Horsfield tort

[mainey34]

RE: What els do i need do get or do?

Do we know what kind of tort it is? Greek ? Sorry. Was hard to tell. Here is a care sheet. Hope it helps...
http://russiantortoise.net/

 

[garon]

RE: What els do i need do get or do?

Horsfield..

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Russian Horsfield.

 

[Spn785]

RE: What els do i need do get or do?

You need something to measure temps and humidity, you need a UVB bulb as well. Don't worry about not having everything, most pet shop employees know little or nothing about tortoises and turtles.

 

[garon]

RE: What els do i need do get or do?

Okay thanks will take a look at that, and thanks for the help What UVB bulb do I need?

 

[garon]

This is my russian tort

Hello this is my russin tort dose she look nice n healthy?

 

[Yvonne G]

RE: This is my russian tort

Hi Tia:

There's a little bit of bumpiness going on on the top of her shell, but I'm sure its only cosmetic and nothing to be concerned about. Your tortoise is past the baby stage, so adding humidity is not going to be of much use. I would just provide a waterer inside the habitat so that the tortoise can get a drink any time it wants or needs to.

 

[garon]

Soo sorry to keep posting but i rescued a russian tort

Hello guys sorry I just really need help with every thin from heating to lighting and feeding I tried doing some thin good by rescuing it and now I feel like I should not have because I don't know how to take care of it??

 

[garon]

Yes I have noticed how other Russians look flatter than mine dose but hopefully it's nothingni have done sin as I am the new owner I worry about it 24/7 as it is a living thing and I don't want to hurt it in any way shape or form. I have been to see a vet with it and they said it's size and weight is fine and it looks pretty healthy

 

[Tom]

RE: Soo sorry to keep posting but i rescued a russian tort

What parts do you need help with? Russians are petty easy. Get a big enclosure, put a basking lamp over one end on a timer set for 12 hours on and 12 hours off. Adjust the height of the fixture to get your basking temp around 100. Give him a humid hide near the basking lamp side of the enclosure and a drier hide or two elsewhere in the enclosure. Unless your house regularly drops below 60 degrees at night, you shouldn't need any night heat. Use some substrate that can hold some moisture. Use a terra cotta saucer sunk into the substrate as a water bowl. Offer some cuttle bone for calcium. Feed a good varied diet of broadleaf weeds, leaves, cactus pads and maybe some Mazuri to round it all out.

What size is your tortoise? I would soak a small one a few times a week.

Let us know what your questions are. We're happy to help.

 

[garon]

RE: Soo sorry to keep posting but i rescued a russian tort

Hello thanks for your reply I have got one of them fish things in for calcium.
But I don't understand the rest of your reply is there a way you could explain to a new owner of a tort?
Sorry for sounding daft!

And she is about 4inch

 

[RosieRedfoot]

RE: Soo sorry to keep posting but i rescued a russian tort

You need a large enclosure, like a bookshelf turned on it's back with plastic liner for the tortoise to live in.

As for lighting you should use a bulb that has UV, but not one of the coil compact bulbs. Either a tube fixture or Mercury vapor bulb work. Be sure to hang a mercury vapor bulb straight up and down (don't rely on the clamp). Make sure your light fixture can handle the wattage of the bulb as well. Have it on a timer to give them the required UV for vitamin synthesis and food digestion, but 12 hours off to let their eyes and bodies take a break. These are sold right now in abundance for Christmas lights. Also known as lamp timers.

As for substrate, use something like coco coir (from pet store, sold in bricks), organic top soil from a hardware store, cypress mulch if in your area. Just avoid using wood shavings or sand since you don't want them to eat it and get a blockage. Avoid any soils with the white perlite beads as well or fertilizers.

A terra cotta saucer is what you put under plant pots to hold overflow water. Tom is suggesting you put one of these in the enclosure to hold water. They can't drink easily from a tiny dish and often like to walk into their water and soak in it. They also often poo in the water so you should change it out daily with fresh water.

Cuttle bone is sold for birds, or you can buy calcium powder.

As for food you can feed dark leafy greens such as dandelion, green leaf lettuce, cactus pads, etc. as Tom stated. Avoid feeding fruit often to russians (you'll see people on here feeding fruit but that's usually to tropical species that naturally eat fruit). Mazuri is a pelleted tortoise food that you soak in warm water to break it apart and it makes like an oatmeal-y grainy paste that most tortoises love and rounds out the vitamins/minerals in their diet. But leafy greens should be the bulk of the diet. Feed as much as he'll eat in about a 30 minute period.

Tom has a lot of good advice here on tortoise care as do a lot of others, so be sure to click the links in his post and feel free to search around here for more help. You'll see a lot of example enclosures and questions regarding ideal lighting, temps, diet, etc.

 

[garon]

RE: Soo sorry to keep posting but i rescued a russian tort

Thank you very much!! Will take every bit of advice I can get.
Thank you

 

[laney]

RE: Soo sorry to keep posting but i rescued a russian tort

Quick image guide to the kind of stuff you will need. There are lots of different brands and types, so this is just to give you an idea. Also it is expensive initially for the stuff but once you have it its really just replacing the bulbs that costs.
You need a UVB bulb like this, there are different percentages, mines is a 10percent. It can't just be a normal fluorescent tube it needs uv.

You need connection for this such as this (lots of cheaper alternatives at DIY stores)

You then need to keep your little gal warm with either this

And this (these are good for open top enclosures)

Or if its an enclosed vivarium etc this

(can't be plastic as will melt)
And this

The heat emitters are great but need to be on a thermostat to keep the temp from going up and up

Saucer for water, same type for food if you like

Cuttlebone (super cheap)

Calcium powder

Substrate as mentioned could be top soil from your garden centre or coir

Hope this helps you out,

 

[garon]

RE: Soo sorry to keep posting but i rescued a russian tort

Thank you so much for all help but I have come to a decision that I am going to find a new home for my little girl as I can not afford all the high quality things she needs.

 

[Tom]

RE: Soo sorry to keep posting but i rescued a russian tort

Here's another thread that might help you out. Just click on the link and read what comes up.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-22635.html#axzz2E2ekjgfe

 

[garon]

RE: Soo sorry to keep posting but i rescued a russian tort

Thanks but as the link says they are very exspencive witch I did not know.
I would give anything to keep her but I gave already spent hundreds on the things I have I can't afford another couple of hundred. So I have a very lovely russian tort for a new home

 

[laney]

Aww

I hope my list didn't push you to this decision.?
As the bulbs are the important part, there are cheaper ways round most other stuff