Russian tortoise Heat lamp;UVB;dark;protein

Baglady1956

New Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2019
Messages
8
Location (City and/or State)
Moreno Valley, CA
Hello all!
We inherited my granddaughter’s “female box turtle (she has had it for 9 years)” and soon discovered he is a Russian tortoise, not Box turtle. All the sites contradict each other and our ‘reptile vet’ read the brochure I brought with me to answer my questions (no help). Do I set UVB light for night or day (we take him out in am for about an hour)? Do I set heat lamp on if the the room he is in is 75-78? Should he have a dark period at night (the heat lamp is very bright and he is in a guest bedroom) and two sites state lights on for 16 hours and 8 hours dark (he had a red light on at night and a white lamp during day...they didn’t take him out much). Any help would be greatly appreciated we love Boris and the vet recommended following how he was fed and treated (can he have sun dried shrimp and occasional fruit? He was being fed spring mix, veggies, sun dried shrimp, fruit with my granddaughter) as he is healthy (vet didn’t even know it was a he...I discovered how to sexy I’m by the tail, not shell, and he has a long pointed tail that he carries under his shell on his leg) so I don’t trust what the vet said...who also said tofu and soy beans are ok. Sites have said no on both. We are feeding spring mix with bell peppers, zucchini, bell peppers...outside he loves red apple ground cover (waiting a month or so u til all systemic care for a rose tree is out of its system so I can give rose petals and leave) will try hibiscus leaves and flowers; I also have Timothy hay and other hay pellets to soak and try.
Again..this is a new experience and all help is much appreciated
 

T Smart

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2012
Messages
461
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, IL
Hi welcome!

Sounds like the veterinarian wasn’t much help. Your best bet is to stick with advice on the forum.

This is great care sheet to read.

Russian Tortoise Care Sheet
https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Russian-Tortoise-Care-Sheet.80698/

I’ll try to answer all your questions.
-UVB set during the day
-He needs a basking spot around 90-95, but also need a cooler end of the enclosure.
-No need for the red light at night
-Stop feeding shrimp, fruit, tofu, and soy beans. Stick to broadleaf weeds and greens. (There is an excellent list under the Russian tortoise section). I believe peppers and zucchini are ok, but they are more of treats. Try to offer a consistent diet that holds nutritional value.

Sorry if I missed anything. Other members will help chime in!
 

Ben02

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2018
Messages
1,830
Location (City and/or State)
Brighton, Southcoast, UK
Hello all!
We inherited my granddaughter’s “female box turtle (she has had it for 9 years)” and soon discovered he is a Russian tortoise, not Box turtle. All the sites contradict each other and our ‘reptile vet’ read the brochure I brought with me to answer my questions (no help). Do I set UVB light for night or day (we take him out in am for about an hour)? Do I set heat lamp on if the the room he is in is 75-78? Should he have a dark period at night (the heat lamp is very bright and he is in a guest bedroom) and two sites state lights on for 16 hours and 8 hours dark (he had a red light on at night and a white lamp during day...they didn’t take him out much). Any help would be greatly appreciated we love Boris and the vet recommended following how he was fed and treated (can he have sun dried shrimp and occasional fruit? He was being fed spring mix, veggies, sun dried shrimp, fruit with my granddaughter) as he is healthy (vet didn’t even know it was a he...I discovered how to sexy I’m by the tail, not shell, and he has a long pointed tail that he carries under his shell on his leg) so I don’t trust what the vet said...who also said tofu and soy beans are ok. Sites have said no on both. We are feeding spring mix with bell peppers, zucchini, bell peppers...outside he loves red apple ground cover (waiting a month or so u til all systemic care for a rose tree is out of its system so I can give rose petals and leave) will try hibiscus leaves and flowers; I also have Timothy hay and other hay pellets to soak and try.
Again..this is a new experience and all help is much appreciated
Can we see a pic of the tortoise?
 

Baglady1956

New Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2019
Messages
8
Location (City and/or State)
Moreno Valley, CA
Hi welcome!

Sounds like the veterinarian wasn’t much help. Your best bet is to stick with advice on the forum.

This is great care sheet to read.

Russian Tortoise Care Sheet
https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Russian-Tortoise-Care-Sheet.80698/

I’ll try to answer all your questions.
-UVB set during the day
-He needs a basking spot around 90-95, but also need a cooler end of the enclosure.
-No need for the red light at night
-Stop feeding shrimp, fruit, tofu, and soy beans. Stick to broadleaf weeds and greens. (There is an excellent list under the Russian tortoise section). I believe peppers and zucchini are ok, but they are more of treats. Try to offer a consistent diet that holds nutritional value.

Sorry if I missed anything. Other members will help chime in!
So if I understand... no light at all at night? Bother during the day? Is a heat lamp a basking lamp? We got the combined one on Chewey for dessert terrarium set up...is that ok?
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,391
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
Welcome to the Forum!

Russian tortoises do fine with a drop in temperature at night, so yes, no heat needed at night.

What is the brand/type of light you got from Chewy.com?
 

Baglady1956

New Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2019
Messages
8
Location (City and/or State)
Moreno Valley, CA
So if I understand... no light at all at night? Bother during the day? Is a heat lamp a basking lamp? We got the combined one on Chewey for dessert terrarium set up...is that ok?
Welcome to the Forum!

Russian tortoises do fine with a drop in temperature at night, so yes, no heat needed at night.

What is the brand/type of light you got from Chewy.com?
dessert UVB and heat lighting kit.
So both go on for 1w hours during daytime and dark terrarium at night?
 

