Buying my tortoise soon, is this all I need for the first day/week?

[abra]

So, the seller answered back. The Russian Tortoise I'm getting is $100, I'm hopefully going to get her tomorrow. I just emailed the seller asking when's good for her.

So here are the things I'm going to get for her for now:
Plastic tote from home depot,
Cypress mulch (is this right? http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...n.endeca.EndecaDataBean@116a8c28&ddkey=Search)
(I'm going to order coconut coir to add in later)
MVB light and clamp lamp thing,
And I'm making a hiding spot from a shoe box (is that okay for now?),
Anything else I need for the first like week/month?

Oh, and I'll get her some lettuce and what's left of weeds from outside

 

[coreyc]

I would not use that mulch I think they add color to it I dont know if would be safe to use try petco your from Mass right home depot down hear do not carry the good cypress mulch or ebay I just got 24 QT bag for 21 bucks free shipping

 

[Torty Mom]

I got both my cypress mulch and coconut coir from Petco. Get the spring mix version for the lettuce. Weeds and some flowers are good also! My torties love pansies, you can grow your own.

 

[abra]

Petco has cypress mulch and coconut coir? Thank goodness! Ha Thank you!

 

[Kristina]

Yes, the cypress mulch at Petco is very expensive, but the coco coir is not that bad. You can get a brick for around $4, one to two bricks is plenty for a storage tub.

 

[Angi]

Make sure the Plastic tub you get is big. I use a oven rack to put my lights on a bbq rack could work also, but I am not handy at building stuff. Also make sure the tort looks healthy. I have moss in my hide. A clean spray bottle to spray your tort with water would be good too. Good luck!

 

[Torty Mom]

Angi, what a great idea about an oven rack! Never even thought! That would be good for Daisy Lou's!

 

[Floof]

The first thing that occurs to me, since you're getting an MVB, is that you need to get a lamp stand or find another way to hang the heat lamp so the bulb points straight down. Having your MVB mounted at an angle will damage the bulb (and shorten its lifespan), as well as potentially cause eye and other health problems for your tort. You should be able to find a ZooMed lamp stand at a pet store, that will work perfect.

As for the enclosure, a Christmas Tree Storage tub by Iris will work perfect. It's close enough to Christmas now that you should be able to find one at a store like Walmart or Fred Meyer.

 

[tortoisenerd]

Congrats on the tort! Is this a hatchling or adult being rehomed? Either way, a vet check up with a fecal test for parasites is a good idea. That way you have a vet on call for emergencies too (they are much more likely to fit you into the schedule as an established patient). Have a few hundred dollars set aside for emergencies at a minimum. Put on your calendar a year or less from now to get a new MVB.

Yes a xmas tree tort is awesome. Best if you can find one not clear. You want a lamp stand (ZooMed makes them) for the deep and wide ceramic socket hood fixture for your MVB. The hanging fixtures are better than the clamp ones. If temps are lower than 60 F in your house at night, also get a ceramic heat emitter with a ceramic socket fixture (these are ok to clamp). With a large enclosure, if you keep your house cold, you might need a CHE in the day too. Get an accurate thermometer like a temp gun (they start at $25; I like the PE1). You need at least three hides in different temp zones (one near the basking spot, one moderate, one cold, and maybe another by the food if the moderate one isn't by the food, plus any more for large enclosures so your tort can dart from hide to hide). Fake plants, boxes, containers, etc all work fine. I go to Micheal's craft store with coupons for plastic plants. Get some with short stems and nice big overhanging leaves. You can stick them right in, or duct tape then to the side of the enclosure.

With a large enclosure, these hides also help break up the line of sight. For a start to a diet, find some safe for torts & chemical-free weeds, and add organic spring mix (no spinach or chard...learn to identify them, as even if they aren't listed, I have seen them included). Some good treats (< 5% of the diet) are cactus pads, butternut squash, and pumpkin. I will get the canned butternut squash and pumpkin (not pie filling) organic at While Foods, and freeze what I don't use (for an adult Russian, a teaspoon every once in awhile with less greens that day is good). Fresh is nice too, but most of us with one tort don't want to buy an entire squash or pumpkin...plus the canned helps with hydration too. Edible flowers are awesome if you can grow them chemical free (don't feed stuff from a nursery as they are full of chemicals, without waiting at least 6 months).

A plastic plant saucer makes a great water dish (get a diameter significantly larger than the tort so they can get in and soak), and a slate tile makes a great food dish (wears down the beak and nails).

Good luck!

 

[abra]

Thanks! He's from Petco, my dad made me get him from there. This is AMAZING advice and I will definitely be using ALL of it!

 

[Marty333]

What happened to craigslist? Sorry if you already posted it! Congrats! Have you sexed him yet?

 

[abra]

My dad said I had to get him from Petco because he's really ughh! Hahha but it's okay cause I love little Rambo! Hahah, I haven't but I'm 99% sure he's a boy his tail is off to the side like a male Russian's should be. I might post pics tomorrow just to be sure