New Russian tort advice welcome

[evengiantspacerocks]

Hi Copper the tortoise has just joined the family. He's the first ever pet and its a steep learning curve.
I know as he grows he'll need more room and that's not a problem. For now he's in a 1m×.5m glass Terrarium.
The substrate is soil and bark, was half and half. He wasn't happy so I took some soil out and put in the very sandy soil the pet shop gave us, this is temporary until he settled a bit, it was the stuff from his enclosure in the shop.
He seems happier now and will sit on the soil. I'm going to sieve the soil today and see if that helps.
I'd like to plant some safe plants directly into the soil but I can't find safe ones. Can someone suggest some. I am using the tortoise table website too.
He also was raised on shop lettuce and won't eat the plantain or dandelion leaves or flowers for me. He won't eat dry leaves either, the mixes from the petshop. How do I get him to try new things.
He's with us 2 weeks and he is putting on weight but only eating green lettuce, he won't eat the red leaves. I grow lettuce so I know it's clean and safe, wash it well before giving it to him.
He's about 1.5yrs old and is sleeping most of the day.
I'm soaking him every day, petshop said once a week would be enough but again I think that was bad information.
I am really worried about doing something wrong, he did take a little lettuce from my hand yesterday so I think he's starting to settle in, he's not hiding anymore either.
Temp in tank is as petshop recommended, he has a water dish that he has never touched so I'll move it closer to where he sits today too. Its v shallow with a grippy base, no lips or sides to speak of. He has a piece of slate under the lamp too so he sits on that. He has a cuttlefish bone but sits on it rather than eats it. He won't eat the lettuce if I put the calcium powder on it. How do I get him to eat that?
I have a uvb lamp too but don't leave it on all day.
Sorry this is long I really just want to make sure he's happy and grows up big and strong!

 

[zolasmum]

Hi Copper the tortoise has just joined the family. He's the first ever pet and its a steep learning curve.
I know as he grows he'll need more room and that's not a problem. For now he's in a 1m×.5m glass Terrarium.
The substrate is soil and bark, was half and half. He wasn't happy so I took some soil out and put in the very sandy soil the pet shop gave us, this is temporary until he settled a bit, it was the stuff from his enclosure in the shop.
He seems happier now and will sit on the soil. I'm going to sieve the soil today and see if that helps.
I'd like to plant some safe plants directly into the soil but I can't find safe ones. Can someone suggest some. I am using the tortoise table website too.
He also was raised on shop lettuce and won't eat the plantain or dandelion leaves or flowers for me. He won't eat dry leaves either, the mixes from the petshop. How do I get him to try new things.
He's with us 2 weeks and he is putting on weight but only eating green lettuce, he won't eat the red leaves. I grow lettuce so I know it's clean and safe, wash it well before giving it to him.
He's about 1.5yrs old and is sleeping most of the day.
I'm soaking him every day, petshop said once a week would be enough but again I think that was bad information.
I am really worried about doing something wrong, he did take a little lettuce from my hand yesterday so I think he's starting to settle in, he's not hiding anymore either.
Temp in tank is as petshop recommended, he has a water dish that he has never touched so I'll move it closer to where he sits today too. Its v shallow with a grippy base, no lips or sides to speak of. He has a piece of slate under the lamp too so he sits on that. He has a cuttlefish bone but sits on it rather than eats it. He won't eat the lettuce if I put the calcium powder on it. How do I get him to eat that?
I have a uvb lamp too but don't leave it on all day.
Sorry this is long I really just want to make sure he's happy and grows up big and strong!

Hello and welcome from Devon. I am sure there will be more knowledgable people coming on here soon, but there a couple things I can mention - please take the sandy soil out straight away - sand is very dangerous - a tortoise may eat it directly, or if it is stuck to their food - it isn't digested, and can build up into a blockage in their gut, which could be fatal. The same thing can happen with the little white bits of rock or perlite which you can find in other soil mixes.
Rubbing a small pinch of calcium powder into his
lettuce may disguise it enough to eat, but don't overdo it.
The advice pet shops give is usually very poor - don't rely on it for anything.
Best wishes from Angie

 

[evengiantspacerocks]

Thanks I had only put the sandy stuff back to settle him in. I had been given a bag of sand by the petshop to use but got topsoil instead. I thought the smell of what he had been in would help settle him. The sand is all coming out now. Thank you, I'm in Ireland so you might be my closest neighbour!

 

[zolasmum]

Thanks I had only put the sandy stuff back to settle him in. I had been given a bag of sand by the petshop to use but got topsoil instead. I thought the smell of what he had been in would help settle him. The sand is all coming out now. Thank you, I'm in Ireland so you might be my closest neighbour!

Hello again - I should have mentioned that moss is dangerous too, in the same way - it can cause blockages - there are people here who will be able to advise you on the best substrate, but are often in different time zones from us.
I'm sure there are other members in ireland too, though.
Angie

 

[TammyJ]

Hi and welcome. I will call some of our most experienced tortoise owners here to advise you on the many issues that you will need to immediately fix, especially the lettuce diet! @Tom @wellington @zovick

 

[wellington]

Everything the pet shop told you is wrong. Get the sand out before you have bigger problems. He will settle in with the correct substrate and not have to worry about him having a blockage!
If he really is as old as they told you, soak daily.
Feed every day and be sure to use less lettuce and more of the better foods and chop it all up in tiny pieces. Spritz with water so it sticks to each other. As he eats this, slowly take away the lettuce until he is eating mostly good stuff
What are the temps?
Over all should be 75 cooler end 80 warmer end with basking of 95-100. Humidity 50-80%. Uvb by a tube light.
The aquarium is already too small.
Hard to get the right variant of temps in too small an aquarium. Also the need room to roam so they can keep things moving inside and be able to walk properly.
Please forget the pet store advice and read our care sheet.
What size is he? Measure the bottom shell tail to head.

