Humidity/substrate

[jacquiroell]

This is actually 2 questions. My 5yr old Russian is still in a glass tank until we can build a table (soon!). With her previous owner she was in pine shavings. I've changed her to a cypress/coco mix.

1. She seems to be having a hard time adjusting to the bedding - she used to burrow down under the pine to sleep. I think she can't figure out how to burrow in this more dense substrate. She just paces back and forth and digs into the corners of the glass (we have a visual barrier - so it isn't the glass) I finally put her log over her last night and she went to sleep. Will she learn to dig this stuff?

2. I had my humidity perfect until she started crawling over her water bowl. The substrate holds onto the water and my humidity is now at 70.

I know this is wordy but I am new!

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

She'll learn to dig. Just give her time.

I would think 70% humidity is not bad, but I'm not an expert on Russians!

 

[JoesMum]

Humidity is less important for older Russians than it is for hatchlings. Outdoors, they don't live in a high humidity environment. They do dig and their tunnels would have a higher humidity. 70% sounds a bit too high for an older Russian in my opinion, but others will advise.

 

[Utah Lynn]

Mine thrive in ambient humidity. They will dig in the substrate you give them.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Ambient humidity of 70% is fine for a steppe tortoise.

As for the substrate, if you switch to just pure coco coir, your tortoise will have an easier time digging down into it.

 

[Jacob]

Seems like your doing things fine, dont be so hard on yourself

 

[jacquiroell]

Thanks Jacob! Check out the pic - she does look pretty happy! :-D

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[Jacqui]

Looks like the pretty one, wore itself out on that new substrate. She will get use to it, along with all the other changes in her life. Some will just take a bit longer then others. Like was said, your doing fine.

 

[jacquiroell]

Finished the tort table and she's doing laps in it! She's cracking us up!

 

[CGKeith]

Better watch her close, the sides are not tall enough. She will be able to climb out of that.

 

[JoesMum]

Better watch her close, the sides are not tall enough. She will be able to climb out of that.

I agree... Those sides will be easy climbing, especially for a Russian

 

[jacquiroell]

They're 10" tall. I was afraid of that too but she hasn't even tried to climb them. I've thought about putting plexiglass on the sides just in case

 

[jacquiroell]

CGKeith Wrote:
Better watch her close, the sides are not tall enough. She will be able to climb out of that.

I agree... Those sides will be easy climbing, especially for a Russian

 

[jacquiroell]

Ug!! I'm still trying to figure out how to quote people.
Anyway - so do I need to worry about the sides if she hasn't even tried to climb up the walls?

 

[CGKeith]

Just because she hasn't, doesn't mean she won't.

Do you want to take the risk of her falling? Or coming home and finding that it happend, and know you could have prevented it?

 

[jacquiroell]

Do you want to take the risk of her falling? Or coming home and finding that it happend, and know you could have prevented it?

Of course not. Guess I'll go get some plexiglass.

There's nothing for her to stand on to get up the sides. How tall do you suggest the sides be?

 

[CGKeith]

The side would really depend on the overall size and reach of the tortoise and how much bedding there is. But, just guessing from the pictures I'd say another 3 to 4 inches.

You could put a lip/overhang around the edge. It wouldn't need to be more than a couple of inches wide.

 

[jacquiroell]

You could put a lip/overhang around the edge. It wouldn't need to be more than a couple of inches wide.

That's what my husband said we should do.

I'm wondering if she doesn't know how to climb because she's been in a glass tank her whole life. There are scratches on the wood walls from her nails and they aren't any taller than her mid shell hight.

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I was looking at those pictures again and the sides do look short. They're not really that short. They're 10" high

 

[JoesMum]

Russians are the escape artists of the tort world... They love climbing and tunnelling.

The world inside any encloure rapidly gets too small for their liking and they decide to try and see the world

 

[jaizei]

A couple of examples of what they can do.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-The-amazing-adventures-of-Mork-from-Ork#axzz1t7RcnT5x

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Cap-those-corners#axzz1xo8KRVbo