New Russian Tortoise Owner - Please Help!

[SpecialK]

Hi, my names kevin and i just got my first russian tortoise two days ago. He seems healthy and active. I got him from the petsmart i work at and he was a captive bred tortoise. I'm just concerned because ever since i got him hes been nonstop walking around his tank and trying to dig or climb out. He was originally in a 20 gallon glass tank. After this behavior didnt stop i decided to move him into a somewhat large storage container.

I'm using Zilla Jungle Mix and Zoo Med premium repti bark. Id estimate maybe a 30 to 70 ratio, 70 being the reptibark. He has a water dish large enough for him to soak in, and a food dish with a very light calcium stone and some dusted dandelion greens and collard greens. He has a 100W infrared heat lamp and a 60W white light for the day time (i keep the infrared on thru the night and day). I plan on buying a UVB light also as soon as i get the money for it. He also has a large hollow half-log to hide in.

Im wondering if this behavior is due to him just being in a new habitat or if this is an actualy problem. He also isn't eating much at all, but that just might be me being paranoid

and thank you for helping!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Kevin and welcome to the Forum!

For one thing, your container is too small. It would be a good idea to buy another one just like it and cut out opposing ends and put them together. Also, you don't need the red light on day and night. Just use it at night if your house cools much below 65F degrees.

You might try offering whatever the pet store was feeding the tortoise and gradually add more and more of the greens, weaning him off the pet store food.

Your lights seem up kind of high to me. The temp directly below the basking light should be around 100F+ and will the floor space being so small, its probably hard to have much of a temperature gradient from one end to the other.

 

[SpecialK]

Alright ill make sure to do that then. And all they fed him at the pet store was greens, no other types of food at all. Ill lower that light also, thank you for pointing that out. Is there an estimate on the dimensions i should have and what is the best way to attach two of those storage bins? haha. And also, could it be partly due to the fact that its new to him?

 

[Irwin4530]

I agree with Yvonne about the size of the enclosure, the lights and food........OK...everything
Go back through some of the enclosure threads and look at the ideas others have come up with
for their Russians. they will have ideas for you as well as info about lights. for now I would take that water bowl out to give him some more room to walk around in BUT I would start soaking him every day to keep him hydrated.

For bedding I prefer to use coconyt coir blocks for my russians....."bead a beast"... nice and thick so that they can burrow into it like they like. I would also take out one of the lights you have on him (the white light) and make the heat light so that it only hits half of the enclosure so that he can get out of it if he want so....the gradient that was mentioned above

Where are you located? in addition to planning for a new indoor it may be a good idea to start to think about your outdoor too!

Let us know how you do with this and please keep asking questions......Welcome again and CONGRATS on your new little one!

---

Should have mentioned that a quick cheap emclosure for you little on that will buy you lots of time (but take up lots of space) is a plastic kiddie pool. I found one on craigslist for 5$ and was able to get another from a friend of mine that had it in her garage for years. ask around....maybe that will be an option for you?
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[SpecialK]

I live in upstate NY, and id love to bring him outside so he can have more room but sadly thats not an option right now haha. im going to go look at target for those storage bins once im out of work tomorrow and ill deffinately look at that substrate you mentioned. thank you

 

[minvikfan11]

I use a cement mixing tub for mine. You can get one from Lowes or Home Depot and its is fairly cheap. Around $15 or so. Easy to take inside and outside.

 

[lynnedit]

In addition to the excellent suggestions above, what about getting a wood bookcase on craigslist or the Goodwill? Remove the shelves, turn it on its side and line with a tarp up the sides.
Also, Christmas Tree storage containers make a nice winter container for one tort. they will go on sale after Xmas at places like Walmart.
http://www.containerstore.com/shop?...efault|0&Ntt=christmas+tree+storage+container

Definitely don't use heat at night; Russians need to cool off, then warm up by day under the basking light.

 

[SpecialK]

I am absolutely loving all the ideas guys! I just finished his new set up but sadly i need to wait for my girlfriend to get out of school so she can take a picture to put up .

I have the lights much closer but i read somewhere else that i should be using a mercury UVB light. What do you guys think of this?

Also i talked to the petcare people that where taking care of the tortoises at the store and it turns out they are feeding them a mix of veggies/greens that come in a treat bag.Zilla Veggies Mix I know ive read multiple places that feeding them things like this can cause parasites and other problems. Now my question is what to do with the feeding situation since it was mentioned before to try to feed them more of what they were eating before.

One more thing is that i have mixed the bedding i was using previously with Zoo Med Eco Earth. I know i was told to get the coconut coir but the store here didnt have any of that and i thought this would be the closest thing.

Let me know what you guys think and thank you so much for the wonderful advice!

 

[minvikfan11]

I am absolutely loving all the ideas guys! I just finished his new set up but sadly i need to wait for my girlfriend to get out of school so she can take a picture to put up .

I have the lights much closer but i read somewhere else that i should be using a mercury UVB light. What do you guys think of this?

Also i talked to the petcare people that where taking care of the tortoises at the store and it turns out they are feeding them a mix of veggies/greens that come in a treat bag.Zilla Veggies Mix I know ive read multiple places that feeding them things like this can cause parasites and other problems. Now my question is what to do with the feeding situation since it was mentioned before to try to feed them more of what they were eating before.

