Finally! Glad to be joining the club!

[axeman25]

Hello all!
After years of wanting to get a tortoise and continually putting it off, I am finally giving up the excuses of why I shouldn't. I am getting three Russian's this Thursday. They have all been in the same little "tub" since the person who now has them bought them.
I am considering it more of a rescue. They are in a very small enclosure (less than 5' for 3 that are 4 to 5 inches each) and the guy has lost interest in them so they are pretty much neglected. A friend of mine asked me about taking these for the guy who has them now. There is a male and two females. They have all been in the same enclosure without incident.

I just built a new enclosure for them. It is 2'x6' and there is a way to divide it if I need too (I will get pics up as soon as I get them)

I just ran across this site yesterday so what I've done may not be the best. I spent quite a bit of time on different sites trying to soak up as much info as I could to get this thing right, so here goes:

1) I used a 2'x6' bookshelf to make the outer frame for it. I used the shelves that came with it to make some door frames which I put chicken wire in (they cannot get to the chicken wire). The doors and chicken wire are mostly to keep stuff out, not in (like little kid hands, lol). The doors are hinged and I also put locks on them, again, just to keep my little ones out.

2) Lighting and heat. Ok, I may have messed up a little with the UVB light. I have just read that the cfl type uvb bulbs can be harmful. Literally, not even five hours ago. I had already bought one and have it in a fixture pointing straight down on it at a distance of about 12". I have several other fixtures, but the uvb t8 bulbs are expensive and at the time this seemed like a more efficient way to go. My heat lamp is actually a 250w lamp that is actually a stage lamp I used while in a band. It works great and keeps the basking area at about 95 degrees from 3.5 feet away. Both lamps are hooked up to a timer for 12 on, 12 off.

3) The substrate is a 60/40 mix of organic top soil and sand

I do have some questions though; I am having them shipped in from this guy on Thursday, should I soak them more than once a week to start with? I have heard that some get dehydrated if they are not taken care of and require even a soaking everyday.

Is it ok for me to use an aluminum pie pan for their water/soaking dish? Just till I can save up and buy them something a little nicer. Their shipping plus all the money I put into their house has tapped me out for a few day.

I'm sure I'll have a million more questions by Friday. Thanks to all! Sorry I wrote a novel up there.

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

welcome to the forum! here is the info lol. the minimum cage for an adult russian is 4ft by 8ft so they enclosure you have now will not be large enclosure.
i use a power sun uvb light with a chicken heat light, make sure not to use a red or a coil bulb. the sand in the substate needs to go, sand causes impaction in the tortoises intestines if eaten. soaking them around 3 times a week it good, right when you get the soak them. the best type of water dish is a thin clay plant saucer, you can get them at garden stores for like $2. please read this entire care sheet http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

 

[axeman25]

Thanks for the reply. Wow. There is so much conflicting information out. I've probably read a dozen or so care sheets on russians and they've all got different information in them. Even the so called 'expert books' are different from one another. I guess I'm going to have to see what works best for these guys. I want to give them a good home. I am looking forward to working on an outdoor habitat this summer.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

The best advice I can give you is for you to learn all about Russian tortoises and what they need to thrive, then try to provide that any way you can. The reason there is so much conflicting info out there is because we each provide the requirements to the best of our ability. What works for me and my russians may not work for you. What Tom tells you in his care sheet may not be the way you can provide what your tortoises need. You have to read all you can, then pick and choose what works for you in your home and in your geographical area.

Your tortoises need lots of space.
Tortoises are territorial and once they get comfortable in their new space, you may start seeing fighting and bullying.
Your tortoises will each need their own hiding place.
Sight barriers will help keep peace in the habitat.
Sand causes impaction, but if the tortoises are well hydrated it may not be a problem.
Tortoises are wild animals and their main habitat should be outside, only coming indoors during inclement weather (they hibernate, so they may never need to come indoors)

We have a good care sheet for Russian tortoises pinned at the top of our Russian section.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome!

 

[axeman25]

Thanks. Yes, I have read the care sheet. There are dozens out there. I live in Michigan, from what I've read, they absolutely need to be inside right now. LOL. I plan on keeping them well hydrated. I do realize that I will make some mistakes, I have literally been doing research on them for years I kid you not. I just wasn't able to justify having them. Now I have a much larger home with a room that is dedicated for tortoise. I have a large yard so I can build an outdoor habitat. I just don't know about leaving them outside. My fear is the racoons. They are smart little suckers.

In their enclosure right now I have a couple half logs and some rocks. Is there anything else I should have in there? Outside of the normal food/water stuff. Thanks again to everyone for the warm welcome and helpful information.

