Enclosure questions

Arjun&Yoshi

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Hello, we are going to be bringing our 6 month old Russian tortoise home in about a week, and we have purchased the ZooMed tortoise starter kit. We are new to tortoise care! Below is the contents, it comes with a 40 gallon terrarium with a mesh top.
Please let me know what you think of this and if you think I should change anything. We still need to purchase a water dish, a hide and food dish. Thank you.

  • Mini deep dome light fixture
 

Tom

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Most of that stuff is useless. You are throwing money away for nothing. And russians don't need night heat. I typed this up as a quick list for someone else earlier today. The same basic set up stuff will work for you too:
For now all you need is:
a large tub $20-25 (50 gallon size or larger), at the hardware store
coco coir $12 at the garden center
a couple of terra cotta saucers, one for food one for water, $2 each at hardware store
a heat bulb and fixture, $20 total at the hardware store, $12 for ceramic based fixture and $7 for 65 watt flood bulb.
thermometer, $10-20 at hardware store
dishwashing tub for humid hide, second tub for soaking, $1.82 each at Walmart

Then throw some clean large rocks in for sight barriers/decorations.

Something like one of these will work great for an outdoor enclosure on warmer days:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...table-but-safe-outdoor-baby-enclosures.30683/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/cheap-easy-simple-sunning-enclosure.14680/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/simple-sunning-enclosure.104351/


And here is a russian care sheet, and a thread about what not to do:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
 

Arjun&Yoshi

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Toronto, Canada
Ok, well that sucks!! LOL

So now that is what we have and already set up, so when you say these things are useless, are they a detriment to its health?

The nocturnal light should be turned off at night? We live just outside of toronto Canada, so it's cold now and the heat is on in the house. What is ideal night temp?

We plan to feed fresh greens and we have a hibiscus plant we will also use for food, so should we not use the tortoise food at all?

Also, for a baby, how often should I use the calcium powder? Is the water conditioner necessary?

The links are great, thanks a lot.
 
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Yellow Turtle01

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Welcome to TFO!
40 gallons is too small for any tortoise expect a (very new hatcling, newborn?? I guess!) very small tort! Russians really are oky without night heat, and will be quite toasty feeling at 65-70 (even below CAN be okay)
Humidity should stay between 70-80% for a baby. Tom's caresheets are great :D
You don't need a commercial diet, as long as he has varied healthy green leafy weedy meals :D but it's up to you. He may not eat it.
A couple times a week. I only do one! For soaks and stuff? Not reeaallly, but if you want to be safe, it's okay to use :)
 

TortMomma

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I just purchased a couple of 50 gallon storage containers. I have my russian in the Rubbermaid rough neck that I got from home depot but this time I went to walmart and they carry the roughneck and a sterilite one. I did some comparison and the sterilite one is wider on the bottom, not by much, but still more space is always a plus. So if you can find it, I would suggest that brand. Walmart also carries both for $5 cheaper.
 

Arjun&Yoshi

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Thanks for all the suggestions. :( too bad I didn't find this forum before I bought all the stuff. Rookie mistakes!! :sigh

The water conditioner I was thinking for its drinking water?

Since our RT is 6 months old, could I get about a year out of the 40 gallon terrarium?
 

Tom

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The Reptisun tube is good, but it must be no further than about 12" from the tortoise for him to get the UV benefits.

As long as your house is warmer than around 60, you won't need night heat. If its colder than that I still wouldn't use an infrared bulb. I'd use a ceramic heating element set on a thermostat.

I prefer coco coir to cypress mulch, but it shouldn't hurt him.

Those thermometers are not accurate or reliable, so you will need to get a decent one.

While Russian aren't grass eaters, per se, you can soak one pellet and mix it all up to add some fiber to the gorcery store greens you'll be feeding over winter.

None of my tortoises will touch the tortoise blocks, but its not harmful.

ZooMed calcium powder s good stuff.

If your tap water is safe for you to drink, its safe for your tortoise too. No need for the water treatment stuff.

Reptivite is good stuff too.

Never read the care booklet, so I can't comment on that.

I don't like the deep dome fixtures. Regular ceramic based fixtures from Home Depot work just fine and have a heavier duty cord.


Your 40 wil probably last until springtime. It just depends on how fast he grows.
 

Arjun&Yoshi

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Tom, thank you so much for taking the time to give me all this information, I really appreciate all your help and knowledge. I just want my son to have a great experience with Yoshi so it's nice to have the information to give to him. He understands that with proper care, he will have a friend for life :) and I can't lie, I'm pretty excited myself!
 

Tom

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Tom, thank you so much for taking the time to give me all this information, I really appreciate all your help and knowledge. I just want my son to have a great experience with Yoshi so it's nice to have the information to give to him. He understands that with proper care, he will have a friend for life :) and I can't lie, I'm pretty excited myself!


That excitement you feel is why so many of us love to do what we do. I can't foresee a time when I wouldn't have tortoises around to take care of.

I hope you and your son have decades of enjoyment with your tortoise!
 

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