New Tortoise - outside

[Sjsarge]

Hello everyone! I bought a Russian tortoise from Petsmart today. I know Petsmart is not a responsible place to buy pets but he has been there for three weeks and I couldn't stand it. A week ago I decided I would go home, research everything I could and prepare my home, and today if he was there I would bring him home. He was so I did. I'm very excited, I lost my dog of 15 years 6 months ago and have been missing having a pet, however due to my work schedule a new dog is not possible. Anyways I have a few questions!

Never owning a reptile, the task of keeping him warm is a little daunting and I'm nervous I will mess up. Right now he is inside but I hope to let him have free range on my patio soon. For the time being I have him in a kiddie pool with coconut fiber (though I need to find a finer mix), a little tunnel, food dish, low water dish he can kinda fit in (need to get larger saucer tomorrow), and I put a house plant on top of a pot so he can eat it (not sure ifs ok) but it provides some share and esthetics.

So, first question! I plan on putting the enclosure outside on the patio during the day. I don't need a basking light if he has access to sunlight, correct? I do have one, and a UVB light, but I don't necessarily need those if he lives outdoors - right? Do I need to worry about the temp each day? It sounds like they are pretty tolerant, however I do think he is already about a year old and I have no idea what he's used to. I live in north San Diego county but I'm about 5 miles from the coast so it has been around 65 and a low of 55 in the evening. I'm think he should come inside each night. I don't want to obsess over this but I want him to enjoy the outdoors as much as possible, safely.

Second question his diet - I get the impression he has also been on pellets, the petsmart lady told me to feed him fresh vegetables 3x a week. Obviously I want him to eat only fresh veggies and no pellets but I went ahead and bought what he's been eating because I felt like maybe I should ease him off it and ease him on to straight veggies. Sound like a plan? Suggestions for portion size would be very appreciated.

My last question, and this one I get conflicting reports on; bougainvillea plant. I have one on my patio. It is up high but leaves and flowers can drop. I've read some places these can be toxic, and then I've read some people have fed their tortoises the flowers and some tortoise "ok to eat occasionally" lists have them as ok. I can keep the patio swept but he will have access to them if he wants. I'd love to give him free range but I can make a barrier. Any feedback appreciated!

 

[Sjsarge]

Also I am curious about anything I should be doing to prevent sickness right now - I've read in several places a lot of turtles from the pet shops are sick. Any drops that may be preventative?

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome. Congrats on the new tortoise.

Russians can tolerate cold nights 50-60, as long as they can get warmed up every day. Your beach climate is too cold, clammy and overcast too much of the time for this. I think what would work best is to have a complete and correct large indoor enclosure with the proper heating and lighting for most of the time and nights, and also a large safe outdoor enclosure for those warm sunny summer days you occasionally get after the marine layer burns off.

Is your patio concrete? If yes, this is a problem as its too hard and abrasive for them to live on full time. You'll need to put some sort of substrate down.

What sort of coconut fiber are you using? The chips? Those are probably better than the fine stuff for an older one. And yours is an older one. They don't sell year old tortoises at Petsmart. They sell 4"+ imports that are at least several years old.

What kind of houseplant? Some are toxic. If the plant was recently bought from any normal source (in the last year or so…) it will be full of systemic pesticides which are very toxic. The insecticides are taken up into the plants tissues and cannot be washed off.

You don't need a basking lamp outdoor if the sun is out and temps are warm enough. I don't think that will be the case often enough where you are. You also don't need UV if your tortoise is getting real sunshine on a regular basis. What kind of UV bulb have you got? Having him in a kiddie pool could be dangerous it he's in full sun on a hot summer day. Be careful.

"Veggies" are not a good diet. They should be eating mostly broadleaf weeds, and certain leaves, flowers and succulents. They should be able to graze freely all day as much as they want on the right foods.

I too have read that bougainvillea is toxic, so I've chosen to not risk it. I would not allow my tortoise access to the plant or any area where the flowers might blow. I'd tear out the bougainvillea and replace it with something edible like grape vines, or Cape Honeysuckle, or hibiscus.

Here are some more tips:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

 

[Tom]

Also I am curious about anything I should be doing to prevent sickness right now - I've read in several places a lot of turtles from the pet shops are sick. Any drops that may be preventative? View attachment 203691

The correct temperatures and conditions are the best thing you can do to prevent sickness. They need to be able to warm up every day.

Not a bad idea to run a fecal check and medicate if necessary.

 

[Sjsarge]

Hi Tom! Thanks so much, I love all this feedback. The coconut bedding are larger pieces and the house plant is way out of his reach (in a pot on top of an upside down pot). The patio is concrete but have about 18 inches of dirt around the outside which he could borrow in (walls go 12" down). I'm thinking I will need to removed the bougainvilla, or limit him to one side of the patio. It is a pretty big patio. I used to get more sun but so far this year it has been pretty overcast. I think he will have several good months to hang outside this summer but will plan his inside enclosure accordingly. Thank you again for all the tips!

 

[RosemaryDW]

Russians can tolerate cold nights 50-60, as long as they can get warmed up every day. Your beach climate is too cold, clammy and overcast too much of the time for this. I think what would work best is to have a complete and correct large indoor enclosure with the proper heating and lighting for most of the time and nights, and also a large safe outdoor enclosure for those warm sunny summer days you occasionally get after the marine layer burns off.

I agree a patio would not be ideal but I live about the same distance inland as the OP and we get more than enough sun nine months of the year to keep a tortoise outside with a night box.

Sixty-five is our high today and my Russian will be looking for shade by ten a.m. Things get gloomy here in May and June (June gloom!) but it's warm by then.

Rainy days aren't good but we have very few most years.

Again, not disagreeing with an indoor enclosure over full-time patio living, more that "coastal" is not as damp or dark as "beachy!"