Victoriatori
New Member
I apologize for the length.
Hello, I may have jumped into this boat a bit more prematurely than planned. I had a friend post about rehoming a Russian tortoise a few months ago, and then again a couple days ago and I've owned reptiles in the past (though it's been a few years and I wasn't planning on doing so again) so I reached out, expecting to maybe get it in a week or 2 when I would have more time to research and make sure I could give it everything it needs, as our home currently has 2 guinea pigs and a hamster (none of the species are able to interact with each other), so room isn't something we have a huge amount to give while still allowing space for floor time. However, it ended up being a case where it had to be rehomed immediately so I now have a Russian tortoise. Originally I was going to be building a 2ft by 4ft enclosure for it, but now I'm learning that that is waaay to small. I can't do a 4ft by 8ft right now though. But I can give him a 2ft by 8ft for now and next year we're going to be upgrading our home situation so next year I will be able to upgrade to at minimum 4ft by 8ft (Fingers crossed for more, he'll also be able to have an indoor and outdoor and his outdoor will be much bigger). Here's the details I know, listed as what he was receiving vs what I'm doing for him at this moment. Any advice is highly highly accepted. I would have wanted to do much more research done before getting a pet like this. I've never gotten a pet before I did at least 2 months of research and already having everything it could need, but this wasn't really preventable, without risking him going to a home less suitable or staying in the same situation.
Age: Approximately 2 years old?
Size: approximately 4inches ish (measuring isn't my gift)
Gender: I was told he was male, I'm trying not to stress him out so I haven't really picked him up.
When I got him he came in a plastic container that's 36inches x 16 inches and maybe 6 inches deep. That's what he's been living in. There's about 2 inches of potting soil, they said he eats the big bark pieces so he can't have that? There was a good size log hide that covers literally almost 1/2 of the enclosure, and a chunk of yard (literally, took a shovel I think) which he honestly seems to like, but they have outside animals so I might get him one from a better area, he burrowed under it. He came with a double bulb lamp that "went out a while ago" So I don't know how long he's been with out UVB or a consistent light cycle. I know they were soaking him, I'm not sure how often. He was being fed "Lettuce and carrots" and "loves strawberries as a treat" and in the summer was taken outside maybe once a week to roam for a bit. He was also in this container, I believe in floor. They "caught the cat trying to pee in his box but don't think it ever actually did" (I've replaced it already with the same soil they were using) so I'm fairly worried about his health. My money is firstly going to building his enclosure, It'll be about a month (no more than that) and I'll be taking him to a vet to make sure he's clean of any critters.... Also he hisses. Whenever touched. Previous owners found it funny.... So that's that. Here's what I'm doing to try and improve his little (hopefully very long) life.
Today he's still in the very very sad enclosure I got him in, I got a Thrive 3 in 1 Mercury vapor bulb positioned about 13 inches from the top of where his shell would be on the side of his enclosure. I went home on break and he's relaxing under it. I'm purchasing the materials tonight so he'll be upgraded tomorrow afternoon when I get home. I have an infrared thermometer coming tomorrow. I also have a "chilling stone" that I had gotten by mistake a while back, would that be okay to place his food on? or perhaps to put under the basking light? If it would be okay to place under the basking light I'll get an actual flat rock and place his food on (I read they need it to help their beaks stay trimmed?) Once I get the enclosure set up I'm going to have the 3 in one bulb on one side of the enclosure for basking and the room it's self has a pretty alright amount of light so I might not add any other bulbs. However the ambient house temperature stays around 70 F, and I feel like that's to low for him during the day, so perhaps I should get a heat bulb and locate where the temperature in the enclosure starts to drop and put it there to even out the enclosure to around maybe 80F? I plan on trying to soak him every day for 15 minutes right now to make sure he's all and well, and then in a couple weeks just aim to do 2-4 times per week? I am having a hard time figuring out what to do for his substrate, the encloser that I'm going to be building is going to be 18 inches high so that'll give me where I can have at least 6 inches in there. I was planning on doing some soil for most of it and a safe kind of mulch or reptibark for a layer on the top but if he's going to be trying to eat that I'm not sure? Is that actually a thing?
Food wise. This is stumping me, there are so many variations. I heard that collard greens should be staple and then someone made a case that they were harmful if fed as a staple. I read that they need high calcium. Right now I have collard greens and mustard greens, I do plan on getting more and more variety tonight/ tomorrow but walmart was about to close last night (thanks covid) what all do you recommend? I live around the east tennessee region if that helps you know what might be available to me. We do have "healthy food stores" So I can probably find a variety there. I was hoping he would be good on a similar diet (only leafy wise) as the guinea pigs but it appears not quite so much, Please any recommendations on this would be great. I know fruit is a no, as well as pepper, and animal proteins and ya know, the very basics finding things they can't eat is pretty consistent but as for the stuff they CAN eat I'm at loss for how much/how often of anything.
Again I apologize for the length, I just want to give this guy the best life I can so any advice, criticism, or anything is greatly appreciated. I will not be offended, I'm aware this is an unideal situation for a critter.
