Recent content by Homeschool Mom

  1. Homeschool Mom

    Advice on UVB & Lighting in Tortoise Table?

    Thank you, I'll read it!
  2. Homeschool Mom

    Help locating a specific bulb and/or hood

    Thank you very much for this info! I've always been confused by the need for UVA and UVB and placed my confidence in an all-in-one bulb. They worked fantastic for quite a few years, but the last 2-3 years have been a struggle and waste of money with quality issues. I really appreciate when...
  3. Homeschool Mom

    Advice on UVB & Lighting in Tortoise Table?

    I'm sorry you didn't get any replies. I'm looking for very similar info as we're switching our Russian Tort to a hood light for the first time. Wish you would've gotten a response. Did you go with that lighting? Did you get more input/feedback elsewhere?
  4. Homeschool Mom

    Help locating a specific bulb and/or hood

    Hello, I'm hopping on this post in hopes you can assist me. I came to this site looking for info to make a change and these Arcadia bulbs interest me. We've been using Zoomed Powersun 100W for years, but the past couple years the quality is terrible. I don't have a hood, but am looking to switch...
  5. Homeschool Mom

    Pros & Cons of Using Aquariums when a Tub is Not an Option

    With summer setting in and my refusal to turn on the AC, we're plenty humid and he's holding 60% humidity without any misting today. He doesn't currently have a water dish, but I'm guessing you saw the wet rock in the background, we had just rinsed it off :) We plan to use a terracotta sunken...
  6. Homeschool Mom

    Pros & Cons of Using Aquariums when a Tub is Not an Option

    Thanks for the advice, I am hoping to work up to having substrate and live plants once our RT's plastron is healed far enough. He had an injury/possible shell rot that gave him a run for his life and us a run for our money earlier this year, so we're following vet's advice to keep him on as...
  7. Homeschool Mom

    Pros & Cons of Using Aquariums when a Tub is Not an Option

    I know his setup looks odd since he can't have normal substrate or a water dish right now due to his healing plastron, but it's a good start. We've got to get more things for him to hide behind and put a couple supports under the wire lid in case our obese cats try to jump on top tonight when...
  8. Homeschool Mom

    Helpp Russain tortoise Shell rot?

    Hello, there! We're in MN too, west of the Twin Cities area, and tortoise knowledgeable vets are rare in this area as well. I would be concerned about him falling off the hides that he's climbing on but doesn't fit into. When we adopted our RT, the place wouldn't approve our application until...
  9. Homeschool Mom

    Pros & Cons of Using Aquariums when a Tub is Not an Option

    We were able to pick up the 125 gallon aquarium for $75. It has a crack from top to bottom in the back long pane of glass, but it has already been sealed with silicone and was previously used for a blue tongued skink. Since it came with a full wire mesh cover, enough glass panels to cover 3/4 of...
  10. Homeschool Mom

    Is this safe? has anyone used this before?

    Hmm, I don't know how shopping in Canada differs from the US, but around here more substrates come into our home improvement stores this time of year since they fully stock the nursery/yard care/gardening section. I had paid $16 (yowch!) at a Petsmart for a small bag of sphagnum moss a couple...
  11. Homeschool Mom

    Bath

    Smell can be an indicator of shell problems or bacterial infection from what I have read. We are on the upside (I hope) of a battle with shell injury/rot and the only times our tort had any odor was when we were on the downside. If he's bathing daily, and his waterbowl is freshened frequently...
  12. Homeschool Mom

    Autumn Olives

    There are some lists of edible plants for Russian tortoises if you search online. Here is one: http://russiantortoise.net/edible_plants.htm If you can't find any information confirming that a plant leaf or flower is safe for your tortoise, I would assume it is not safe to feed it to them. There...
  13. Homeschool Mom

    peeling shell

    I needed to trim or file down our Russian Tortoise's beak and I found this site to be helpful: http://tortaddiction.blogspot.com/2012/12/how-to-trim-tortoises-beak-with-pictures.html Sorry, I couldn't get the hyperlink to work on my computer since it kept freezing the page, but if you...
  14. Homeschool Mom

    Plant ID – Is it edible?

    Never seen the plant before, and I don't know what type of tort you have, but from my investigating into what Russian's eat, "broadleaf" is a common term to describe many of the edible species. This doesn't look broad-leaved... I know some grasses/hays can be considered safe, but I wouldn't risk...
  15. Homeschool Mom

    A 5 Year Celebration!

    Glad he's doing well! We've had our RT just shy of 2 years and are learning more every day.. :)
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