Hello...big disclaimer...we did everything wrong but are trying to correct it! Ugh...darn Petco gave us all the wrong info but shame on us for not doing our own research first. In any case we have a brand new Russian tortoise, "Claude" for now b/c we think he looks just like Claude Julien LOL but we really don't know if he is a he at all LOL so that may change. We bought a glass reptile enclosure at the suggestion of the Petco associate It measures 35 x 17...he spent the first day scratching at the glass so I think we've rectified that by putting 8" tall plywood around the back and sides. For some reason he doesn't seem bothered by the front glass. He walks up and looks out and down and walks away. He never scratches at it or tries to walk through the front. I plan on getting a turtle palace to replace the glass enclosure. Below are some pics. We are using EcoEarth for substrate. He has enough so he can completely bury himself which he usually does at night. I now have a PowerSunn 100watt mercury vapor bulb in the double lamp. I had a coil UVB and a heat bulb in it previously (again on the advice of the Petco associate). In his food dish today is watercress, some rose petals I pulled off one of my bushes, timothy hay and some wild blackberry leaves that grow in the woods behind my house. I'm planning on buying a seed mix and trying to grow some weeds indoors. We are in Massachusetts so he is indoors for now but will build him an outdoor enclosure in the spring. I have found him soaking himself in the water dish a couple times so I'm wondering if I need to "bath" him in addition to that or if what he's doing is enough. I see him drinking while he's in there and he usually poops in there too.
Any advice on anything we should change would be greatly appreciated!
Any advice on anything we should change would be greatly appreciated!