Are my Tortoise’s eyes okay?

[Giannahalo]

What I think is his third eyelid is pretty visible, and I’m a bit nervous. I’ve been doing research and it may be an RI or from dehydration... which I think it’s possible it’s the latter. I usually soak him once a week, maybe twice, but he usually won’t drink much water if any at all. He has a large shallow water dish he can fit into but I haven’t ever seen him drink out of it. Not sure what to do if it’s dehydration. I guess just soak him more often?

 

[Tom]

I see a few problems. Your tortoise needs substrate of the right type. I also see a glass tank. That is fine for starting a little baby, but your tortoise is an adult and needs at least a 4x8' indoor enclosure, plus an outdoor enclosure for fair weather.

Are you using a UV bulb? What type?

Please give this a read. We'll need more info to tell you what, if anything, is going on, but this care sheet will get you started. Questions are welcome.

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Giannahalo]

Oh haha, no he doesn’t have paper towel for his substrate! That is only on top of a piece of tile for him to eat on so he doesn’t consume the substrate. I’ve used bowls in the past but he ends up climbing on them and just pooping in the bowl, so I’ve found the paper towel to be better because then I can just easily take it in and out and dispose of it in a quicker/easier way bc he will alwayssss poop on the paper towel lol.

his substrate normally is Zoo Med cypress mulch.

I’m using a 25 T8 linear UVB.

and yes I am aware that a glass enclosure is not ideal at all for an adult tortoise, but for now it is suitable for him, I believe. Heres a couple of pics of his enclosure and him in it for size comparison.

 

[Giannahalo]

Oh haha, no he doesn’t have paper towel for his substrate! That is only on top of a piece of tile for him to eat on so he doesn’t consume the substrate. I’ve used bowls in the past but he ends up climbing on them and just pooping in the bowl, so I’ve found the paper towel to be better because then I can just easily take it in and out and dispose of it in a quicker/easier way bc he will alwayssss poop on the paper towel lol.

his substrate normally is Zoo Med cypress mulch.

I’m using a 25 T8 linear UVB.

and yes I am aware that a glass enclosure is not ideal at all for an adult tortoise, but for now it is suitable for him, I believe. Heres a couple of pics of his enclosure and him in it for size comparison.

thanks for being so kind though even though I see now at first read without my response, it seems I’d be a pretty CRAP pet owner!! Haha, don’t worry, I am always doing research and am open to suggestions!

 

[Giannahalo]

thanks for being so kind though even though I see now at first read without my response, it seems I’d be a pretty CRAP pet owner!! Haha, don’t worry, I am always doing research and am open to suggestions!

you mentioned my tortoise is an adult... he’s a Russian tortoise of about 3 inches in diameter. I didn’t know he was an adult... I thought they became adults at full grown size of 8 inches in diameter, but since I’ve been informed of this I will start looking for larger tabletop enclosures, so ty!

 

[Yvonne G]

A tortoise is measured in a straight line from front to back, not by diameter ("diameter" to me indicates a straight line measurement across the tortoise, side to side). Yours may have a bit of growing to do, but for all intents and purposes, he's an adult. Males seldom reach 8" SCL (straight center line). Some females may reach that length. The normal size for a male Russian tortoise would be closer to five or six inches SCL

Any chance you can set this tortoise up in a safe, outdoor enclosure? Russians do much better outside.

 

[Giannahalo]

A tortoise is measured in a straight line from front to back, not by diameter ("diameter" to me indicates a straight line measurement across the tortoise, side to side). Yours may have a bit of growing to do, but for all intents and purposes, he's an adult. Males seldom reach 8" SCL (straight center line). Some females may reach that length. The normal size for a male Russian tortoise would be closer to five or six inches SCL

Any chance you can set this tortoise up in a safe, outdoor enclosure? Russians do much better outside.

I live in Buffalo so during the winter and fall it gets a little too cold for him, but in the summer I’ve been putting him in our garden which is fenced in and he often likes to bask and explore in it. I do provide shade for him in there as well. I’ve been doing this about 4 times a week. Our garden is quite large, prob about 10 ft in both length in width. The plants in the garden are protected by wooden panels, but they’re not harmful for him to eat anyway. I feed him a variety of greens from our garden daily.

I’ve been looking for larger enclosures... is it possible to get a bookshelf of about 4x8 and take out the shelves to turn it into a tabletop enclosure?

Thanks for the help=)

 

[Golden Greek Tortoise 567]

Yes, that would work but only for an indoor enclosure. The bookshelf wouldn’t work for outdoor purposes.

 

[Giannahalo]

Yes, that would work but only for an indoor enclosure. The bookshelf wouldn’t work for outdoor purposes.

yes for outdoor purposes I’ll be using a fenced in area. Thanks so much for the input!

 

[Golden Greek Tortoise 567]

Your welcome, good luck with the tort!

 

[Giannahalo]

thanks for being so kind though even though I see now at first read without my response, it seems I’d be a pretty CRAP pet owner!! Haha, don’t worry, I am always doing research and am open to suggestions!

Okay, update, I’ve gotten a bookshelf I had in my storage room that will do for his indoor enclosure for the night time. I get nervous leaving him outside in the fenced in garden at night... but during the day he has a nice large enclosure outside to explore!