NamedNut
Member
Hello and Happy Saturday! 
We recently got our first tortoise, Murray the Russian from a big box store (I know, but he was too cute). Over the past 12-18 months I've been loosely researching Testudo and the care requirements in preparation. We were not planning on getting Murray when we found him but... you know how that goes. Original plan was to get captive bred, I'm still unsure about our decision because I know that the odds are very high he's wild... but we still love him and want to give him his best life in captivity he can have. Background on me; I live in SW Washington (state) this is my first reptile, I've been keeping fish specifically Cichlids for about 20 years now. Have had as small as 2.5 gallon clear up to 240 gallon aquariums, currently have one 120 gallon and have a second that will be getting setup soon. I take my fish keeping seriously and try to provide the best eco systems I can, I intend to the do the same in this new world to me called Reptiles. I'm enthusiastic about my animals and their care. We also have a cat and dog, both will not be allowed near the tortoise for obvious safety concerns.
We've had him for a week now (4/14/23), he's currently housed in a "large" Rubbermaid tote with the essentials and nothing more. UVB/Heat combo lamp, basking rock, shallow terracotta water dish, terracotta pot for a hide, cypress mulch for substrate. His light is on from 6:30AM - 8PM, we feed him at about 7:30AM and remove the food after 3 hours or so. We've been feeding him a fairly even mix of organic store bought romain lettuce, collard green, red dandelion greens and kale. and give him a dandelion flower ever couple of days. Today I'm going to add a cuddle bone in with him, I've removed the hard backing. Our plan is to soak him on Sundays and Wednesdays. I weigh him after each soak; he was 392 grams two days after we got him and 399 grams 5 days after. From what I've read this leads me to believe that he's full grown, thoughts?
Over the past week I've built him a tortoise table, just waiting for the orchid bark to arrive early next week then he'll be moving in. We let him explore it a bit last night. The table is 4' x 8', walls are 19" tall, there will be 3" of substrate throughout and some areas will be slightly deeper. There's a ramp to an upper section above his "house", this is where his basking rock will be, according to my math that gives him about 38.5 sq. ft. I'll be ordering a UV index meter late next week to help dial in his lights and am prepared to buy a 2' two lamp T5 HO fixture which I'll put one or two 10.0 UVB tubes in. I also have two more (three total) 250w rated hanging fixtures to use as needed. Initially his table will be somewhat boring (in my opinion), but I plan to add plants, rocks, wood, etc. over time to dress it up for him.
It's very important to me that my family and I give Murry the Russian tortoise the best life he can have in captivity. I've scheduled a vet wellness exam at a semi local exotic vet, however they're booked out and that's nearly 6 weeks from now. I've been lurking on this site for 18 months now, it's evident that there're some very experienced keepers here. I have three questions listed below, but please school me, I won't take offense!
What am I doing wrong?
What could I do better?
What would you do differently?
Thank you for your time and I look forward to talking with you all!
-NamedNut
We recently got our first tortoise, Murray the Russian from a big box store (I know, but he was too cute). Over the past 12-18 months I've been loosely researching Testudo and the care requirements in preparation. We were not planning on getting Murray when we found him but... you know how that goes. Original plan was to get captive bred, I'm still unsure about our decision because I know that the odds are very high he's wild... but we still love him and want to give him his best life in captivity he can have. Background on me; I live in SW Washington (state) this is my first reptile, I've been keeping fish specifically Cichlids for about 20 years now. Have had as small as 2.5 gallon clear up to 240 gallon aquariums, currently have one 120 gallon and have a second that will be getting setup soon. I take my fish keeping seriously and try to provide the best eco systems I can, I intend to the do the same in this new world to me called Reptiles. I'm enthusiastic about my animals and their care. We also have a cat and dog, both will not be allowed near the tortoise for obvious safety concerns.
We've had him for a week now (4/14/23), he's currently housed in a "large" Rubbermaid tote with the essentials and nothing more. UVB/Heat combo lamp, basking rock, shallow terracotta water dish, terracotta pot for a hide, cypress mulch for substrate. His light is on from 6:30AM - 8PM, we feed him at about 7:30AM and remove the food after 3 hours or so. We've been feeding him a fairly even mix of organic store bought romain lettuce, collard green, red dandelion greens and kale. and give him a dandelion flower ever couple of days. Today I'm going to add a cuddle bone in with him, I've removed the hard backing. Our plan is to soak him on Sundays and Wednesdays. I weigh him after each soak; he was 392 grams two days after we got him and 399 grams 5 days after. From what I've read this leads me to believe that he's full grown, thoughts?
Over the past week I've built him a tortoise table, just waiting for the orchid bark to arrive early next week then he'll be moving in. We let him explore it a bit last night. The table is 4' x 8', walls are 19" tall, there will be 3" of substrate throughout and some areas will be slightly deeper. There's a ramp to an upper section above his "house", this is where his basking rock will be, according to my math that gives him about 38.5 sq. ft. I'll be ordering a UV index meter late next week to help dial in his lights and am prepared to buy a 2' two lamp T5 HO fixture which I'll put one or two 10.0 UVB tubes in. I also have two more (three total) 250w rated hanging fixtures to use as needed. Initially his table will be somewhat boring (in my opinion), but I plan to add plants, rocks, wood, etc. over time to dress it up for him.
It's very important to me that my family and I give Murry the Russian tortoise the best life he can have in captivity. I've scheduled a vet wellness exam at a semi local exotic vet, however they're booked out and that's nearly 6 weeks from now. I've been lurking on this site for 18 months now, it's evident that there're some very experienced keepers here. I have three questions listed below, but please school me, I won't take offense!
What am I doing wrong?
What could I do better?
What would you do differently?
Thank you for your time and I look forward to talking with you all!
-NamedNut
