Spent all night doing research, Please correct/help me.

[Mendokusaii]

Spent all night reading about and watching video's about Russian Tortoises. This is already my most filled WORD document haha, Tortoises are different cake compared to other reptiles/inverts i researched.

As for enclosure: The bigger the better, I will start the baby tortoise out in some kind of (non see through)plastic tub with one side covered to retain heat and humidity. Adult enclosure is for another day ( i know that they'll need a pretty sizeable table/pen) I've seen alot of difference in recommended humidity, Some say 30/40% other say 70/80%. I'd say go in between for a nice 50/60% ????

Basking Spot will be around 100F. With the heat spreading you'll have your hot side and a cool side, so a nice thermal gradient. At night i'll let the enclosure cool off since it doesn't get cooler than 21degrees c right now. Heat lamp will be on for 12 hours a day. Idk about wattage yet .

As for UVB: A 12% Arcadia seems like a good one. One thing that kind of confused me was the amount of time the UVB is on per day. I was expecting the full 12 hours also but i've read some posts about people only having it on for 3/4 hours. What do you think??

For substrate i think i'll go with Organic Top Soil mixed with coco coir and a bit of pure cyper mulch. A shallow water dish(one of those terracotta things) that allows the tortoise to drink and relieve itself without any drowning hazards. A flat piece of rock where i serve the food on so they can eat while also trimming their beak/nails. Hides at both the warm and cool side.

Daily soaking in lukewarm water that is around 85-95F for about 10-20 minutes.

What i thought what was going to be the easiest part actually came out to be the most confusing Food. Sugar bad, Fiber good. Russians like weeds, but unlike some i don't have a real good supply of those. So i'm looking more at the supermarket kinda food. I've seen people mention ''Dark Leafy Greens'' and ''Collared Greens'' but have no idea what these exactly are. I'm not from the US so i might be some kind of language barrier haha. As for supplementing with calcium d3 powder, some suggest doing it everyday, other say 2/3 days, what do you think??


I would appreciate tips and answers on the things where i'm still in doubt about. Appreciate it.

 

[Tom]

Spent all night reading about and watching video's about Russian Tortoises. This is already my most filled WORD document haha, Tortoises are different cake compared to other reptiles/inverts i researched.

As for enclosure: The bigger the better, I will start the baby tortoise out in some kind of (non see through)plastic tub with one side covered to retain heat and humidity. Adult enclosure is for another day ( i know that they'll need a pretty sizeable table/pen) I've seen alot of difference in recommended humidity, Some say 30/40% other say 70/80%. I'd say go in between for a nice 50/60% ????

Basking Spot will be around 100F. With the heat spreading you'll have your hot side and a cool side, so a nice thermal gradient. At night i'll let the enclosure cool off since it doesn't get cooler than 21degrees c right now. Heat lamp will be on for 12 hours a day. Idk about wattage yet .

As for UVB: A 12% Arcadia seems like a good one. One thing that kind of confused me was the amount of time the UVB is on per day. I was expecting the full 12 hours also but i've read some posts about people only having it on for 3/4 hours. What do you think??

For substrate i think i'll go with Organic Top Soil mixed with coco coir and a bit of pure cyper mulch. A shallow water dish(one of those terracotta things) that allows the tortoise to drink and relieve itself without any drowning hazards. A flat piece of rock where i serve the food on so they can eat while also trimming their beak/nails. Hides at both the warm and cool side.

Daily soaking in lukewarm water that is around 85-95F for about 10-20 minutes.

What i thought what was going to be the easiest part actually came out to be the most confusing Food. Sugar bad, Fiber good. Russians like weeds, but unlike some i don't have a real good supply of those. So i'm looking more at the supermarket kinda food. I've seen people mention ''Dark Leafy Greens'' and ''Collared Greens'' but have no idea what these exactly are. I'm not from the US so i might be some kind of language barrier haha. As for supplementing with calcium d3 powder, some suggest doing it everyday, other say 2/3 days, what do you think??


I would appreciate tips and answers on the things where i'm still in doubt about. Appreciate it.

All of your questions are answered here:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

1. The enclosure does not have to be non see-through. That is an old myth. The enclosure does need to be very large. This is important.
2. Humidity for babies should be 50-70%, but I don't worry about it. Use deep damp substrate and a humid hide and they will make their own humid microclimates. Even less important for adults. It can be 10-100% and adults will be fine.
3. The temps you quoted sound great. They do not get UV for 12 hours a day in the wild. There is hardly any UVB in the morning or evening. Levels start very low and spike mid day. With a quality bulb like the Arcadia 12% HO, 3 hours mid day is plenty.
4. Soil should ever be used for tortoise substrate. It is made from composted yard waste and there is no way to know what it is. Coir will work fine. Cypress is safe, but unnecessary.
5. Use another terra cotta bowl for food. It help keep the food out of the substrate.
6. Soak baby daily for 30-40 minutes. Keep the water warm the whole time.
7. Read the care sheet for food amendments.
8. Calcium interferes with the absorption of other trace elements and minerals. This is why it should not be used daily. Twice a week is plenty in most cases.

More questions are welcome. Most of the "research" people do results in the same wrong info repeated many times.