Pictures of Ernie

[ChiKat]

He is SO adorable, I love his little face!! I have a 5-month old Russian named Nelson and he's starting to become more friendly.
I just love those little guys

Congrats on your new baby!

 

[sammi]

That looks cool! The basking position is typical. They like to expose as much as their skin as possible. It is a great sign he is that comfortable in his surroundings. What about more hides? I only see the one pot hide. I would suggest fake plants, a half log, box, etc. It is ideal to have different types of hides in different temperatures. Also, if the tort cannot see all the way across the enclosure, it seems larger to them. You can do away with some of the rocks if you find yourself short on space. What is your temperature gradient? Is the water deep enough for the tort to soak in and drink from? As he settles into his enclosure, you'll probably want to be on the look out for how he does with it, such as if there are any spots he gets stuck, or if he may like it a different way. Best wishes.

Yeah, I know he needs more hides. Its on my list of things to do..I can only get a few things at a time as the money comes. This container is temporary for the next couple months, as we will be moving in January and we're going to be able to build a bigger enclosure for him. Unfortunately I don't know my temp. gradient, I've yet to get a thermometer. And yes, the water is deep enough for him to soak, it comes up to his chin about, and it seems like hes already taken a liking to the new substrate, I found him all burrowed up when I got home tonite, so cute! Thanks for the pointers =]

 

[tortoisenerd]

Please be very careful since you do not have a thermometer. Sounds scary to me.

 

[sammi]

Please be very careful since you do not have a thermometer. Sounds scary to me.

I know, its the next thing I'm gonna get. I'm not super worried right now, as he moves in and out of his basking light as normal, and hes very active, and eats and poops right, and isn't showing any signgs of being stressed..Don't mean to scare you! =[

 

[mctlong]

Your enclosure looks great.

 

[Stephanie Logan]

[[/quote]

The first picture, hes standing on a flat rock that I found at the beach. The wood I got from Petco and its called grapewood. Really cool looking stuff..if you can't find any near your area, you can order it online at www.lllreptile.com. My boyfriend got him from Petco, and he found the reptile store near us after he bought him already. We know now that it wasn't the best place to get him from, but now I like to think of it as kind of a "rescue" for him =] We've gone back to the store where he bought Ernie, and since I've seen where he's come from now, and how he was living, I'm really glad I can give him a better life =D

P.S. I'll take more pictures of him and his enclosure tomorrow..hes asleep right now =]
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Are you going to take a care sheet in for the Petco manager when you get a chance? There are good care sheets on this forum, and the experts here say that if you offer it as a goodwill gesture rather than as a angry criticism, they may just clean up their act and adopt better conditions for their other tortoises.

 

[sammi]

Are you going to take a care sheet in for the Petco manager when you get a chance? There are good care sheets on this forum, and the experts here say that if you offer it as a goodwill gesture rather than as a angry criticism, they may just clean up their act and adopt better conditions for their other tortoises.

Well, his conditions weren't terrible..I mean, it was things like: He was in a glass enclosure [which was pretty big and it only housed two torts - well actually 1 after Ernie came home], he had pellets as his food, and his basking lamp was like..2 1/2 feet above him. It looked like the torts were on wood chips too, but they were pretty deep. So when I say that hes in a better home, I mean that I've significantly improved his care just from what it was. I've seen a lot worse Petco stories on here though. Would you think I still need to bring a care sheet?

 

[tortoisenerd]

They get their instructions for corporate and I honestly think they can't do anything about it at those chain stores. They would technically be braking store policies about housing and foods.

 

[Stephanie Logan]

Yes, that does sound as if they are at least getting the basics right. I am sure Ernie is in Tortoise heaven right now, though, being spoiled by an adoring owner!

 

[Madortoise]

Ernie looks like one happy tort. He is adorable. Congratulations.

 

[sammi]

Thank you so much! =]

 

[DoversMama]

Awww. He's so cute! We love our Russian, too(which I got for my bf as a birthday present). Nice job on his enclosure! Are you liking the bed a beast and sand? That's what we use now...but were thinking of switching to cypress after reading a few threads on here.

 

[sammi]

I used Cypress the very first thing, and I wasn't super happy with it, and Ernie wasn't either, because once I began using the bed a beast and sand, he burrowed happily into the dirt straight away! Its just whatever works for you and your little guy =]

 

[K9KidsLove]

I use a mixture of cypress and sand for my Russians when they are inside. At night they totally bury themselves in it. I don't even see any shell. Sometimes I will see nostrils poking up thru the substrate.
Great pictures
Good luck
Patsy