Russian tortoise-Montana

[mommybeegs]

Hello!! My name is Kristin, I just ordered a Russian tortoise through the Internet. Kind of strange! Wondering if anyone here has ordered a tortoise online, and if they had a good experience! Also hoping to get some tips on what to do and what not to do with a Russian. I had a red foot Andee years ago go passed after having him for a year from a vitamin k defieciency. I did not catch it soon enough and hope to be better researched this time around. Any tips are appreciated!!!! Thanks

Looking for tips for keeping my tortoise healthy in a cold area. He will be kept indoors of course during the winter and outside during the daylight hours during summer. What are some good tips to keep him healthy as possible during the winter when he will be stuck inside? His house will be right under a window inside. I got a heat rock, and a UVB lamp. Also got calcium dust with vitamin D3. Anything I am missing?

How much food should he typically be given daily? He should be between 4-5" long.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Kristin:

There's a pretty good care sheet for Russian tortoises here:

http://russiantortoise.net/care_sheet.htm

 

[pineapple]

I wouldn't put him under a window, the UVB rays they need don't pass through glass and the window can either make the cage temps vary more drastically than they should.
Do you have a hide for your tort and varying temps at either end of the cage?
I have a powersun bulb for my russian and he is very active and has great growth lines. Russians are pretty simple once you figure out the right temps/lighting/and diet.
Do you plan on soaking your tort? Make sure you have a moist hide too.
Hope this helps you get started, good luck! If you keep reading this forum you'll learn a lot!!!

 

[Spn785]

You probably don't need the heat rock. You will need a basking light, and you need to know your temps, so get a temp gun or a few good thermometers. The basking temp should be about 95, warm are should be in the low 80s, cool side should be in the low 70s and at night it should get into the low 60s. For food, check out www.russiantortoise.net they have a great list of weeds and other foods for them. I would get a cuttlebone versus using the calcium powder, but either is fine.

 

[Eloise's mommy]

No heat rock it can burn their shell. Use coco coir for the substrate. get a flat rock to feed on and a terra cotta plant saucer for the water dish. I agree with not putting the tort by the window I'm in Utah so I'm as cold if not a bit warmer than you and if I were to put my baby by the window I would never be able to control the temps in her enclosure. Personally I soak 2 times a week for 30 min each time but if you are getting a hatchling (mine is full grown) then you will need to soak more often I have no hatchling experience but there are plenty of members who do and they will be along for more advise. I have followed all the information above from off this forum I try to stick to what I learn here to a T if possible because the information is far more consistent than any other source I have found. The link Yvonne shared above is the link that is consistently shared and relied on and has great diet information as well as housing examples and other great info that will help you along. Enjoy your baby can't wait to see pics.!!

 

[mommybeegs]

Thanks for the help everyone!! I did get a UVB light, and decided I will put him up on the mantle (not a working fireplace!) since I have a curious three yr old and 8 mo old haha! And I did order a cuttlebone, and one of those ramp rock water dishes. I do plan on soaking. It says "medium" when I ordered him and that he is between 4-5". Is a daily soak too mch? And is it possible to over soak? I have researched the diet from that website an am very confident I can handle it!! Thank you all for the help will post photos when he arrives!

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Also can I put the heat rock under a small layer of the coco coir?

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And also anyone ever ordered a tort online? He's supposed to be here tomorrow and I'm terrified he will be DOA

 

[lynnedit]

Probably best to avoid the heat rock altogether (see if you can return it). Shell burns can occur w/o the tort realizing it until too late, substrate can get knocked off, etc.
Best to heat from above unless your house is freezing. You won't even likely need night heat unless your house gets below 55-60f at night. Russians need cool nights and the ability to bask and warm up during the day.

Russian tortoises (among others) need a large enough enclosure when they are housed inside for the winter months. 4'x2' is a good minumum size. Unless it is very large, an aquarium is far too small.
Most of us use a 'tortoise table' (this can simply be a bookcase turned on its side with the shelves removed and lined with a tarp or pond liner folded up the sides and stapled).

It is great that you are doing your research! Be sure to check out the link posted above.

 

[mommybeegs]

Okay definitely will return the heat rock my house does get pretty cold during winter months so if all else fails an I can't warm it up, could I just get an under tank heater an put it in his box? And I got a 36" x 18" by 12" terrarium, but I also got one of this under bed storage containers it measures 4' x 1.5' will that be big enough?

