Newbie to Tortoises!

[longlivethetorts0912]

Hello,
I am a new member of the site and a newbie to tortoises in general. I have researched endlessly and have wanted to make a tortoise a part of my home for quite a while now! My interest is in Russian torts, although all are so beautiful! I plan to get my first Russian fairly soon and wanted some advice. Even doing so much research, I feel like I don't know everything. Here is my plan for my future tortoise:
I plan to get a female ( I realize they do get a bit bigger than the males). I plan to keep her in a 50 or more gallon plastic tote or cement mixing container. As of now, I am planning to use EcoEarth (coconut coir) for the substrate and mist it down well daily to keep the humidity up. I will have a shallow dish filled with water for her to drink or soak in at her leisure and I will soak her every other day (can you soak them every day?). For food, I plan to feed her small amounts of Mazuri Tortoise Diet (after gradually switching her from the food she is currently on), different types of lettuces (romaine, Kale ect.), dandelion flowers and greens (and anything else I can grow organically), some "safe" veggies, and supplementing with calcium powder. I will provide my tort with a basking area (with light) and a UVB bulb for her absorption of calcium. In her enclosure, I will also provide her with a "cool area" complete with a hide. I was also considering having a bucket of clean earth for her to dig in. Along with that, I will take her outside daily, when it is warm enough and not winter. I do not plan on hibernating her as I live in the south U.S. so it should stay fairly warm indoors in the winter. Her enclosure will also be installed with a thermometer and humidity gauge.
I am prepared to care for her for the rest of my life and ensure she will be taken care of by somebody when I am gone (though that'll be awhile for I'm in my 20's). I have found a herp vet near me so I am covered on that end. I think I am covered. Is there anything that I forgot to include?
Questions:
-As I am planning to use a plastic enclosure (with decorations of course), will the light bulbs be too hot and melt the plastic?
-Do I have to use a certain type of plastic for the enclosure?
-At night is it better to use a heating pad (since the enclosure will be plastic with an open top) or a red nocturnal bulb?
-What wattage of bulbs do I use?
-Is calcium powder necessary?
-How much calcium powder do I use?
-Is soaking tortoises everyday bad?
Thank you!

 

[tortdad]

Welcome. Russians are tiny torts but they are hard wired to roam. Because of this they need more space than some of the larger species. You should have an indoor space of 4'x 8'.

 

[tortdad]

No heating pad. Torts need head from above like a lamp or a Che. If your house is relatively warm you won't need night heat for a Russian.

 

[Richabi]

Hi welcome to the forum sounds like you've got most things in consideration as I'm new too this myself don't want to give wrong advice plenty of knowledgeable people here who will help can you post some pictures of your enclosure so people can advise you if anything needs tweaking I bath my Russian every other day which should be more than adequate

 

[longlivethetorts0912]

Thank you guys! I plan to get the enclosure this week, so I will post a picture then!

 

[Jodie]

Welcome to the forum. You Definately have a good grasp on this. I agree that your enclosure needs to be bigger.
A CHE is better than colored bulbs.
Calcium is a good idea, just a pinch 2X per week.
No heating pads.
You can soak daily. It won't hurt anything.
Best of luck. A large wood enclosure is your best bet. Check out the enclosure section.

 

[longlivethetorts0912]

Thank you Jodie! You just cleared a lot up for me! Okay, I will look at bigger options for the enclosure. I am trying to stay away from wood as I am afraid of it molding with the humidity or warping from the tortoises excrement. I forgot to add that she will also have plenty of Timothy Hay to eat for some fiber! Thank you! Also, how often do you guys change your tortoise's substrate? I know about daily spot cleanings but just wasn't sure about when to dump everything.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

They don't eat hay. If by vegetables you mean broad leaves and flowers, that's good. No fruit or veg

Plan on pouring water in. Misting is a time sink. It's good for winter when the air is dry, but it doesn't penetrate the bottom layers where it's really needed.

Look into a stock tank as a habitat. Wood is fine when it's been sealed.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello, and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum.
It's excellent you've done so much thought and pre-planning and your queries seem to have been covered pretty well.
But I would reiterate do not use red light bulbs and add do not use any form of coil bulb for uvb.
Good luck.

 

[longlivethetorts0912]

Thank you Tidgy's Dad and johnsonnboswell!

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello and welcome to the TFO from AZ.

 

[pam]

Welcome

 

[longlivethetorts0912]

Thanks guys!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

Chances are good you will be buying an adult Russian tortoise. This means the animal will be big enough and old enough to live outside. This should be your first consideration. Tortoises are not 'pets' that you can keep in the house. They are not domesticated. They are still wild animals. They need to live outside where they can get the full benefit from the sun. I understand that some times during the year an indoor habitat might be a requirement, however, your first consideration should be to keep the tortoise outside in a safe and secure habitat. It would be like trying to keep a cow or a horse in an indoor habitat.