Beginners Questions

[SuaveSushi]

Hello, I just rescued a Russian Tortoise a few days ago. I have a 50 gallon rubber maid container. I realize that the sand is bad for him, and that will be fixed soon, but I have a few questions.
1) He is set up in my basement where, in the night time, goes down to about 50 degrees. Is it okay to leave an infrared heat lamp on during the night and for the temp to be at 85*?
2) I have a vet appointment tomorrow, and I was wondering if any of you travel with your tortoises?
3) How much "stuff" should you have in your tank besides the obvious?
Thank you to whom ever answers this, and I'm so sorry that I'm new to this.

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome to the forum. No need to be sorry. It is great that you are asking.

1. 50 is a little too cold for most applications. 60-65 is better in my experience for a night temp. Infrared and other colored bulbs should not be used for tortoise day or night. If you need night heat, go with a ceramic heating element controlled by a thermostat. Or just put the enclosure somewhere a little warmer at night.
2. Put the tortoise in an opaque plastic tub with a towel on the bottom and the lid on. The darkness will settle him down and the towel will absorb the mess. Be careful. Most vets don't know diddly squat about tortoises. Unless they've been keeping and raising their own for many years. If the vet recommends "vitamin injections", politely decline and find a new vet.
3. More stuff is better, but you need the space to do it. A 50 gallon tub is wayyyyy too small. Four 50 gallon tubs is too small. Russians need room to roam.

Please check these out for more info:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/