HELP! new and no clue?!

[Rosie Maden]

Hello i'm Rosie
me and my boyfriend have just moved into our first home(rented) and randomly decided we want to get a pet tortoise! we've been to see some and decided on the Horsefield tortoise. I've tried doing A LOT of research but it's something different each time.
So if anyone could help in recommending all the basic things we need and what to know.
Do we buy a proper tortoise table or make our own?
thanks!

 

[johnsonnboswell]

Go to russiantortoise.org and read everything. Good info there. Then if you ask specific questions here, we won't have to rewrite the book for you.

Horsefields are charming tortoises. Realize that most of what the pet stores tell you is useless or wrong.

Good for you for doing your research first.

You can never have too big a habitat. If you buy one, do so with the understanding that you will upsize and redesign later. You might start with a 50 gallon Rubbermaid tote. They are cheap.

 

[Rosie Maden]

thank you!
so would it be more worth while getting a large deep bookshelf and build it without the shelves in? as i've also read thats a good and cheaper option
also we have a large bay window would that be a suitable place to put it or would it be too hot as a lot of sunlight/heat comes through?

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome. Everyone has their own preferred way of doing it. Also everyone's home, weather and climate are different. There is more than one way to do it right. Here is a thread I made showing what works for me and should be easy for anyone to duplicate anywhere. Following this care sheet will meet all of your tortoises basic needs and you can add on, customize for your environment, and get as fancy as you like from there.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

Here are some common mistakes to watch out for and avoid:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

The easiest way to make a nice table is to stand some 2x12" boards up on end and screw them to a 4x8' sheet of thick plywood. However, be aware that having an open table makes it very difficult to maintain the needed moderate humidity. Most heated and air conditioned homes are very dry inside. Too dry. Especially once you add your basking bulbs which dry it all out even more. Damp substrate, regular soaks and humid hides all help with this.

Is your new tortoise a hatchling or an adult? Hatchlings are not difficult, but there is certainly less room for error.

 

[Rosie Maden]

We live in East Anglia England so like people have mentioned very unpredictable weather so it would be indoors most of the time but obviously we'd get it outdoors when weather permitted.
From what i've seen and read open table top is the best and easiest options so now im confused again? lol we heard that the closed tanks give poor ventilation so are no good for tortoises.
Picture is what I was looking at making one from.
We haven't got a tortoise yet so just going on how to prepare housing and things but like i said we're probably going to go for the smaller Horsefield which I believe were born in 2012.

 

[Tom]

Glass tanks are actually good for them for the very reasons those care sheets and "experts" say they are bad. "Poor" ventilation? The whole top is open (an I cover mine). Think about this for a minute. What does "ventilation" do? It lets all the air INSIDE your enclosure equalize with all the air outside your enclosure. Is the air inside your home the perfect temperature and humidity for your tortoise? Or are you going to need to be using heat lamps and damp substrates to try to achieve the conditions your tortoise needs? More ventilation usually means more dry extremely low humidity air and it means you need to burn more electricity to get the heat your tortoise needs. By reducing ventilation with the use of tall solid walls, you help to keep the warm humid air INSIDE the enclosure where you want it. In fact a closed chamber is best of all for this. Understand that I am not saying a horsfieldii needs high humidity, but they do need SOME humidity. Indoor open enclosures can often be lower than 10% humidity. 20-30% is common, but somewhere around 40-60% is better, and I prefer to go even higher with babies like the one you are getting. Maintaining humidity at whatever level you want is very easy in a closed chamber. Maintaining it in an open shallow table is nearly impossible unless the whole room is already humid.

I, and several other members here, have been using glass tanks for decades, and they work great. No problems whatsoever.

 

[Rosie Maden]

Oh right that has completely changed my wave of thought now. So would you suggest buying a proper tortoise tank from the pet store such as vivarium?
We would use both the heat and UV lamps within the enclosure to obviously get and maintain to correct temperature and sunlight for them.

 

[Yvonne G]

It depends upon whether you get a baby or an adult. A 'proper tank' is suitable for a baby Russian tortoise, but definitely NOT for an adult. The bookcase idea you spoke of would be great for an adult.

 

[JoesMum]

We live in East Anglia England so like people have mentioned very unpredictable weather so it would be indoors most of the time but obviously we'd get it outdoors when weather permitted.
From what i've seen and read open table top is the best and easiest options so now im confused again? lol we heard that the closed tanks give poor ventilation so are no good for tortoises.
Picture is what I was looking at making one from.
We haven't got a tortoise yet so just going on how to prepare housing and things but like i said we're probably going to go for the smaller Horsefield which I believe were born in 2012.

The weather in the UK isn't great, but it's not in Russia either. Russian tortoises need space as they grow and they love to roam, so an outdoor life is preferable. It is perfectly possible to do in the UK. Be aware that Russians love to dig and climb so, indoors or out, security is important!

I have posted in another thread ( see here ) about the dog kennel that I use in the garden to give my tortoise basking facilities in inclement weather.

 

[JoesMum]

It depends upon whether you get a baby or an adult. A 'proper tank' is suitable for a baby Russian tortoise, but definitely NOT for an adult. The bookcase idea you spoke of would be great for an adult.

I agree with Yvonne about babies, by the way. Adult Russians need lots of space which is where outdoors can work better unless you have space for a very large bookcase.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

They say a picture is worth 1000 words ! Russians are fun you will enjoy them .


Sent from my iPhone using TortForum

 

[Rosie Maden]

Also our garden is at the front and not enclosed at all! So we'd only prefer to let it into the outdoors enclosure when we're home. Obviously we'd try our best to give it chance to go outside as much as possible but at the moment we've had very heavy rain storms - which is very likely in England, so it being indoors a lot is that okay?
Is it more when they're adults to be outdoors with more space?

 

[JoesMum]

Continuously cold and damp is not good, but it is possible to provide shelter outdoors. Joe has a cold frame with a door cut in the side. He has been outdoors continuously for about 6 weeks now. A soaking does no harm, it rains in the wild Joe seems to like being out in thunder storms and is often in the middle of the lawn as he was yesterday when I can only describe the weather as cold and stormy!

I understand the security risks. And only having a front garden is a problem. Your tort will soon let you know when he needs more space. You will get away with something smaller for maybe the first 4 or 5 years (assuming you have an accurate hatch year), but you need to plan long term when owning a tortoise.

We have owned ours for 44 years now; he foukd eaily live for another 50. We cannot move house or go on holiday with planning exactly how he will be cared for. You need to bring care to them and not take them with you if you go away. It is a big responsibility.