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*put it under his box

 

[biochemnerd808]

Congrats on your soon-to-be-tortoise! A lot of Montana's landscape actually looks like the areas RTs come from... more snow though.

Looks like you already got some awesome, useful, competent advice. Please don't feel upset that you are being asked to change things... most people here are fully aware that in the end you as the pet owner have the right to make your own decisions. I think it is wonderful that you are asking questions!

Providing heat to tortoises needs to happen from above. I recommend getting a 100W basking bulb that you can hang above a flat rock. The rock will store some of the heat, you want the area right under the bulb to be about 95 degrees. Under-tank heaters and hot rocks are problematic, because tortoises are used to regulating their body temperature by using heat that comes from above (the sun). Their plastron (bottom shell) is very thick, and so by the time they feel the heat, the burn has already happened. The only time I use an under-tank-heater is in my hospital tank when I am rehabilitating a sick tortoise - and I tape cardboard over that area.

Concerning the soaking dish with the steps that go up to it - I am not a huge fan. They are expensive, heavy, so it is harder to switch the water ever day or two, and the tortoise has to climb up to get it, and they take up so much space. Plus with all those little bumps, they are hard to clean. I just use a pyrex pie dish that I got at Goodwill for $2. I can run it through the dishwasher, and it is just the right size, depth, and weight. I sink it into the substrate, with rocks all around it to keep the coco coir from being tracked in too much.

The 4'x1.5' box would be better than the tank... although you'll have to be careful about preventing escapes! RTs are great climbers. Keep in mind that in the wild, these guys have THE largest territorial range of any tortoise. They walk miles every day. It is pretty easy to build a simple tortoise table - using plywood and pine boards, and a remnant of linoleum and some nice stain or paint, I build my Greek's table for under $30. Another good option is to get a bookshelf or entertainment center from Goodwill, turn it on its back, take out the shelves, line it with a tarp, and you have a nice big tort table.

Okay definitely will return the heat rock my house does get pretty cold during winter months so if all else fails an I can't warm it up, could I just get an under tank heater an put it in his box? And I got a 36" x 18" by 12" terrarium, but I also got one of this under bed storage containers it measures 4' x 1.5' will that be big enough?

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*put it under his box

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[lynnedit]

4'x1.5' is a better size. They are good climbers, so you might need to create an edge or lip. You can do this by cutting out most of the center of the lid, leaving perhaps a 1.5" margin all around the edge. Then snap the lid back on.

Get a good thermometer, like an Infared thermometer (point and take the temp) or a digital thermometer with a wire probe that you can move around to different locations. IF your night temps really go below 55-60f, then use something like a 60w ceramic heat emitter (CHE) in one area, which releases heat but not light. Put it on a thermostat to get temps to 60f.
http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...ramic-bulbs/-/zoo-med-60-watt-ceramic-heater/ (example)
There is a good chance you won't need night heat.

 

[mommybeegs]

Great advice!!! Thanks so much, ESP the idea about cutting the kid not sure I will be able to make much larger of a house for him for indoors during winter as my kiddos get into everything! But during the summer my hubby is going to build a large box for him along with him being able to roam the yard while I'm outside mostly during summer as well I'm very excited! So is my daughter. This will be her first pet!

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*cutting the lid

 

[Tom]

In addition to the above:
Daily soaks are not necessary for one of that age and size. A couple of times a week should do it.

Does your house get colder than 60 at night in the winter? If yes, then a ceramic heating element, set on a thermostat may be in order.

Those water bowls with the steps can kill tortoises. They flip upside down and drown in them. Instead use a terra cotta plant saucer from any hardware store.

Letting him roam in the yard is a recipe for disaster. So many of us, myself included, have lost tortoises that way. Please learn from our mistakes. Build a large safe outdoor enclosure and let him roam in that during fair weather.

4x1.5 is tiny for a tortoise. Once you put in the hides, water and food bowls and any other furniture, there will be hardly any room to walk. Everyone here would love to see you get into tortoises, but they need a lot of room to walk around. Locomotion helps with digestion, kind of like a horse. And Russians are big time roamers.

Good luck. Keep reading and learning.

 

[mommybeegs]

This is Cosmo!