Need some general information

[Gnoll94]

Hello guys. I recently signed up as a member and this is officially my first post. Everyone here seems very knowledgable about Tortoises so I came here to ask a few questions. (I'll be getting a Russian Tortoise)

I don't currently have a tortoise, but I'm planning on getting one within the next week. My main questions may seem simple, but the only reason I have a problem is I've heard every possible answer. I've heard use a heating pad, don't use one. I've heard don't worry about humidity, and humidity is very important, etc. I've heard so many different answers that I'm not sure what to do. Any help would be appreciated.

My main questions are :

1. Is humidity a big part of caring for a russian tortoise? If so, what humidity % would be good to keep It at?

2. What kind of heat lamp do I need? I've heard you need UVB and a basking lamp, but just wanted to confirm this. I've also heard that the temperate at night needs to drop, but un-aware of how to do it.

3. Do I need a heating pad for the tank?

Sorry if it seems like these questions are common sense, I just want to be 100% sure when I get my tortoise I have all the knowledge I need.

Thank you so much, and I hope this community is as nice as it seems. Thanks again!

 

[Jacqui]

To really give you the best advise, may I ask two questions? What age/size is this tortoise? Will it be a hatchling or an adult? They have slightly different needs is why I am asking.


Next question is... what type of enclosure are you planning on? Size, what it is made of, type of chosen substrate, and such can really change how I might answer your other questions.

 

[Gnoll94]

I'm planning on using a 40 gallon glass tank with Fir bark substrate. The tortoise I'm getting will most likely be an adult

 

[slowpoke]

a 40 gallon tank will be wwaayy to small for a RT , they need alot of room for they love to dig and walk around and sleep in different spots (mostly sleep in different spots ) ... i hear fir dont really keep in moisture ,i use a mix of coco coir and cypress mulch more coir than mulch , holds moisture pretty good , if your getting an adult i wouldnt worry about humidity too much , i live in colorado so its dry, so i just run a humidifier in my room and it keeps it about 30 to 40 % , lighting its up to you , you can get a mvb (mercury vapor bulb) that takes care of every thing in one uva uvb heat and light , if you dont have 60 to 80 bucks for that you can use a TUBED fluorescent (dont use the compact ones they can mess up the torts eyes and kill them) that would be for the uvb , then just get a good day heat light for the uva and heat , zoo med makes great lights for both these ways ... (with the fluorescent you have to change the light every 6 to 8 months ) , as for the heat at night time , as long as the room they are in dont drop below 65 at night i wouldnt worry about heat at night .. but if it does drop down i would get the night heat bulb maybe try out a lower watt one, you dont need it too hot at night ... heat pad , what most of us do is instead of a heat pad in there put some rocks in there, some he can climb on, one in his basking spot, one to feed him on , things like that , plus they love to dig an borrow down in the substrate for a cool place to sleep and with the heat pad it would keep the bottom too warm ... plus the rocks keep there nails trimed ...

 

[Zamric]

Welcome to the Forum!

...as I have told a couple of Newbies here in the past....

...."read all you can on the internet, then come here and ask question to seperate Fact from Fiction"

or you can just stay here and learn all you can with just the Facts!

 

[pdrobber]

Welcome. For my Russians I use bookcase enclosures...take the frame of a bookcase, 3X6 ft one works well...take shelves out, place it on what would be its back, put in a pond liner or heavy gauge shower curtain/plastic liner. You can clamp the shelves along the sides so that it puts the liner between the shelves and the frame of the whole bookcase (to cut down the chance of the tortoise ripping it).

 

[Gnoll94]

When I went to the pet store the other day they said a 40 gallon breeder (what I have) should be perfect for a tortoise. Can anyone confirm this? I dont want to have to buy a different tank if I don't need to. It's very long, and the height of the tank is very small in comparison.

So from my research I'm correct in saying that I need 2 seperate lamps? One as a basking light and another as a UVB right? Correct me if I'm wrong please

 

[slowpoke]

yea the pet store got you for some $$$ , as i said already , it is wwaaayyy too small for a russian tort ... the smallest any of us would go for a RT is 4'x2' ......

 

[lynnedit]

Return the breeder tank. Pet stores are sometimes well meaning, but usually wrong about tortoise care. And they want to sell you stuff.
In the wild, most tortoises travel over an acre or more. So bigger is better. 6'x2' is not too big, so the bookcase idea is a good one.
You only need one main light, a MVB. One good brand is a Powersun 100w, or 160w (depending on enclosure size), made by Zoomed. Often less expensive on the internet. You will only need a second light, which can just be a house bulb, if your enclosure is big and needs to be brightened up. Keep lights on 12-14 hours per day. Timers are great.
Basking side should be about 95F.
You can get a brooder light (ceramic base, can handle the heat of this bulb) at feed or hardware stores for a lot less than pet stores. Make sure the bulb/fixture is set up to point straight down.
They don't need heat at night unless your house gets <60F. They prefer a temp drop at night, and coming to the basking light to warm up in the am before they eat.
You can get the substrate at home depot: organic topsoil. You can mix in some coir (comes in bags or 'bricks' that you reexpand with water) or leave the topsoil alone. Add some water all through it to keep the lower levels moist, that's all the humidity you need.
Soak your tort daily when you first get him in a shallow pan of warm water, then about 2x per week. Keep a water dish (plant pot saucer) with water at all times, even if he seems not to use it.
Put in some large flat stones for climbing on, a tile near the light for feeding them off of. A log to climb over.
Add a couple of hides, which can be overturned pots partially submerged in the soil. One on the 'cool' side of about 70 during the day, one in the middle.
check out the enclosure section for some great ideas.
Best of all, plan your outside enclosure, as Russians are happiest outside, even for a few months.

Generally good source for info (although many of us are not as fond of sand mixed in the substrate)
http://russiantortoise.org/russiantortoisediet.htm

Good luck!

 

[HtVic]

the light fixture TUBED fluorescent is expensive