A few questions (New tortoise!)

[stayincolor]

Hey guys.
Well as of today I finally brought home my new russian tortoise after waiting a few weeks. In those weeks I researched and bought all the necessary supplies and im confident he should be fine and happy for a good while! Still have to name him though
As for my questions, they're pretty specific so I thought it would be smart to ask them here on the forum.

First off, my room stays at a decent 60-70 degrees in the day and my basking light gets to about 90 so I'm not too concerned about heat. What I'm really concerned about is the humidity in the enclosure. It's been getting down to about 40% because its an open top for good circulation. I soak the coco substrate fairly well and keep it fluffy but its not doing too much on the hygrometer. Ive been putting some plastic shopping bags on the top and putting some very hot water in a bowl inside so the steam would make it more humid. It worked pretty well but I have to take the bags off during the day to let the light in and I'm afraid he'll be dehydrated while I'm at school. Should I soak him in the morning daily, spray the substrate and itll be fine for a good 8 hours?

Second, I had accidentally grabbed the wrong tortoise food from petsmart. It's zoo med natural FOREST tortoise food, and not GRASSLAND tortoise food. I don't know what the difference is but I would like to know if it's okay for him to eat even though it's not specifically for him.

Lastly, any good names?! Thanks for your help everyone!

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Hey guys.
Well as of today I finally brought home my new russian tortoise after waiting a few weeks. In those weeks I researched and bought all the necessary supplies and im confident he should be fine and happy for a good while! Still have to name him though
As for my questions, they're pretty specific so I thought it would be smart to ask them here on the forum.

First off, my room stays at a decent 60-70 degrees in the day and my basking light gets to about 90 so I'm not too concerned about heat. What I'm really concerned about is the humidity in the enclosure. It's been getting down to about 40% because its an open top for good circulation. I soak the coco substrate fairly well and keep it fluffy but its not doing too much on the hygrometer. Ive been putting some plastic shopping bags on the top and putting some very hot water in a bowl inside so the steam would make it more humid. It worked pretty well but I have to take the bags off during the day to let the light in and I'm afraid he'll be dehydrated while I'm at school. Should I soak him in the morning daily, spray the substrate and itll be fine for a good 8 hours?

Second, I had accidentally grabbed the wrong tortoise food from petsmart. It's zoo med natural FOREST tortoise food, and not GRASSLAND tortoise food. I don't know what the difference is but I would like to know if it's okay for him to eat even though it's not specifically for him.

Lastly, any good names?! Thanks for your help everyone!

1) I wouldn't worry about the humidity. You've got a good substrate (coco coir), so as long as you keep it moist (just not wet), your tortoise can just hunker down in it to feel a higher level of humidity (probably prefers it that way, actually). Russian tortoises come from the deserts and steppes of Central Asia, where ambient humidity is quite low (in the 40% range), so that's probably quite comfortable for him. As long as he has a humid microclimate, he should be good to go. That's how I have my Russians set up, too, and they are fine.

2) I don't know about your Russian, but my guys rarely eat Mazuri, and they have yet to touch the Grassland food I got them. Check the ingredients in the Forest food you bought. If it's mostly leafy greens, then it's fine; if it's mostly dried fruits and animal protein, then it's meant for tortoises like redfoots, yellowfoots, and hingebacks, or for box turtles, but not arid or semi-arid tortoises like Testudo, Gopherus, sulcatas, or leopards.

3) As for names, a lot of people like to give their Russian tortoises Russian names. Cute, but considering they are also found in western China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, there are definitely other ways to go. Hey, why not call him "Stan"?

 

[Utah Lynn]

Soak him in the morning. A lot of humidity isn't needed for RT's. Have you got a UVB bulb? How old is he? About 5 Years old if wild caught. Keep a saucer full of water in the enclosure for drinking also. My RT's won't touch the Grassland food.

 

[ascott]

Stan the man.....I like that

 

[Talka]

Names? Zuko and Momo for boys.
Another vote for Stan the man!
Joey is great too.

Russians don't need soaking every day. Sheldon has a water dish big enough to self-soak (he does this sometimes, but mostly he takes a drink every day) and I soak him once a week, right after his weekly cherry tomato.

 

[wellington]

All I would like to add, is don't put "very hot water" in with him that he can get into, he could get hurt/burned. Also you didn't mention UVA/UVB lighting. Not Enough if any comes through windows. I ,Ike the name, Stan the Man

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Russians don't need soaking every day. Sheldon has a water dish big enough to self-soak (he does this sometimes, but mostly he takes a drink every day) and I soak him once a week, right after his weekly cherry tomato.

