New tortoise and no clue!

JoeMcGee

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Hi all,

Firstly, this forum looks like a great place!

Secondly, I recently was made tortoise guardian for my college tortoise Aristurtle for two months, and have little idea what to do, so was looking for some tips and some answers from you lovely lot.

He's a little guy (about 3-4in long), and quite young (only about 3-4 years), and I don't know what species unfortunately.If anyone could ID him from the picture that'd be awesome! (sorry it's not a great one. I took this in a hurry yesterday whilst moving him in and he's been asleep all day today so far)

He came with a load of gear (little wooden indoor house, heat lamp, electric thermometer, his favourite towel, dry food, water bowl, cuttlefish, hay, calcium powder and some other stuff), and I was basically told to feed him lettuce every day, keep him in good hay, get him out for a walk around when he's up, give him a shallow bath a couple of times a week (I was gonna use lukewarm water), keep him at room temp., and that's pretty much it.

However from looking at a few threads on here i think I may have not been properly instructed in good tortoise care. :s I have a few questions:

- When/how much calcium powder?
- should i get rid of the hay?
- is it okay to just feed him lettuce if the lettuce is of varying types? (guessing not)
- any signs of ill health i should keep a look out for? (his legs look quite dry to my eyes, although that may be completely normal, him being a reptile and all)
- what temperature should i be aiming for?

I will be very grateful for any response.

Thanks everyone!

:tort::tort::tort::tort:


tort.jpg
 
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dmmj

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Russian A.K.A horsefield. Cute little guy.
 

Gillian M

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Hi and a very warm welcome to the forum!:tort:

Your cute little tort seems to be 'well-equipped.' A good start. Keep up the good work.;)

Please do not keep feeding him/her lettuce. I fell into that trap with OLI (my:<3: beloved Greek tort); until someone was kind enough to send me mazuri and cuttlefish which are NOT available here in Jordan.:(
 

JoeMcGee

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Hi!

Thanks for that. I'm gonna go on a weed harvest in the park tomorrow for some thistles and dandelions. I've had a read through of the Russian tortoise care forum and apparently that is best. :) Although I'll give him a bit of carrot today.
 

Gillian M

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Hi!

Thanks for that. I'm gonna go on a weed harvest in the park tomorrow for some thistles and dandelions. I've had a read through of the Russian tortoise care forum and apparently that is best. :) Although I'll give him a bit of carrot today.
I too feed OLI carrots every now and again. He loves them, and the funny thing is that he won't eat them unless they're cooked! ;) He's rather picky on food.:(
 

JoeMcGee

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Haha, I've only had Aris for a few days so I don't know how fussy he is! I'll chuck in a few grapes too. :)
 

Gillian M

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Haha, I've only had Aris for a few days so I don't know how fussy he is! I'll chuck in a few grapes too. :)
Let's hope he's easy-going with food. OLI drove me nuts at the beginning, and the trouble is that I'd never had a pet (be it a tort or otherwise), I'd never dealt with pets/animals till I bought OLI:<3: about 4.5 years ago. Slowly I began to get used to him, take him out for 'walks' in the sun, and son on. Now he won't eat unless I hand-feed him! A spoiled brat, he really is.:D
 

Jodie

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Be careful with veggies and fruit. They love them, but not Good for them. Like candy for small children. Doesn't hurt once in a while, but like a child they will refuse good food if given candy all the time. The sugar messes up their digestive system. I never feed fruit and rarely veggies. Stick to pesticide free weeds. From the store favor endive and escarole. Some stores sell dandelions as well.
 

Yvonne G

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Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

- When/how much calcium powder?

I only use a small pinch between my thumb and index finger about three times a week.

- should i get rid of the hay?

Yes. Find something that the Tortoise can burrow down into. And something that can be moistened slightly. I like to use orchid bark, however, quite a few folks here really like coco coir.

- is it okay to just feed him lettuce if the lettuce is of varying types? (guessing not)

No, try to find dark leafy greens and edible weeds. I'm guessing you're in the UK from listening to your accent, so Rocket is a good one to buy.

- any signs of ill health i should keep a look out for? (his legs look quite dry to my eyes, although that may be completely normal, him being a reptile and all)

Usually the first sign that something's wrong is swollen eyes and hiding all the time. Moistening the substrate a bit helps with the humidity in the enclosure. Also, soaking him daily in warm water for about 15 minutes would be a good idea.

- what temperature should i be aiming for?

Directly under the heat light it should be around 100F or so, gradually fading to around 70-75F at one end and around 80F at the other end.

What kind of light were included with the tortoise?

(No fruit. They're not made to handle too much sugar)
 

Lyn W

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Hi!

Thanks for that. I'm gonna go on a weed harvest in the park tomorrow for some thistles and dandelions. I've had a read through of the Russian tortoise care forum and apparently that is best. :) Although I'll give him a bit of carrot today.
Hi Joe and welcome, I am glad you want to do your best for the little tort while he is in your care.
Yes there is a bit more to looking after torts as you will see from the caresheet.
I didn't see any lamps/heat sources in your list of his equipment. Does he have any?
Torts need heat to digest their food and function and uvb is essential for the absorption of the good stuff, minerals calcium etc.
So you are going to need something more than room temp for him.
if he doesn't have any and you are able to buy them let me know and I'll make some suggestions and where to get them.

While you are looking for weeds for him, make sure they are not from an area that may be sprayed or treated with chemicals and I wash any I find thoroughly in case of dog wee etc. Also roadside weeds could be affected by car fumes. The chemicals will be slow to pass through the tort so not really safe.
There is a good list of suitable foods with his caresheet (I can tell you what I use in the winter but I have a leopard tort so may be different)
The dandies are going over a bit now with the cold weather so I use Florette Classic Crispy Salad which has a better selection for leaves for your tort, as does Sainsbury's Mixed leaf salad (in a green cellophane pack).
I also use romaine, kale and spring greens and rocket in moderation.
Normal lettuce such as iceberg, and little gem aren't recommended.
see www.thetortoisetable.org.uk for safe/toxic foods
Calcium should only be sprinkled lightly about 2-3 times a week, if he is using his cuttlefish he may get his calcium from that.
 
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JoeMcGee

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Hi Gillian, Yvonne, Jodie and Lyn - thanks to everyone for being so so helpful and giving really good advice. I really, really appreciate it.

I've ordered some coco coir online, and that should arrive in a few days. And Lyn he does have a heat lamp, yeah. It's a 23W 7% UBV lamp made by Arcadia, if that helps? I'll make sure it's on all the time from now on - i was advised it didn't need to be.

Thanks for the tip about what sort of leaves to get him, and good to know the salad bags are alright!

Also, well guessed that I'm British Yvonne! What gave me away??
 

JoeMcGee

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Also, the little fellah hasn't gotten out of his little hole today - I'm not that concerned as he only moved yesterday and I imagine that can't have been terribly comforting, and it is coming on winter. I have heard little scratchy sounds from within, however, so I reckon he's alright.
Any opinions?
 
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