New Russian Tortoise Owner - Need Some Advice

[Ayy_Guy]

Hello!

So i just recently got my first Russian Tortoise, Leon. I got him a couple of days ago and i'm not sure if his behavior is just because he is new or what.

The very first day i got him, he was decently active in his enclosure when i wasn't around, but anytime i came into the room he would hide back in his shell. In order to start getting him acquainted with my touch, i soaked him the second night and same thing, he spent a majority of the time in his shell. Then on the third day, he had crawled under a little half log and burrowed himself super deep as the top of his shell isn't even visible anymore. The part of his enclosure has about 4-5 inches of substrate so i'm guessing he went down decently far. He has been down there now for 2 days and i'm starting to get a little worried. i tried moving the substrate around a little bit and i couldn't find him. He also has not come up to eat or drink and i've been changing his food and water every day, chopped up Romaine Lettuce as the food. Over the entire closure, i have a ExoTerra Reptile Desert UVB 150 and a ExoTerra 100W Infared Basking for general heat about 18 inches above on a stand. then on top a ramp i have a ExoTerra 150W Intense Basking Spot about 13 inches above. The enclosure is custom built and I thought i had done enough research and was doing everything correctly. I've been trying to do research on all these behaviors and they all seemed normal but i wasn't for sure since he is new.

I live in Iowa and it's winter right now so very very cold outside. I got the infrared light because i didn't want it to get too cold during night time as it's currently -2.

Attached is a photo of the enclosure, the corner be buried himself into, and the basking spot. The first night he did find the basking spot just fine and hung out there for a bit. I know the sand is bad for them and i'm working on getting that replaced at the top of the ramp. The rest of the substrate is 2 bags ZooMed Loose coconut fiber and 1 bag of ZooMed Cyprus Mulch mixed together

 

[method89]

What is the temp in the room? what are your temps in the enclosure? what is your humidity level? an open enclosure will not keep heat or humidity where they need to be.

ExoTerra Reptile Desert UVB 150- is this a compact fluorescent? get rid of it, its know to hurt torts eyes and produces unreliable UVB

 

[method89]

start reading:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

www.tortoiseforum.org

 

[Ayy_Guy]

What is the temp in the room? what are your temps in the enclosure? what is your humidity level? an open enclosure will not keep heat or humidity where they need to be.

ExoTerra Reptile Desert UVB 150- is this a compact fluorescent? get rid of it, its know to hurt torts eyes and produces unreliable UVB

temp of the room is about 70. Enclosure is 93. No idea about humidity. I'm realizing now that a lot of adjustments need to be made. Do you think i should try to convert this into an closed enclosure or scrap it and start new?

 

[method89]

I think you can convert it pretty easy... depending on you skill level. You can put a plastic sheet over it... or 1/8 plexiglass over the top with holes made for the lights. The plexiglass can bend with curves of the enclosure

 

[TaylorTortoise]

Hello!

So i just recently got my first Russian Tortoise, Leon. I got him a couple of days ago and i'm not sure if his behavior is just because he is new or what.

The very first day i got him, he was decently active in his enclosure when i wasn't around, but anytime i came into the room he would hide back in his shell. In order to start getting him acquainted with my touch, i soaked him the second night and same thing, he spent a majority of the time in his shell. Then on the third day, he had crawled under a little half log and burrowed himself super deep as the top of his shell isn't even visible anymore. The part of his enclosure has about 4-5 inches of substrate so i'm guessing he went down decently far. He has been down there now for 2 days and i'm starting to get a little worried. i tried moving the substrate around a little bit and i couldn't find him. He also has not come up to eat or drink and i've been changing his food and water every day, chopped up Romaine Lettuce as the food. Over the entire closure, i have a ExoTerra Reptile Desert UVB 150 and a ExoTerra 100W Infared Basking for general heat about 18 inches above on a stand. then on top a ramp i have a ExoTerra 150W Intense Basking Spot about 13 inches above. The enclosure is custom built and I thought i had done enough research and was doing everything correctly. I've been trying to do research on all these behaviors and they all seemed normal but i wasn't for sure since he is new.

I live in Iowa and it's winter right now so very very cold outside. I got the infrared light because i didn't want it to get too cold during night time as it's currently -2.

Attached is a photo of the enclosure, the corner be buried himself into, and the basking spot. The first night he did find the basking spot just fine and hung out there for a bit. I know the sand is bad for them and i'm working on getting that replaced at the top of the ramp. The rest of the substrate is 2 bags ZooMed Loose coconut fiber and 1 bag of ZooMed Cyprus Mulch mixed together View attachment 318056View attachment 318057View attachment 318058

I love this cage! Where did you get it?

 

[Ayy_Guy]

I love this cage! Where did you get it?

Me and my dad built it. Already starting brainstorming ideas to make it into an enclosed one.

 

[TaylorTortoise]

Me and my dad built it. Already starting brainstorming ideas to make it into an enclosed one.

Okay would love to see this. Please post so we can see under this post! I also have a Russian.

 

[Yvonne G]

If Leon is full grown he doesn't need a covered enclosure. He's probably just suffering from relocation stress.

Sand is an eye irritant and, if ingested, an impaction risk.

 

[Ayy_Guy]

If Leon is full grown he doesn't need a covered enclosure. He's probably just suffering from relocation stress.

Sand is an eye irritant and, if ingested, an impaction risk.

He's about 4 inches wide and probably 4-5 inches long. The pet store i got him from said he was about 7 so i'm assuming he's imported. I just got new substrate for him today to replace the sand. i've been using ZooMed Loose Coconut Fiber Substrate

 

[ZenHerper]

He's about 4 inches wide and probably 4-5 inches long. The pet store i got him from said he was about 7 so i'm assuming he's imported. I just got new substrate for him today to replace the sand. i've been using ZooMed Loose Coconut Fiber Substrate

Wild-caught animals are badly traumatized in a number of ways, even if they were not specifically abused during capture and transport.

Less is going to be much more as far as handling goes. Wild animals only develop "trust" with humans from a respectful distance.

Do pick her up to place her in a soaking bin, but make sure the container, water, and placement in a warm spot in the enclosure is all ready to go before picking her up. After the soak, place her back with an appropriate meal. Then LEAVE the room. Cold temperatures and dehydrating-dry air turn off appetite, but so does Fear. No one eats when they feel anxious and insecure. (Take notes or a photo of what you offer in a meal if you think it will be hard to see what has been eaten.)

Fill the enclosure's open space with lots of hide boxes and cover...heavy plastic plants and vines are great for this purpose and are easy to clean as needed.

Don't hover. Consider a baby-monitor camera set up that will let you see what is actually happening without causing the worry of your presence and sustained gaze. From the tort's point of view, if you act like a predator, you might be a predator.

The last series of humans this tort came in contact with did not yield a Net positive experience. Take your time. Torts are quite intelligent, and they can learn that you are there to help improve things and make them comfortable. But they have to learn your appearance, sound, odor, and activities over time.