questions about my russian tortoise

Joined
Jan 1, 2021
Messages
87
Location (City and/or State)
northern ireland
hi! i have a horse field/russian tortoise named eddie and i only got him last month. i’m here to ask if there’s anything anyone reccomends i should add on to his routine/tank etc. i’m not sure what exact measurements his tank is but as he is still a baby we will be upgrading it when he grows as it is a good size for him now but not as an adult. his bedding is pellets (i don’t exactly know what they’re called) he has a few hides i exchange often and his food and water are replaced every morning. he has a heat lamp too. he is very picky put he gets fed a mix of corn salad and romaine lettuce and cucumber. sometimes i add in bits of fruit but he won’t eat it as he’s so picky. i have calcium powder that i put on his food. he is taken out of his tank every day (1 hour or more a day) . when i’m not able to supervise him he has a play pen he loves going in and running around and he is given some hides in there to keep him entertained. if i am able to supervise him with no distractions (which is most of the time) i let him run around the living room and if he goes under things and in places he isn’t allowed i lift him. i bathe him every other day and he soaks every day. in the mornings and nights i spray his tank and his shell with water. i am just here to ask if there’s anything else i should do for him. sorry for the long paragraph, thank you!!
 

jsheffield

Well-Known Member
Moderator
5 Year Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2018
Messages
3,114
Location (City and/or State)
Westmoreland, NH
Hi, and welcome to TFO!

There's a great thread you should read on the general care of your new tort:


and a whole sub-forum dedicated to their keeping:

They should mostly eat greens and weeds and flowers, not starchy veggies (like corn), nor fruit (the sugars disrupts their digestive system).

Pictures of, and details about, your enclosure would help us giving advice about their housing, but in general letting them roam is discouraged because they tend to find and eat stuff that's no good for them.

Once you've read up a bit, I bet you'll have more questions and this is a great place to get them answered.

Again, welcome!

Jamie
 

Ink

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jun 10, 2016
Messages
2,453
Location (City and/or State)
Virginia
Welcome
 
Joined
Jan 1, 2021
Messages
87
Location (City and/or State)
northern ireland
image.jpg
Hi, and welcome to TFO!

There's a great thread you should read on the general care of your new tort:


and a whole sub-forum dedicated to their keeping:

They should mostly eat greens and weeds and flowers, not starchy veggies (like corn), nor fruit (the sugars disrupts their digestive system).

Pictures of, and details about, your enclosure would help us giving advice about their housing, but in general letting them roam is discouraged because they tend to find and eat stuff that's no good for them.

Once you've read up a bit, I bet you'll have more questions and this is a great place to get them answered.

Again, welcome!

Jamie
hi! thank you so much for the info, i will read up on that page! i added a photo of his inclosure and him compared to a regular sized pencil. he mostly spends his time out of his cage like outside, in his play pen and walking around the living room. he only walks around the living room when i can fully watch him, i dont even go on my phone so i watch out in case he bites anything. his cage is really mostly used for when i’m not home and when he is eating and sleeping. his cage is going to be upgraded when he is grows. also, he has never had corn and most of the time won’t eat fruit.image.jpg
 

jsheffield

Well-Known Member
Moderator
5 Year Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2018
Messages
3,114
Location (City and/or State)
Westmoreland, NH
He's so cute!

I think that enclosure will certainly support the level of heat that he needs, your next consideration will be humidity... young torts benefit from higher humidity than their grown counterparts, and a daily soak through the first year of their life is a great idea. I'm not familiar with that substrate, but you might have an easier time maintaining humidity in the enclosure with cypress mulch or coconut husk/coir.

Jamie
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,384
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
Aw, what a cute little baby! After you read that care sheet provided above, you'll see you need to make some changes to your husbandry. What I see in the pictures is change the subsrate to something that you can slightly moisten, change the feeding dish to a rough tile and change the watererer to a plant saucer that is sunk down into the substrate.
 
Joined
Jan 1, 2021
Messages
87
Location (City and/or State)
northern ireland
He's so cute!

I think that enclosure will certainly support the level of heat that he needs, your next consideration will be humidity... young torts benefit from higher humidity than their grown counterparts, and a daily soak through the first year of their life is a great idea. I'm not familiar with that substrate, but you might have an easier time maintaining humidity in the enclosure with cypress mulch or coconut husk/coir.

Jamie
thank you so much for the help! he’s actually soaking right now haha, how long do you reccomend i soak him for? i usually do 20 mins a day. and thank you for the info, i will look into getting new substrate. also, what should i do if he tries to get out of his box when he is soaking? should i take him out or keep him in? he tries to get out a lot although the box i use to soak him is not see through.
 

jsheffield

Well-Known Member
Moderator
5 Year Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2018
Messages
3,114
Location (City and/or State)
Westmoreland, NH
thank you so much for the help! he’s actually soaking right now haha, how long do you reccomend i soak him for? i usually do 20 mins a day. and thank you for the info, i will look into getting new substrate.

20-30 minutes is a great length of time.

J
 

jsheffield

Well-Known Member
Moderator
5 Year Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2018
Messages
3,114
Location (City and/or State)
Westmoreland, NH
thank you, also, what should i do if he tries to get out of the container he is soaking in. the container i use is not see through at all. should i keep him in or take him out? thanks.

Don't worry if he tries to get out... the exercise will be good for him.

I use dishpans from Walmart for my torts... some try to escape the whole time, some just chill in the warm water until I take them out.

J
 

New Posts

Top