Hello, I may have jumped into this boat a bit more prematurely than planned. I had a friend post about rehoming a Russian tortoise a few months ago, and then again a couple days ago and I've owned reptiles in the past (though it's been a few years and I wasn't planning on doing so again) so I reached out, expecting to maybe get it in a week or 2 when I would have more time to research and make sure I could give it everything it needs, as our home currently has 2 guinea pigs and a hamster (none of the species are able to interact with each other), so room isn't something we have a huge amount to give while still allowing space for floor time. However, it ended up being a case where it had to be rehomed immediately so I now have a Russian tortoise. Originally I was going to be building a 2ft by 4ft enclosure for it, but now I'm learning that that is waaay to small. I can't do a 4ft by 8ft right now though. But I can give him a 2ft by 8ft for now and next year we're going to be upgrading our home situation so next year I will be able to upgrade to at minimum 4ft by 8ft (Fingers crossed for more, he'll also be able to have an indoor and outdoor and his outdoor will be much bigger). Here's the details I know, listed as what he was receiving vs what I'm doing for him at this moment. Any advice is highly highly accepted. I would have wanted to do much more research done before getting a pet like this. I've never gotten a pet before I did at least 2 months of research and already having everything it could need, but this wasn't really preventable, without risking him going to a home less suitable or staying in the same situation.
Age: Approximately 2 years old?
Size: approximately 4inches ish (measuring isn't my gift)
Gender: I was told he was male, I'm trying not to stress him out so I haven't really picked him up.
When I got him he came in a plastic container that's 36inches x 16 inches and maybe 6 inches deep. That's what he's been living in. There's about 2 inches of potting soil, they said he eats the big bark pieces so he can't have that? There was a good size log hide that covers literally almost 1/2 of the enclosure, and a chunk of yard (literally, took a shovel I think) which he honestly seems to like, but they have outside animals so I might get him one from a better area, he burrowed under it. He came with a double bulb lamp that "went out a while ago" So I don't know how long he's been with out UVB or a consistent light cycle. I know they were soaking him, I'm not sure how often. He was being fed "Lettuce and carrots" and "loves strawberries as a treat" and in the summer was taken outside maybe once a week to roam for a bit. He was also in this container, I believe in floor. They "caught the cat trying to pee in his box but don't think it ever actually did" (I've replaced it already with the same soil they were using) so I'm fairly worried about his health. My money is firstly going to building his enclosure, It'll be about a month (no more than that) and I'll be taking him to a vet to make sure he's clean of any critters.... Also he hisses. Whenever touched. Previous owners found it funny.... So that's that. Here's what I'm doing to try and improve his little (hopefully very long) life.
Today he's still in the very very sad enclosure I got him in, I got a Thrive 3 in 1 Mercury vapor bulb positioned about 13 inches from the top of where his shell would be on the side of his enclosure. I went home on break and he's relaxing under it. I'm purchasing the materials tonight so he'll be upgraded tomorrow afternoon when I get home. I have an infrared thermometer coming tomorrow. I also have a "chilling stone" that I had gotten by mistake a while back, would that be okay to place his food on? or perhaps to put under the basking light? If it would be okay to place under the basking light I'll get an actual flat rock and place his food on (I read they need it to help their beaks stay trimmed?) Once I get the enclosure set up I'm going to have the 3 in one bulb on one side of the enclosure for basking and the room it's self has a pretty alright amount of light so I might not add any other bulbs. However the ambient house temperature stays around 70 F, and I feel like that's to low for him during the day, so perhaps I should get a heat bulb and locate where the temperature in the enclosure starts to drop and put it there to even out the enclosure to around maybe 80F? I plan on trying to soak him every day for 15 minutes right now to make sure he's all and well, and then in a couple weeks just aim to do 2-4 times per week? I am having a hard time figuring out what to do for his substrate, the encloser that I'm going to be building is going to be 18 inches high so that'll give me where I can have at least 6 inches in there. I was planning on doing some soil for most of it and a safe kind of mulch or reptibark for a layer on the top but if he's going to be trying to eat that I'm not sure? Is that actually a thing?
Food wise. This is stumping me, there are so many variations. I heard that collard greens should be staple and then someone made a case that they were harmful if fed as a staple. I read that they need high calcium. Right now I have collard greens and mustard greens, I do plan on getting more and more variety tonight/ tomorrow but walmart was about to close last night (thanks covid) what all do you recommend? I live around the east tennessee region if that helps you know what might be available to me. We do have "healthy food stores" So I can probably find a variety there. I was hoping he would be good on a similar diet (only leafy wise) as the guinea pigs but it appears not quite so much, Please any recommendations on this would be great. I know fruit is a no, as well as pepper, and animal proteins and ya know, the very basics finding things they can't eat is pretty consistent but as for the stuff they CAN eat I'm at loss for how much/how often of anything.
Again I apologize for the length, I just want to give this guy the best life I can so any advice, criticism, or anything is greatly appreciated. I will not be offended, I'm aware this is an unideal situation for a critter.