Baglady1956

New Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2019
Messages
8
Location (City and/or State)
Moreno Valley, CA
Sorry...this website is kicking my rear...difficult to navigate for first (old) timers.
So 12 hours of UVB AND BASKING SPOTlight daytime and dark at night ...is that correct?
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,270
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Sorry...this website is kicking my rear...difficult to navigate for first (old) timers.
So 12 hours of UVB AND BASKING SPOTlight daytime and dark at night ...is that correct?

I'm going to leave two links here. They should appear green on your screen. Click on these links and all your questions are answered, plus more important info that you haven't asked about yet. Read these threads and then come back and ask any questions that weren't answered.
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

There are four elements to heating and lighting:
  1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt floods from the hardware store. I run them on a timer for 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. You can mount a fixture on the ceiling, or hang a dome lamp from the ceiling. Go lower or higher wattage if this makes the enclosure too hot or not warm enough. Do not use "spot" bulbs, mercury vapor bulbs or halogen bulbs.
  2. Ambient heat maintenance. Unless your house gets unusually cold at night, you can skip this step for a Russian. Night lows above 60 require no night heat for Testudo species.
  3. Light. I use florescent tubes for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most tubes at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. I've been using LEDs lately and they are great, and run cooler than a florescent. This can be set on the same timer as the basking bulb. If your tortoises room is already adequately lit, you don't need this one either.
  4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside in a safe secure enclosure for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. It helps to have a UV meter to test and see what your bulb is actually putting out at your mounting height. Plexi-glass or screen tops will filter out some or all of the UV produced by your bulb.
 
Last edited:

Baglady1956

New Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2019
Messages
8
Location (City and/or State)
Moreno Valley, CA
I'm going to leave two links here. They should appear green on your screen. Click in these links and all your questions are answered, plus more important info that you haven't asked about yet. Read these threads and then come back and ask any questions that weren't answered.
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

There are four elements to heating and lighting:
  1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt floods from the hardware store. I run them on a timer for 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. You can mount a fixture on the ceiling, or hang a dome lamp from the ceiling. Go lower or higher wattage if this makes the enclosure too hot or not warm enough. Do not use "spot" bulbs, mercury vapor bulbs or halogen bulbs.
  2. Ambient heat maintenance. Unless your house gets unusually cold at night, you can skip this step for a Russian. Night lows above 60 require no night heat for Testudo species.
  3. Light. I use florescent tubes for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most tubes at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. I've been using LEDs lately and they are great, and run cooler than a florescent. This can be set on the same timer as the basking bulb. If your tortoises room is already adequately lit, you don't need this one either.
  4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside in a safe secure enclosure for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. It helps to have a UV meter to test and see what your bulb is actually putting out at your mounting height. Plexi-glass or screen tops will filter out some or all of the UV produced by your bulb.
I'm going to leave two links here. They should appear green on your screen. Click in these links and all your questions are answered, plus more important info that you haven't asked about yet. Read these threads and then come back and ask any questions that weren't answered.
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

There are four elements to heating and lighting:
  1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt floods from the hardware store. I run them on a timer for 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. You can mount a fixture on the ceiling, or hang a dome lamp from the ceiling. Go lower or higher wattage if this makes the enclosure too hot or not warm enough. Do not use "spot" bulbs, mercury vapor bulbs or halogen bulbs.
  2. Ambient heat maintenance. Unless your house gets unusually cold at night, you can skip this step for a Russian. Night lows above 60 require no night heat for Testudo species.
  3. Light. I use florescent tubes for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most tubes at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. I've been using LEDs lately and they are great, and run cooler than a florescent. This can be set on the same timer as the basking bulb. If your tortoises room is already adequately lit, you don't need this one either.
  4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside in a safe secure enclosure for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. It helps to have a UV meter to test and see what your bulb is actually putting out at your mounting height. Plexi-glass or screen tops will filter out some or all of the UV produced by your bulb.
thank you so very much!
 

MPappagallo

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2019
Messages
368
Location (City and/or State)
Myrtle Beach, SC
Hello all!
We inherited my granddaughter’s “female box turtle (she has had it for 9 years)” and soon discovered he is a Russian tortoise, not Box turtle. All the sites contradict each other and our ‘reptile vet’ read the brochure I brought with me to answer my questions (no help). Do I set UVB light for night or day (we take him out in am for about an hour)? Do I set heat lamp on if the the room he is in is 75-78? Should he have a dark period at night (the heat lamp is very bright and he is in a guest bedroom) and two sites state lights on for 16 hours and 8 hours dark (he had a red light on at night and a white lamp during day...they didn’t take him out much). Any help would be greatly appreciated we love Boris and the vet recommended following how he was fed and treated (can he have sun dried shrimp and occasional fruit? He was being fed spring mix, veggies, sun dried shrimp, fruit with my granddaughter) as he is healthy (vet didn’t even know it was a he...I discovered how to sexy I’m by the tail, not shell, and he has a long pointed tail that he carries under his shell on his leg) so I don’t trust what the vet said...who also said tofu and soy beans are ok. Sites have said no on both. We are feeding spring mix with bell peppers, zucchini, bell peppers...outside he loves red apple ground cover (waiting a month or so u til all systemic care for a rose tree is out of its system so I can give rose petals and leave) will try hibiscus leaves and flowers; I also have Timothy hay and other hay pellets to soak and try.
Again..this is a new experience and all help is much appreciated
Welcome to the forum! You will find tons of great info here, as well as lots of folks that are always willing to answer questions and give advice. Best of luck with your new russian!
 
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