Help a newby please?!

[Christinab]

We just got this “Russian” as we were told from the pet store. That’s all my child asked for this Christmas. They obviously told us he was a little guy (as I am not finding out to be false). I was just looking for some input on gender, age, ect. My child has named it “Bob” so we were curious if we needed to change it to Barbara Ann lol. Here are a few pics that might be helpful

 

[Sarah2020]

Congrats on your new shelled warrior! It has new growth all over and a smooth shell. Please read the care sheet and ensure you provide a closed humid enclosure with correct heat, light, diet, substate, calcium, water and regular shallow warm water soaks. Please ask questions and enjoy your new charge. This year it will not brumate so keep it cosy, fed and awake during the winter months.
P S I suspect Bob is a he but may be early days! P.s.s He does not need a friend, solo in correct conditions will be fine.

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[wellington]

I don't think Bob is a little guy. He looks the size, even bigger than mine which is in the ball park of 20 years old
If I'm correct on it not being a young one, the closed chamber is not needed but 50% humidity is and can be done within a humid hide or keep the whole enclosure humid.
Did you get him from a pet store or breeder? A pet store, then likely he's an adult.
The rest of the info that Sarah2020 gave is still good for an adult, just the closed chamber is not needed for an adult.

 

[TammyJ]

He does look like a mature male, certainly not a youngster!

 

[TechnoCheese]

Those pet store russian's are wild caught, so you definitely have an adult male that has been around quite a few years. Don't worry, though, your little guy still has decades left in him. Keep in mind that, despite their size, they do need 8 x 4 foot enclosures. I suspect you've gotten a lot of bad info from the pet store.

Have a read through this: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/the-best-way-to-raise-any-temperate-species-of-tortoise.183131/
Welcome to the forum!

 

[Tom]

We just got this “Russian” as we were told from the pet store. That’s all my child asked for this Christmas. They obviously told us he was a little guy (as I am not finding out to be false). I was just looking for some input on gender, age, ect. My child has named it “Bob” so we were curious if we needed to change it to Barbara Ann lol. Here are a few pics that might be helpful

Hello and welcome. You've gotten good advice above. Take the time to read the linked threads because the pet store almost certainly gave you the wrong info and sold you the wrong products. If the tortoise is in a 40 gallon tank with a cfl bulb for UV and a ramped water bowl, you need to make some changes ASAP. We will help.

 

[Christinab]

Hello and welcome. You've gotten good advice above. Take the time to read the linked threads because the pet store almost certainly gave you the wrong info and sold you the wrong products. If the tortoise is in a 40 gallon tank with a cfl bulb for UV and a ramped water bowl, you need to make some changes ASAP. We will help.

Just trying to take it all in. Yes it appears the pet store has no idea what they have been telling us for weeks. We have been going in and thinking we were getting their knowledge prior to getting Bob. Wow do I feel silly. Trying to properly prioritize the possible changes needed asap. Ramped water bowl? Please explain the proper water bowl so I can be sure I don’t havw a ramped one. I’m sorry to sound needy!

 

[Christinab]

This is similar to what we had… is this a NO??!!!

 

[zovick]

This is similar to what we had… is this a NO??!!!

That type of water bowl is not recommended as they are hard to get in and out of, plus present a drowning hazard if the tortoise tips over trying to climb the sides.

The best thing is to get a clay plant saucer with gently sloped sides and sink it into the substrate so that the top edge is at ground level and the tortoise can easily get into and out of it.

 

[Tom]

Just trying to take it all in. Yes it appears the pet store has no idea what they have been telling us for weeks. We have been going in and thinking we were getting their knowledge prior to getting Bob. Wow do I feel silly. Trying to properly prioritize the possible changes needed asap. Ramped water bowl? Please explain the proper water bowl so I can be sure I don’t havw a ramped one. I’m sorry to sound needy!

You are not needy or silly at all. Most people go through this "learning curve", as we call it. Most sources of tortoise care info are still repeating the same old wrong info that has been parroted for decades. The same wrong info I was taught, and then taught others, 30 years ago in the 80s. Some of us, many here on this forum, have taken the time to figure out what was wrong, why it was wrong, and what is best. It is always a work in progress, but we've come a long way and learned a lot along the way. We try to share what we've learned with new people in the hopes of saving them (you) from the common problems and pitfalls.

The ramped water bowels are what is typically sold in pet stores. Those are dangerous because tortoises can easily flip over in them and drown. The bowls you have are not ideal, but your tortoise won't drown in them. Terra cotta plant saucers from the hardware or garden store sunk into the substrate work best.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

On priorities of changes:

1. Replace all potential life hazards like ramped bowls or sphagnum moss with safe alternatives. This is relatively easy.
2. Work out potentially harmful things like wrong UVB lamps, low temperatures or feeding him fruit.
3. Make some quality of life improvements - adjust temperatures, humidity, diet variety, tweaks in the enclosure.

To help with that we need know what you have. You can post the photos of the enclosure and lamp packaging/labels and tell us of his routines: what do you feed him, if you soak him or not.

Meanwhile read the care sheets, bite-sized. Don't worry if you feel overwhelmed - everything will settle down eventually.

Don't be afraid to ask questions or check with us before buying something.