 

[Jodie]

Welcome to the forum. Yhe conflicting info is overwhelming. The coil bulb you're using can cause eye problems and sand can cause problems. I would be prepared to get rid of the bulb quickly. Also be prepared to seperate these guys. Congrats on finally getting tortoises.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

The pie pan will probably be too flimsy & they'll bulldoze it & tip it over. The best thing is a terra cotta plant saucer large enough for them to fit in. They don't have to all fit at once. Don't get a pet store dish. For soaking you can use something deeper like a dish pan.

Be prepared to raise the sides. RTs are climbers. You may need to replace the chicken wire with hardware cloth to keep out small hands, dogs, cats, etc. You'll have to see.

You may want to add coconut coir to the substrate mix. Again, see how it works. Not everyone is absolutely against sand in the mix. What happens over time ( even when there is no ingestion) is that the organic material breaks down but sand doesn't, so the proportions shift unfavorably.

Unless your stage light throws UVB, you really do need the expensive UVB bulb.

Rescue is a good way to go. Start thinking about their outdoor habitat soon. You're off to a good start & we'll help you all we can.

 

[axeman25]

I have the pie pan buried down in so the top is level with the substrate. It is only temporary. Like I said, it has been within the last week that I decided to pull the trigger on this. So after constructing the enclosure and paying the 'adoption fee' plus shipping, my tortoise budget has taken a large hit until the next week or two.

I have two top side doors that are hinged and have locks. In order for them to get to the chicken wire, they'd need to construct a ladder out of their shelter? The chicken wire is the small 1" stuff. It has been stretched and stapled on with a heavy duty air stapler. The top of the table is about 4' from the ground. I will try to get some picks up.

I do have a uvb light as well as the stage light. However, it is the cfl (twisty) type. I will replace it soon. I have several florescent light fixture in lengths from 22" to 48" that I could hang above the cage. I know that I need to by the special uvb bulbs for them. Does anyone know who has the best deals on the best lights? I need to have the T8 style.

 

[Yvonne G]

They're around $20 on Amazon.

 

[Heather H]

hi if you bought the "clf twisty type " bulb from a store then return it. explain to them that it has been shown to cause blindness in tortoises. where did you get it?
welcome to the family of torts. I am a bit of a newbie and had a lot to learn even though i thought I did research.

 

[axeman25]

I am going to return the cfl.

Ok, so I got some pics uploaded for everyone to critique. I've been moving the lights around a bit to find the best spot. My stage light is at a constant 95 degrees. Going to get a new uvb bulb soon. I have three separate hiding spots in there and a few logs to keep them guessing. I haven't added the food/water dishes yet. I can't leave this thing alone. I am really excited to get these guys.

Ok, another question. Should the food/water be under or close to the uvb light?

 

[Heather H]

i keep the food and water on the cooler side or it dries out the food too quick. I still mess with my enclosure tweeking things I added some fresh plants. it is an exciting adventure for sure. Im so glad you are rescuing them.

 

[Jacqui]

Did anybody show you the secret handshake yet?

 

[Heather H]

Did anybody show you the secret handshake yet?

hey I didn't get that yet but seriously I am so glad I found this forum.

 

[Yvonne G]

That's really nice, axeman. Moisten the substrate - and spritzing from a spray bottle doesn't do it. You have to actually pour water over it and mix it up with your hand. Then add more water as needed. Buy some plants in small pots and bury the pots all around all over the enclosure. I love the size. You're working hard to have it right.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello and welcome to the TFO from AZ. Torts rule !

 

[axeman25]

CFL bulb is now replaced with 2' reptiglow uvb. They get here Thursday!

Is it Thursday yet?

How bout now?

 

[axeman25]

Sorry guys, yet another question. I replaced the cfl with a 24" linear light fixture. If you look at the pictures in my previous post, the bottom one shows both my heat lamp in the corner of the enclosure and the cfl in the opposite corner of the top door. I hung the new light diagonal on that same side and was wondering if its ok of the uvb light crosses into the heat lamp area and vise versa? Is it enough to only have a 2' uvb light on a 6' cage? is it enough or should I add another lamp? I know, more than one question, but I want to make sure these guys get exactly what they need to be as healthy as they can be. Thanks again to everyone, you have all been very friendly and encouraging.

 

[Ryan Kruse]

Welcome to the forum. Yhe conflicting info is overwhelming. The coil bulb you're using can cause eye problems and sand can cause problems. I would be prepared to get rid of the bulb quickly. Also be prepared to seperate these guys. Congrats on finally getting tortoises.

Yup! Coil bulbs are evil! I like topsoil and peat mix. The peat helps hold the moisture a bit.