Brian Walters
New Member
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2015
- Messages
- 4
Hello everyone- new member here. I've lurked for a few days, and would like to verify some of the info that I have seen. We live in Austin, Texas- current daytime temps are close to 100.
We have a new Russian tortoise- I got it from someone on Craigslist last Thursday. I set up an outside enclosure for it- specifics are below. The first night, she was relatively active, and the next morning, we fed her some bacopa that grows around our pond, which she ate voraciously- see here:
But since that first day, she has been generally very sluggish and sedated- not really eating, and stays in her hollowed out log. The enclosure is in the shade for the majority of the day- only around an hour or so of direct sunshine in the morning, and around 2 hours in the late afternoon.
I wet the entire substrate on Fri evening, and she seemed to like that; she ate a little of the lettuce that we fed her earlier in the day. And this morning, I soaked her in 2 inches of water that was around 100 degrees or so- she "pooped" and generally seemed to enjoy it; but apart from that, much more sluggish than I'm comfortable with.
Everything that I have read indicates that she might just be getting accustomed to her new surroundings, but I want/need to make sure- given the pic, video, and info below, is this what might be expected for a new tortoise?
Enclosure size: 3' x 5'
Substrate: combination of sand and mulch.
Light: Natural- direct sun for 3 hours total daily, shade for much of the rest of the day.
Food: bacopa (aquatic plant); lettuce; a few grapes once.
Daytime temps: upper 90s
Nighttime temps: upper 70s
We have a new Russian tortoise- I got it from someone on Craigslist last Thursday. I set up an outside enclosure for it- specifics are below. The first night, she was relatively active, and the next morning, we fed her some bacopa that grows around our pond, which she ate voraciously- see here:
But since that first day, she has been generally very sluggish and sedated- not really eating, and stays in her hollowed out log. The enclosure is in the shade for the majority of the day- only around an hour or so of direct sunshine in the morning, and around 2 hours in the late afternoon.
I wet the entire substrate on Fri evening, and she seemed to like that; she ate a little of the lettuce that we fed her earlier in the day. And this morning, I soaked her in 2 inches of water that was around 100 degrees or so- she "pooped" and generally seemed to enjoy it; but apart from that, much more sluggish than I'm comfortable with.
Everything that I have read indicates that she might just be getting accustomed to her new surroundings, but I want/need to make sure- given the pic, video, and info below, is this what might be expected for a new tortoise?
Enclosure size: 3' x 5'
Substrate: combination of sand and mulch.
Light: Natural- direct sun for 3 hours total daily, shade for much of the rest of the day.
Food: bacopa (aquatic plant); lettuce; a few grapes once.
Daytime temps: upper 90s
Nighttime temps: upper 70s