 

[TechnoCheese]

Luckily, tortoises are extremely hardy little buggers. Obviously make changes soon, but don't lose sleep over it. It is unlikely to die or have any long lasting effects from what you have now (as long as you don't wait forever to make changes), besides for maybe a coil/compact UVB if that's what you have. If it is what you have, just turn it off and try to get a tube UVB within the next week or two.
Here is something I put together recently for space and cost effective enclosures:

https://www.reddit.com/r/tortoise/comments/18jg1bw

Good luck!

 

[Christinab]

I feel like for food I am getting such contradicting information. Obviously the pet store was my only source of what I thought was reliable prior to finding this informational page. I’ve been trying to give him a variety of greens from the grocery store since I don’t have any other sources outside to supply him with what I know of that is safe. So any helpful info would be amazing. He’s been eating daily red and green leaf, arugula, cilantro, kale, cucumber, ect. We were told to sprinkle calcium supplements on it. He seems to show us he’s hungry and wants food… I’m not sure if this is because he’s really hungry or if he’s just gotten smart and isnt hungry but has become a fatty lol. He goes and sits in his bowl if it’s empty when we go near his enclosure knowing we will add a little more food because we aren’t sure how to take the hint. So I need your opinion on that. We were told to soak him weekly. Those are the starter questions. After those are addressed I am going to post a pic of the lights. I did not purchase them, my husband’s father did so I have to see if I can find any info on them. But I will post a picture if anything.

 

[TammyJ]

I feel like for food I am getting such contradicting information. Obviously the pet store was my only source of what I thought was reliable prior to finding this informational page. I’ve been trying to give him a variety of greens from the grocery store since I don’t have any other sources outside to supply him with what I know of that is safe. So any helpful info would be amazing. He’s been eating daily red and green leaf, arugula, cilantro, kale, cucumber, ect. We were told to sprinkle calcium supplements on it. He seems to show us he’s hungry and wants food… I’m not sure if this is because he’s really hungry or if he’s just gotten smart and isnt hungry but has become a fatty lol. He goes and sits in his bowl if it’s empty when we go near his enclosure knowing we will add a little more food because we aren’t sure how to take the hint. So I need your opinion on that. We were told to soak him weekly. Those are the starter questions. After those are addressed I am going to post a pic of the lights. I did not purchase them, my husband’s father did so I have to see if I can find any info on them. But I will post a picture if anything.

I think Bob is totally adorable and I love his name. Not because my father and my son are named Bob, but because the name really suits him! Happy New Year, Bob and family.

 

[Maggie3fan]

Somebody else will tell you about lights, I'm telling you to soak him daily for about 15 to 20 minutes. Calcium is a pinch on food twice a week and in the wild tortoises graze all day and walk for 20 miles or so...the walking keep all his innards moving so he has regular bowel movements. So he needs room to walk, and I would put food in stations all around his enclosure so he has to walk to eat.
Post some photos of his enclosure, his lights, humidity...he IS in a closed chamber...isn't he? welcome

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

 

[Christinab]

Somebody else will tell you about lights, I'm telling you to soak him daily for about 15 to 20 minutes. Calcium is a pinch on food twice a week and in the wild tortoises graze all day and walk for 20 miles or so...the walking keep all his innards moving so he has regular bowel movements. So he needs room to walk, and I would put food in stations all around his enclosure so he has to walk to eat.
Post some photos of his enclosure, his lights, humidity...he IS in a closed chamber...isn't he? welcome

Here is what we have Bob on for now. I shared the house dimensions from Amazon, and I shared the light description from Amazon. I didn’t purchase those so that was as good as I could do.

 

[Tom]

Here is what we have Bob on for now. I shared the house dimensions from Amazon, and I shared the light description from Amazon. I didn’t purchase those so that was as good as I could do.

Hi Christinab!

Here is some more help with the food thing. I just typed this up for another thread, but its the same for you:
You need much more variety in the diet. Add in amendments to make the grocery store food more suitable, and add in more weeds, leaves and flowers when you can get those. Grape leaves, mulberry leaves, rose of Sharon leaves, clover, broadleaf plantain, sow thistle, prickly lettuce, bristly ox tongue... There are so many. It will take time to learn to ID all the different weeds around you. Post pics here, and/or take samples to your local nursery and ask them to help ID what you've got. As long as the weeds haven't been sprayed with anything, they should be safe to feed. You can always rinse/soak them in a bucket of water to clean them off too.

At the store look for curly endive, escarole, cilantro, Italian dandelion (aka dandelion greens), collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, etc... Add in soaked horse hay pellets, ZooMed pellets, Mazuri, "Herbal Hay" from Tortoisesupply.com and several of the dried leaf offerings from Kapidolofarms.com.

That bulb is the wrong type, but it is fine for now until you can replace it. Mercury vapor bulbs like that one have proven to be unreliable and they cause pyramiding in young growing animals, but that isn't a concern for your tortoise anymore. You probably don't the CHE, but your thermometer can answer that for you.

Here is a breakdown of the four heating and lighting essentials:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night. Some people in colder climates or with larger enclosures will need multiple CHEs or RHPs to spread out enough heat.
3. Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.

The enclosure is far too small, but again, a few weeks in this won't hurt anything. I would start designing and constructing a large enclosure outside ASAP, as your warm sunny weather will be great for this little guy. With a proper heated shelter and the right cage, this guy can live outside year round, or you can do an indoor enclosure for inclement weather and use the outdoor enclosure during nicer weather.

I used this chick coop from tractor supply to make a safe outdoor enclosure for my mom's star tortoise. This is just to give you an idea. You can make something cheaper yourself, but I like to have small species caged like this to keep them in and predators out: