Greetings from San Francisco, California! My name is John and this is Kevin, a captive-bred Russian tortoise. I got her in March 2021 from Randy at TortStork as a month old, temperature-sexed female. She has since put on over 300 grams and still growing! I've kept various reptiles and amphibians for over a decade- heavily into dart frogs before taking a break from the hobby. Always wanted tortoises and decided to bite the bullet with Kevin. Living in a city apartment, I wanted a species that I could realistically care for indoors. I also wanted something that would do well in NorCal weather when I can eventually provide an outdoor space. And finally, a species with lots of available information and community to lean on when needed. A Russian tortoise was the obvious choice.
Here Kevin enjoyed a "birthday cake" on her first hatch day.
Kevin started off in a 66qt Sterlite bin, using the "closed chamber" technique. I mounted a 60w incandescent house bulb under the lid for heat along with a ZooMed 5.0 HO T5 for UVB (gave me about a 0.8 UVI at shell height). She was kept at a near constant 80F ambient, 95F basking spot, and 100% humidity for the first six months. Her current setup is a 40-gallon breeder with some slight modifications. I have a hinged screen top which is sealed off with clear packing tape and coroplast (corrugated plastic they make signs with). This creates a sort of "semi-closed chamber", still holding in some humidity and heat, but allowing things to dry out much more than a plastic bin. It is heated with a 75-watt Arcadia halogen heat bulb and lit with a ZooMed 10.0 HO T5 (1.2 UVI at shell height). The substrate is ZooMed Forest Floor cypress mulch because it comes clean and is cost effective at a small scale. She is offered food and water via terra cotta saucers. I rarely mist but do pour a few cups of water in the substrate several times a week, keeping it damp while the surface is dry. This also keeps the spider plant that I planted well watered. Surprisingly she hasn't destroyed the plant yet. It's been growing well for nearly a year and the roots have spread across the entire enclosure. All that together gives me 75F ambient, 95F basking spot, and ~65-75% humidity- with a drop to 68-70F ambient when everything is off at night. Of course I want to offer her something bigger but this is what I can provide now. I have some ideas in the works though so stay tuned
She gets as diverse of a diet as I can provide without a yard to pick from. Luckily, I frequent Asian markets and get her as many different types of greens as possible. She also gets Mazuri original formula once or twice a week, Repashy calcium and vitamins, and @Kapidolo Farms dried plants sprinkled on most salads.
Coming up next for us will be our first experience with brumation! I'll be doing the fridge method. Currently in the process of gathering all the supplies and getting things ready for Kevin's big nap. Aiming to have her sleep for 8-10 weeks, starting early December. Erring on the short side, for my comfort mostly.... Also, a huge thank you to @biochemnerd808 for some of the best Russian tortoise information on this forum! I've read just about every one of their posts and feel confident going into this.
Anyways.... I'd love to hear from other Russian tortoise owners in the Bay Area! Show me your setups- brownie points for those creative apartment solutions. And of course, I'd love any and all feedback from the wonderful TFO folks! Thanks for listening to my TED talk
Here Kevin enjoyed a "birthday cake" on her first hatch day.
Kevin started off in a 66qt Sterlite bin, using the "closed chamber" technique. I mounted a 60w incandescent house bulb under the lid for heat along with a ZooMed 5.0 HO T5 for UVB (gave me about a 0.8 UVI at shell height). She was kept at a near constant 80F ambient, 95F basking spot, and 100% humidity for the first six months. Her current setup is a 40-gallon breeder with some slight modifications. I have a hinged screen top which is sealed off with clear packing tape and coroplast (corrugated plastic they make signs with). This creates a sort of "semi-closed chamber", still holding in some humidity and heat, but allowing things to dry out much more than a plastic bin. It is heated with a 75-watt Arcadia halogen heat bulb and lit with a ZooMed 10.0 HO T5 (1.2 UVI at shell height). The substrate is ZooMed Forest Floor cypress mulch because it comes clean and is cost effective at a small scale. She is offered food and water via terra cotta saucers. I rarely mist but do pour a few cups of water in the substrate several times a week, keeping it damp while the surface is dry. This also keeps the spider plant that I planted well watered. Surprisingly she hasn't destroyed the plant yet. It's been growing well for nearly a year and the roots have spread across the entire enclosure. All that together gives me 75F ambient, 95F basking spot, and ~65-75% humidity- with a drop to 68-70F ambient when everything is off at night. Of course I want to offer her something bigger but this is what I can provide now. I have some ideas in the works though so stay tuned
She gets as diverse of a diet as I can provide without a yard to pick from. Luckily, I frequent Asian markets and get her as many different types of greens as possible. She also gets Mazuri original formula once or twice a week, Repashy calcium and vitamins, and @Kapidolo Farms dried plants sprinkled on most salads.
Coming up next for us will be our first experience with brumation! I'll be doing the fridge method. Currently in the process of gathering all the supplies and getting things ready for Kevin's big nap. Aiming to have her sleep for 8-10 weeks, starting early December. Erring on the short side, for my comfort mostly.... Also, a huge thank you to @biochemnerd808 for some of the best Russian tortoise information on this forum! I've read just about every one of their posts and feel confident going into this.
Anyways.... I'd love to hear from other Russian tortoise owners in the Bay Area! Show me your setups- brownie points for those creative apartment solutions. And of course, I'd love any and all feedback from the wonderful TFO folks! Thanks for listening to my TED talk
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