Agreed. I have always given my terrestrial chelonians (box turtles, redfoot, Russian tortoises) a shallow water dish so they could drink and/or soak themselves if they so chose, and a warm-water bath once a week. But this was to make sure they were hydrated, not a substitute for having the correct humidity level for that species. I probably wouldn't bathe a turtle or tortoise more often than that unless they were ill, dehydrated, etc. I don't rely on baths to moisten the skin because, once the turtle is out of the bath, he dries out all over again, so it's not really a long-term solution. In fact, the paradoxical thing about bathing is, it can actually dry out an animal's skin. I know, it sounds weird, but here's why:

If your skin is dry, you put water on it, and it becomes moist. It will stay moist as long as you are underwater, but then, once you come out onto dry land, the water begins to evaporate from the surface. At first, this only creates a cooling effect (because water vapor takes heat with it), and some moisture stays behind. But as the evaporation continues, the water causes transpiration, because water molecules stick to each other (cohesion). Thus, once your skin is almost dry, the small amount of water left will actually latch onto water under your flesh, drag it out of you, and cause that to fly away, too. The result is that your skin is drier than before you took the bath in the first place.

This is why animals have oils in their skin: to resist transpiration and trap moisture inside their bodies for good. People and animals who have chronically dry skin are either in an environment drier than they're adapted to, or else they have a chronic health problem that doesn't allow their skin to retain moisture. In this clinical scenario, individuals may need extra help from lotions, etc.

Otherwise, the thing to do is just give the animal the level of humidity it evolved to thrive in. Redfoot tortoises are from tropical South America, where there is a lot of free water lying around, resulting in a lot of it going into the atmosphere. That is why these species need a high relative humidity (at least 70%); they evolved with it. Russian tortoises, on the other hand, are native to arid and semi-arid climes in Central Asia, so their bodies are adapted to resist desiccation. They still need a humid microclimate in the substrate, but they don't need a high relative humidity in the air (usually anything in the range of 20-60% is fine).

If a tortoise's skin is dry, it needs a permanent solution to increase the moisture in its environment. Frequent baths aren't going to cut it, because they are necessarily intermittent, not permanent.

 

[stayincolor]

Hey guys.
Well as of today I finally brought home my new russian tortoise after waiting a few weeks. In those weeks I researched and bought all the necessary supplies and im confident he should be fine and happy for a good while! Still have to name him though
As for my questions, they're pretty specific so I thought it would be smart to ask them here on the forum.

First off, my room stays at a decent 60-70 degrees in the day and my basking light gets to about 90 so I'm not too concerned about heat. What I'm really concerned about is the humidity in the enclosure. It's been getting down to about 40% because its an open top for good circulation. I soak the coco substrate fairly well and keep it fluffy but its not doing too much on the hygrometer. Ive been putting some plastic shopping bags on the top and putting some very hot water in a bowl inside so the steam would make it more humid. It worked pretty well but I have to take the bags off during the day to let the light in and I'm afraid he'll be dehydrated while I'm at school. Should I soak him in the morning daily, spray the substrate and itll be fine for a good 8 hours?

Second, I had accidentally grabbed the wrong tortoise food from petsmart. It's zoo med natural FOREST tortoise food, and not GRASSLAND tortoise food. I don't know what the difference is but I would like to know if it's okay for him to eat even though it's not specifically for him.

Lastly, any good names?! Thanks for your help everyone!

1) I wouldn't worry about the humidity. You've got a good substrate (coco coir), so as long as you keep it moist (just not wet), your tortoise can just hunker down in it to feel a higher level of humidity (probably prefers it that way, actually). Russian tortoises come from the deserts and steppes of Central Asia, where ambient humidity is quite low (in the 40% range), so that's probably quite comfortable for him. As long as he has a humid microclimate, he should be good to go. That's how I have my Russians set up, too, and they are fine.

2) I don't know about your Russian, but my guys rarely eat Mazuri, and they have yet to touch the Grassland food I got them. Check the ingredients in the Forest food you bought. If it's mostly leafy greens, then it's fine; if it's mostly dried fruits and animal protein, then it's meant for tortoises like redfoots, yellowfoots, and hingebacks, or for box turtles, but not arid or semi-arid tortoises like Testudo, Gopherus, sulcatas, or leopards.

3) As for names, a lot of people like to give their Russian tortoises Russian names. Cute, but considering they are also found in western China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, there are definitely other ways to go. Hey, why not call him "Stan"?

Thanks! also a few more questions if you dont mind! Is there anything I can do that will make him more comfortable with me? second how long will it be until he actually eats? I bought some spring mix from walmart and im hoping he'll chow down soon enough. btw great names but I think I'm moving towards the name "Benjamin" Not quite sure though.

---

Russians don't need soaking every day. Sheldon has a water dish big enough to self-soak (he does this sometimes, but mostly he takes a drink every day) and I soak him once a week, right after his weekly cherry tomato.