 

[wellington]

Thread 'The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise' https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threa...ise-any-temperate-species-of-tortoise.183131/

 

[evengiantspacerocks]

Everything the pet shop told you is wrong. Get the sand out before you have bigger problems. He will settle in with the correct substrate and not have to worry about him having a blockage!
If he really is as old as they told you, soak daily.
Feed every day and be sure to use less lettuce and more of the better foods and chop it all up in tiny pieces. Spritz with water so it sticks to each other. As he eats this, slowly take away the lettuce until he is eating mostly good stuff
What are the temps?
Over all should be 75 cooler end 80 warmer end with basking of 95-100. Humidity 50-80%. Uvb by a tube light.
The aquarium is already too small.
Hard to get the right variant of temps in too small an aquarium. Also the need room to roam so they can keep things moving inside and be able to walk properly.
Please forget the pet store advice and read our care sheet.
What size is he? Measure the bottom shell tail to head.

Thank you. He is 3 inches long and weighs 130g.
I had been following the petshop heat sheet and had a 75w bulb in. I've put in a 150w one now and he's moving about more. The thermostat says 90d but it's not directly under the bulb.
All the sand is gone and he has fine topsoil but its not dry. I wrapped clingfilm around the lid to keep more moisture in. The bulb is on a 12 hour timer. The petshop had said to turn off the light for awhile during the day but I've set it to stay on now. I have a night bulb too for when the weather gets colder and I leave the heat mat on all the time.
The sticking the leaves together seems to be working so I'll keep doing that to wean him off the lettuce.
He's having a very good look around his enclosure now not just sticking to his usual place.
He may also be a she as it was the petshop that told us he was a he. I'll work that out later.
I will work on getting him more space too.
Thank you for all the help. I have read the li k a few times now so I know there is still work to do.

 

[zolasmum]

It's great that he is already perking up , and I'm sure you will feel a lot happier about his progress. When you say you have a night bulb,do you mean a red one? If so, that is a bad idea, as tortoises tend to think anything red is food including substrate, etc. You can get special night heaters with no light.
You probably won't be able to tell if he is a male or female for some time yet - eventually he may expose his bits while having a soak, or he may try to mount something vigorously and persistently. We have a Hermanns tortoise, and when he was about three, he was standing on his dad's desk, when he started gripping his hand, and making tiny squeaks ! So we knew he was a boy. !
Angie

 

[evengiantspacerocks]

It's great that he is already perking up , and I'm sure you will feel a lot happier about his progress. When you say you have a night bulb,do you mean a red one? If so, that is a bad idea, as tortoises tend to think anything red is food including substrate, etc. You can get special night heaters with no light.
You probably won't be able to tell if he is a male or female for some time yet - eventually he may expose his bits while having a soak, or he may try to mount something vigorously and persistently. We have a Hermanns tortoise, and when he was about three, he was standing on his dad's desk, when he started gripping his hand, and making tiny squeaks ! So we knew he was a boy. !
Angie

Oh boy I have that to look forward too so!
The night bulb is blue, it says its not for light but for heat. I thinknits for lizards.
He normally gets his bath, eats a little and goes to sleep he hasn't stopped moving around since his bath. I knocked some lumps off the tortoise block and he's finally paying some attention to it too.
I'm delighted he seems much happier.

 

[Tom]

Oh boy I have that to look forward too so!
The night bulb is blue, it says its not for light but for heat. I thinknits for lizards.
He normally gets his bath, eats a little and goes to sleep he hasn't stopped moving around since his bath. I knocked some lumps off the tortoise block and he's finally paying some attention to it too.
I'm delighted he seems much happier.

Hello and welcome. This will help a lot:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

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[zolasmum]

I'm sure Cooper will be a lot better , and also more interesting and more fun for you
as time goes on. One more little thing I had better warn you about is that Russian tortoises are famous for their ability to escape - as you organise his enclosure, just bear in mind that he will be growing bigger and stronger, and don't give him any opportunity to climb out or on anything dangerous - because if he can, he probably will !!
Angie

 

[evengiantspacerocks]

Thank you so much I will definitely keep that in mind. He is trying to escape from his bath bowl so I needed a bigger one of those too.

 

[evengiantspacerocks]

Hi more help please. What is this? Its in by his neck. He had it when we got him but I just want to know if I need to get it looked at. Initially we thought it was dirt caught and didn't want to try to move it.

 

[zolasmum]

Hi more help please. What is this? Its in by his neck. He had it when we got him but I just want to know if I need to get it looked at. Initially we thought it was dirt caught and didn't want to try to move it.

It could be loose skin - have you tried pushing at it gently with a damp cottonwool tipped stick ? Other than that
, I can't imagine, but I'm sure somebody will know - it looks most unusual, but probably nothing to worry about !
Angie

 

[evengiantspacerocks]

Thanks I was scared of hurting him, but I'll try that tomorrow when he wakes up.

 

[zolasmum]

Earlier today, I saw a photo of a sulcata which had very similar puckered skin, in the same sort of place - I think it may be like the skin tags humans get - I will be interested if that's what you think.
Angie

 

[SinLA]

taggimg @Yvonne G in case she has seen anything like this…

 

[evengiantspacerocks]

Thank you. I got a better picture today. I rubbed it with damp cotton wool and it's not coming off.

 

[SinLA]

also tagging @Tom. that does look concerning