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I think I bought the wrong coconut coir to add to my tortoise's enclosure. Is anyone familiar with Tierra Garden Haxnick's Growlite Standard Coir Mix? It says "standard coir mix", and only mentions coir pith, fibers, and chips, but it doesn't say it's organic and it is worrying me that since it...

I've seen folks talk about giving their tortoises more space by making a second level in their enclosure with a ramp. I also saw advice from a really old thread on here from 2012 around making the grade of the ramp follow a 1:4 rule (for every 1-foot rise, do a 4-foot run; something like that)...

So this post might make more sense in some ways in the Enclosures forum, but since my tort is a Russian, and a smaller size than other breeds, sticking with this forum for now. I'm finally ready to upgrade Shelly's home, which is indoors in our 1br apartment, and is currently a 4' long x 2'...

My male Russian tortoise, who's 4 now, went to a new vet today for his annual checkup and bloodwork and fecal check and all that stuff. The vet is the closest vet with a good history of treating tortoises and is an hour away from where we live, so my Shelly had a long day, and the bloodwork...

I think I saw a post like this on here from a while back and like the idea. Has anyone made a back scratcher set-up for their tortoises? If so, could you share any of the following pointers? pics? tips on best way to make one where to get stuff from (hardware store, presumably?) if certain...

I've seen some threads along these lines, but most are old or closed, so I thought I'd start a new one. I'm curious how old your Russian tortoises are, for those of you who have had them a while. Also curious how long you've lived with them, and if any of them have been passed down to you from...

Hi folks, A friend emailed me this morning because she knows someone who is unable to keep their female Russian tortoise, and she asked if I would be interested in taking over pet parent duties of this 4-year-old gal. I know housing tortoises together is a no-no, even if it's one male and one...

I recently got a t5 ho fixture and light for my tortoise's cage since the t8 arrangement didn't seem to be giving him the right amount of UV. I forget now though how much is the right amount. With the setup I just finished mounting today, the Solar meter 6.5R says 6.2/6.4. Is that too high...

Hi, I've been here a while and posted a bit by now, but forgot about this section in the forum, and thought I'd say hi a little more formally today. My name's Monica. I brought home a Russian tortoise baby a little over 2 and a half years ago now. His name's Shelly. Sometimes we call him Shelly...

Hi, How would I go about setting up a radiant heat panel in an enclosed chamber? I have a 2 1/2 year old male Russian tortoise. This is my current set-up: Cage is 4x2x1.5, very similar to (if not actually the very same as) this one from AP Cages...

How do I keep the humidity for my 2 1/2 year old tortoise between 40% and 60%? I believe I read that that's what it should be for a Russian tortoise around his age. His cage is 4x2x1.5 (I think it's this one from AP cages...

Hi, Does anyone have a favorite care book on Russian tortoises that they like to refer to on occasion? This forum is great, and I have a couple books already, but I bet there are more in-depth or more current ones out there. Just curious. These are the two I have. They're fine. One's for...

I thought my 2 1/2 year old Russian tortoise Shelly had shell rot and too-sunken eyes in November, so I took him to see the exotic pet doctor at the animal hospital here in San Francisco at the start of December (earliest appointment I could get). She thought his eyes looked fine and she...

Hi tortoise-loving folks, I'm looking for advice. (Sorry in advance for the long post.) I live in a one room apartment with my husband and cat and our Russian tortoise (he's cool with the cat, and she's cool with him; they both fall asleep on my lap occasionally with no trouble). His terrarium...

Hi, I think my Russian tortoise's beak is starting to get too long, though I don't recall if it was this length before or not. Is it too long?

I have a 3 month old Russian tortoise (Shelly). I'm wondering if what I'm seeing on his shell (both carapace and plastron, near each other) is normal peeling. I'm not really sure what that looks like yet, since we just got him in August. He's a healthy little dude who eats a lot, gets a varied...