Agreed. I have always given my terrestrial chelonians (box turtles, redfoot, Russian tortoises) a shallow water dish so they could drink and/or soak themselves if they so chose, and a warm-water bath once a week. But this was to make sure they were hydrated, not a substitute for having the correct humidity level for that species. I probably wouldn't bathe a turtle or tortoise more often than that unless they were ill, dehydrated, etc. I don't rely on baths to moisten the skin because, once the turtle is out of the bath, he dries out all over again, so it's not really a long-term solution. In fact, the paradoxical thing about bathing is, it can actually dry out an animal's skin. I know, it sounds weird, but here's why:

If your skin is dry, you put water on it, and it becomes moist. It will stay moist as long as you are underwater, but then, once you come out onto dry land, the water begins to evaporate from the surface. At first, this only creates a cooling effect (because water vapor takes heat with it), and some moisture stays behind. But as the evaporation continues, the water causes transpiration, because water molecules stick to each other (cohesion). Thus, once your skin is almost dry, the small amount of water left will actually latch onto water under your flesh, drag it out of you, and cause that to fly away, too. The result is that your skin is drier than before you took the bath in the first place.

This is why animals have oils in their skin: to resist transpiration and trap moisture inside their bodies for good. People and animals who have chronically dry skin are either in an environment drier than they're adapted to, or else they have a chronic health problem that doesn't allow their skin to retain moisture. In this clinical scenario, individuals may need extra help from lotions, etc.

Otherwise, the thing to do is just give the animal the level of humidity it evolved to thrive in. Redfoot tortoises are from tropical South America, where there is a lot of free water lying around, resulting in a lot of it going into the atmosphere. That is why these species need a high relative humidity (at least 70%); they evolved with it. Russian tortoises, on the other hand, are native to arid and semi-arid climes in Central Asia, so their bodies are adapted to resist desiccation. They still need a humid microclimate in the substrate, but they don't need a high relative humidity in the air (usually anything in the range of 20-60% is fine).

If a tortoise's skin is dry, it needs a permanent solution to increase the moisture in its environment. Frequent baths aren't going to cut it, because they are necessarily intermittent, not permanent.

Makes total sense. I'll be trying to keep his humidity up as much as possible thank you for the info!

---

Soak him in the morning. A lot of humidity isn't needed for RT's. Have you got a UVB bulb? How old is he? About 5 Years old if wild caught. Keep a saucer full of water in the enclosure for drinking also. My RT's won't touch the Grassland food.

That's what I think I'm going to do before I leave for school. And yes I have a solar glo uvb bulb and its working pretty well for now. I was told he was 5 so I'm hoping I wasn't lied to Thanks for the input

---

Names? Zuko and Momo for boys.
Another vote for Stan the man!
Joey is great too.

Russians don't need soaking every day. Sheldon has a water dish big enough to self-soak (he does this sometimes, but mostly he takes a drink every day) and I soak him once a week, right after his weekly cherry tomato.

Do you really think so? I mean as of right now my humidity has dropped to a VERY low 30%. I'm going to moisten the substrate and steam it up a little for him for the night time and hopefully itll last through the day. Do you think every other day soaks are ideal? monday wednesday friday and monday again? Thank you! and I'm thinking Benjamin for the name

 

[lynnedit]

Really, don't worry about the humidity, at least what you can measure on most hygrometers. They are not very accurate. Instead, base it on your excellent substrate, coir. Just keep the lower layers moist. Make sure it is at least 4" deep in some places, even 6" in a few mounded areas.
Keep a shallow water dish available. A hide on the cool and toward the basking side (which he probably won't use, instead will burrow under the food tile, lol). That's all you need to do!
They can go w/o eating for even several weeks. He is adjusting to his new and better diet. If you want, you can find out what he ate before and add a little bit into his Spring mix for familiarity.
Every week, get another type of green and add it to the Spring mix. When that green is gone, get another.
Food info:
http://russiantortoise.org/russiantortoisediet.htm
Nice powdered supplement to sprinkle on:
http://www.carolinapetsupply.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=58

Give him a few weeks to get used to his new home. Tortoises aren't like dogs, but they are fun to have and watch.

 

[dmmj]

My 3 russians won't touch mazuri or grassland, they love leaves of various plants though. As for the time question it would be a few days or weeks before he adjusts just give him time and access to water until he/she is ready to eat.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Thanks! also a few more questions if you dont mind! Is there anything I can do that will make him more comfortable with me? second how long will it be until he actually eats? I bought some spring mix from walmart and im hoping he'll chow down soon enough. btw great names but I think I'm moving towards the name "Benjamin" Not quite sure though.

Just give it time, and he will come to trust you. Turtles are naturally afraid of predators in the wild, but if he associates good things like food, shelter, and perhaps even gentle touch with you, he will eventually learn to be more interactive with you.

As for eating, our Russians fasted the first couple days we had them, but then felt comfortable and started chowing down like champions. Offer your tortoise spring mix, lettuce, dandelion greens, collard greens, endive, escarole, mustard greens, and other leafy greens. That's what they both like and need.

Makes total sense. I'll be trying to keep his humidity up as much as possible thank you for the info!

That's just it, though. Being an arid/semi-arid tortoise, Russians prefer low to medium humidity. As long as they have a moist substrate to hide in, it's better for them if the enclosure remains uncovered, and the air humidity stays more on the low side.