One more thing is that i have mixed the bedding i was using previously with Zoo Med Eco Earth. I know i was told to get the coconut coir but the store here didnt have any of that and i thought this would be the closest thing.

Let me know what you guys think and thank you so much for the wonderful advice!

Here is a link to a neat site. I directly linked you to the diet section of the site but check out the entire site, lots of good information. Russian Tortoise Diet

I feed mine as much as she can eat in about 20 minutes just once a day. I used to feed her twice a day but she gained a lot of weight so I had to scale back. As far as grocery store produce, green leaf lettuce is her favorite. She also will eat red leaf lettuce, kale and collard greens. To make sure she gets the vitamins and minerals she needs I sprinkle Total Nutrition for Tortoises (TNT) on her food twice a week. You can find it here TNT

I also let her walk around the yard when it is warm out, she loves the clover and dandelions. But like i said earlier sometimes she needs help getting her butt out of bed and since i have done that she has been more active and ate for 8 days straight.

 

[Tom]

All good advice above. I recommend 4x8' for adult Russians. To my knowledge the big chain stores do not buy from private breeders. Your tortoise is more than likely "farm" raised and imported. The whole "farm raised" thing is a whole big debatable can of worms. Click the top link in my signature for some helpful info.

I don't like using colored bulbs for day time. It makes things look funny to them. I would just use a regular incandecsent flood bulb for a basking spot. Your Russian does not need night heat unless your house gets really cold. You could also use a mercury vapor bulb for some heat and UV instead of the incandescent. Just don't use those coil type bubls for UV. They can damage their eyes.

Good luck.

 

[SpecialK]

Heres the new setup

 

[Irwin4530]

He's digging already! Eco earth and coir bricks are the same basic thing (if not exact) so you did good with that. I use the mercury vapor bulbs and have had good luck with them. Someone also mentioned the TNT supplement and cuddle bones....get the cuddle bone right away.....they are cheap and the tort can decide for itself if some is needed. They are the ones used for birds.

Now about the food. This may be hit and Miss for awhile, since all the good plants Nd weeds are gone. Try dandelions from the grocery store with shredded carrot (sparingly and infrequently with the carrots) for color. Hopefully it will take the bait.

BTW......do you have a girl or boy?

Also.. NICE WORK!!!!

 

[akablair2001]

What I did for an enclosure was go to home depot and bought 2 sheets of plywood. Over 1/2 inch thick. They will cut the wood to size. I had them cut all four length wise. I kept 3 at this length and had them cut the one board in 2 foot lengths. I got some 2by 4's for legs. This allows me to add at least a foot of soil and substrate.

My tort pen is 2 x 7 for home and 2 x 6 for my classroom.
I've enclosed a picture.

 

[lynnedit]

Heres the new setup

Much better! If you have any trouble with him climbing out (they are good at that), take the lid that came with it, and cut out most of the middle, so all you have left is a 2" lip around the edge. Then snap it back on.

What I did for an enclosure was go to home depot and bought 2 sheets of plywood. Over 1/2 inch thick. They will cut the wood to size. I had them cut all four length wise. I kept 3 at this length and had them cut the one board in 2 foot lengths. I got some 2by 4's for legs. This allows me to add at least a foot of soil and substrate.

My tort pen is 2 x 7 for home and 2 x 6 for my classroom.
I've enclosed a picture.

Nice description of a simple way to make a tort table!

 

[Laura]

i think he will climb out, so do what is suggested above with the lid. Perfect fix!

 

[SpecialK]

Im planning on getting the mercury bulb tomorrow when i go back into work, so thank you with the advice on that. Also he is eating better now! Looked over some of the other threads on the kind of morning ritual it seems most people go thru. Soak him for 20-30 min, put him back in the tank with fresh food and he goes under the light till hes ready to eat.

Also ive been keeping a close eye on him since the container is somewhat short. I really dont think he can climb out yet at least, but maybe after hes grown a little So ill do what you guys said with the lid.

Thank you again! And its a male by the way haha

Also, if he isnt showing any symptoms, should i still bring him to the vet to check for parasites?

 

[lynnedit]

You're doing a great job, learning what your tort needs and what works best for him!

 

[SpecialK]

to start this out i want to say im sorry for all the questions haha
well ive just noticed that when i put my finger out in front of him or hold his cuttlefish bone in front of him he will wait a while and then lightly tap his chin on either the finger or the bone. he doesnt seem agitated or anything. is this a normal response from a russian?

 

[Spn785]

I would suggest you visit www.russiantortoise.net that is a really good site. Variety when it comes to food is important, so always try new things. Also, Russians need it cool at night, so don't use heat at night unless it gets below 60, I would try and keep the night temp between 60 and 65 if you can.

 

[lynnedit]

to start this out i want to say im sorry for all the questions haha
well ive just noticed that when i put my finger out in front of him or hold his cuttlefish bone in front of him he will wait a while and then lightly tap his chin on either the finger or the bone. he doesnt seem agitated or anything. is this a normal response from a russian?

He is checking the object out (smell, touch) to see if it would be good to eat right now