Hello from NJ

[bigballofyarn]

I just purchased my very first pet, a Russian tortoise. I figured it would be nice to join a community of people who have similar pets. I'm just waiting for my tank to arrive, and then I can pick up my tortoise from the pet store. The suspense is killing me! I hope to meet you all soon.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

I wish you had joined before you ordered a "tank." We probably would have tried to talk you out of it. Plastic tubs are much cheaper, and because Russian tortoises need a lot of space, we may have even tried to talk you into a converted bookcase or some such.

 

[bigballofyarn]

I was told they only grow up to 8 inches and that it won't be for quite some time. The tank is 26 inches in length and 18 inches deep. The tortoise is probably only 2 inches right now.

 

[Careym13]

Welcome to TFO!! Here is a link to our Russian care sheet...lots of good info: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/forums/russian-tortoises.81/.

Congrats on your new tort!

 

[bigballofyarn]

Thank you so much. I am way too excited. I can't wait until I can take him home in 2 more days!!

 

[kirsty Johnston]

Welcome

 

[bouaboua]

Hello and Welcome to the forum. Good to have you here. This is a great place to learn and share. Welcome.

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome,
You must be very excited!
There's lots of great information here but
just a few quick tips -

You may find it easier to set your tank set up with the substrate
a hide, water saucers, and plants, and get the temps and humidity right
first before he arrives.
Don't buy expensive dishes - a shallow plant saucer big enough for him to self soak
in will be much cheaper and safer for him.
and
coil/loop type bulbs can damage torts eyes so don't buy those either.
Hope that saves you a bit of money!

 

[bigballofyarn]

Hi and welcome,
You must be very excited!
There's lots of great information here but
just a few quick tips -

You may find it easier to set your tank set up with the substrate
a hide, water saucers, and plants, and get the temps and humidity right
first before he arrives.
Don't buy expensive dishes - a shallow plant saucer big enough for him to self soak
in will be much cheaper and safer for him.
and
coil/loop type bulbs can damage torts eyes so don't buy those either.
Hope that saves you a bit of money!

I went nuts buying stuff at the pet store.
This is what I bought other than the tank:

-Habba Hut
-Feeding Dish
-Tortoise Block
-Alfalfa Substrate Bedding
-Tortoise Food
-Thermometer
-Light Timer
-Terrarium Cleaner
-Two Clamp Lamps
-One 13W Reptile UVB Bulb
-One 40W Basking Bulb

 

[Lyn W]

I'm not sure which bulbs those are but just make sure neither is a coil or long thin loop sort.
and I don't know if you need the two in such a small tank
I use one MVB (Mercury vapour bulb) which gives heat light and uva/b in one bulb.
Then for night I use a Ceramic heat emitter (CHE) on a thermostat. - this gives no light just heat as
torts need darkness to sleep but will still need heat.
What are you going to use at night?
If you read the caresheet linked above that will tell you if you have the correct substrate to get the humidity right.
Please take the time to read it as babies can become ill very quickly if not set up correctly.
Fresh food is better than pellets (they are ok as extra) and there will be a diet list on the caresheet too

 

[bigballofyarn]

I'm not sure which bulbs those are but just make sure neither is a coil or long thin loop sort.
and I don't know if you need the two in such a small tank
I use one MVB (Mercury vapour bulb) which gives heat light and uva/b in one bulb.
Then for night I use a Ceramic heat emitter (CHE) on a thermostat. - this gives no light just heat as
torts need darkness to sleep but will still need heat.
What are you going to use at night?
If you read the caresheet linked above that will tell you if you have the correct substrate to get the humidity right.
Please take the time to read it as babies can become ill very quickly if not set up correctly.
Fresh food is better than pellets (they are ok as extra) and there will be a diet list on the caresheet too

I did read through it, as well as the information given to me by the store. All the UVB bulbs I've seen are coil-type.

They told me that everything goes off at night.

I think I'm missing information then. I did read through the care sheet. Every pet store I've been to said that the temperature in my house will be sufficient heat at night.

 

[Lyn W]

I did read through it, as well as the information given to me by the store. All the UVB bulbs I've seen are coil-type.

They told me that everything goes off at night.

I think I'm missing information then. I did read through the care sheet. Every pet store I've been to said that the temperature in my house will be sufficient heat at night.

I think if your night temp is constantly at about 80' you may be OK. but I would recommend a CHE on a thermostat because if your baby gets cold it won't last long.
Unfortunately pet stores are notorious for selling stuff that is unsuitable or unnecessary because they are profit driven and the employees don't always know about the correct care the animals they sell need. There are hundreds of members here who all say they wish they found this forum before they went shopping and wasted lots of money.
No, not all bulbs are coil and the coil/loop sort have been found to cause blindness and death in torts so they are strongly advised against. I certainly wouldn't risk it.
You can either get uvb tubes and fittings or the mvb sort I mentioned above. If you have any coils/loops please don't use them, take them back and ask for a refund or see if they will exchange both for one mvb. I use Arcadia but there are other makes. I will try to post some pics.
You need to add to your shopping list a digital temp/humidity gauge with a probe (from Lowes/Walmart/ Home Depot etc will be cheaper) and a digital temp gum which will be great for spot checking your 4 temps.

 

[Lyn W]

These are what I use for day and night heat.
The che fits in a lamp holder like a bulb and runs through the thermostat.
There are lots of other makes if you google or look on Amazon etc

 

[Speedy-1]

Hi and welcome !

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello, and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum.
Get your set up right and you can have a happy, healthy, adorable tortoise for many, many years to come.
Have a look at http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
also to see if you've missed something.
The clamps have been known to fail and can potentially cause house fires, fixed fittings are better.
For a water bowl, a cheap shallow, terracotta saucer, big enough for the tortoise to soak in and sunk into the substrate is all you need.
For food a flat piece of slate or sandstone is good as this also helps keep the beak filed down.

 

[4jean]

Welcome, I bought my first tortoise from a pet store and bought everything the pet store told me to get and then joined this forum and found out that my pet store did not have the correct information to help me keep my tortoise healthy. It's a little frustrating and overwhelming at first. Everyone here is very helpful, but it can be hard if you have to make changes. Read as much as you can and ask as many questions as you need to. When you have your tank set up, post pictures, especially of your new pet!

 

[Yvonne G]

I was told they only grow up to 8 inches and that it won't be for quite some time. The tank is 26 inches in length and 18 inches deep. The tortoise is probably only 2 inches right now.

Doesn't matter how big they grow, they need a lot of wandering space. Russian tortoises are hard-wired to roam over great distances. When you keep one in a small tank, they get stressed and try to escape - all day long.

 

[Yvonne G]

I did read through it, as well as the information given to me by the store. All the UVB bulbs I've seen are coil-type.

They told me that everything goes off at night.

I think I'm missing information then. I did read through the care sheet. Every pet store I've been to said that the temperature in my house will be sufficient heat at night.

Please don't listen to the pet shop guy. They are in business to sell things and make money. They don't really know what's good for your tortoise and not good. The spiral shaped bulb will burn your baby Russian tortoise's eyes. Would you rather listen to the pet store people and end up with burned eyes, or listen to us who have much more experience raising baby tortoises, and raise a happy healthy baby?

P.S. - we don't have an ulterior motive.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello

 

[bigballofyarn]

I do appreciate all the advice. Don't get me wrong. I am just extremely overwhelmed right now since I just spent $500 and now have to return everything, including the pet if the glass tank is no good either.