhere else.

Or does anyone have suggestions? I know nothing I do will be permanent but I’d like to use others trial and error to my advantage and create an enjoyable environment for Greg.

 

[SinLA]

your experience may be different, but Russian's don't tend to like water. So you should definitely have a sunken water bowl he can access, but I wouldn't worry about making big like a "wading pool" the way you see online that other tortoises like. If you find he really does like his water bowl you can make it larger, but I very rarely see mine actively seek it out, so I would not take up precious floor space with it.

Looks like a real labor of love you are doing!

 

[Wolfhengesh]

Oooh yes yes. That makes lots of sense.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello!

Greg is really lucky to have you!

1. Basking lamp and UVB light should be mounted close to each other (you need heat, visible light, IR and UV over the same area). I would put them. over the center of "food-food-water" triangle.
2. Orchid bark makes mess in the food and water dishes, so it makes sense to put it over the "dining area" (and under the dishes too).

I'm not sure that covering only a part with greenhouse will work as expected. You need to go "all in" Either use open table (which is certainly possible with adult Russian tortoises) or fully cover it. I would prefer to cover as temperatures and humidity are better controlled.
I was able to find suitable greenhouse tops here:
https://www.aosom.com/outdoor-patio/mini-greenhouses-c289.html (but I believe you can find the same brand on Amazon, Lowes or HomeDepot).

 

[Wolfhengesh]

It’s coming along. I wish it wasn’t so scary for him to have a room upgrade.

The wood is painted w latex paint but didn’t seem waterproof enough. The tarp will have to do until he rips it.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

It's looking nice! Greg will enjoy it once settled down a bit.

Just one thing, but very important: don't trust the lamp clamps. They often (if not always) fall. You need to secure them with a wire or zip ties. Some domes come packaged with a bracket for hanging off the hook - better to use it than the clamp.

 

[Wolfhengesh]

Does Greg’s shell look okay? I think I was over feeding him when I first got him out of excitement- obsessed with watching him eat. I have decreased how much I’m feeding him and it’s mostly weeds I find outside.

He has always had a slight indent above his tail area since I had him.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Greg is absolutely handsome! To me his shell looks fine (but I wish I had more experience).

Feed him as much as he wants. Just leave the food bowl through the day and remove in the evening. If it's empty - put more next day. It's hard to overfeed the tortoise with correct diet and decent space to exercise.

 

[Anastasia 22]

Hi! I am a proud mother of a *they think* 3 or 4 year old Russian tort boy. He was abandoned on the porch of a rescue a couple weeks ago and I was fortunate enough to be selected to adopt the cutie boy. The rescue is operated by an exotic vet and he made sure he was healthy before I took him home. We are located in eastern Pennsylvania.

His name is Greg and he is beautiful.
I am very very inspired to give Greg the best life I can.

Currently he is in a temporary enclosure (40x24 inches) while I build out a book case enclosure for him this weekend. I spent weeks reading this forum and I’m trying my best.

He has 3-5 inches of cococoir all over with 1/2 of the enclosure covered with orchid bark- I want to see what he likes more and adjust. He has 2 terracotta bowls pressed into the orchid bark side one with water one with fresh broadleaf greens( collard and dandelion) and a small amount of moistened Mazuri tortoise food. I have had him 48 hours and have seen him drink water while sitting in the dish. He has a hide in a corner but hasn’t used it yet. I plan to grab a slate tile today for a basking spot.
He has a t8 20 inch uv light about 14 inches from shell height and a 100w heat light on the coco coir only side.

Am I missing anything? I have read myself mad and any advice would be appreciated. He is my first reptile I will solo care for.

my first full day with him he woke with the lights around 7:30 and started moving about around 9 am. He was digging and eating from 9-1:30 and then napped the rest of the day. Is this normal behavior?

I love him so much I can’t believe I have such an incredible creature in my home.

So happy to be here!

Hello!
I got my Russian boy on March, 9th! I'm so happy to have him! And I am happy for you and your little boy!

 

[Wolfhengesh]

Hello!
I got my Russian boy on March, 9th! I'm so happy to have him! And I am happy for you and your little boy!

Congrats!!

It’s literally been one of the coolest experiences of my life so far.

Greg and I give you n urs all our love!

 

[Anastasia 22]

Congrats!!

It’s literally been one of the coolest experiences of my life so far.

Greg and I give you n urs all our love!

Thank you!!! 😊
Big hugs from me and my Tank🤗

 

[Sarah2020]

Does Greg’s shell look okay? I think I was over feeding him when I first got him out of excitement- obsessed with watching him eat. I have decreased how much I’m feeding him and it’s mostly weeds I find outside.

He has always had a slight indent above his tail area since I had him.

I love it when they burrow.