Update

[Zeekst]

Turns out we got the tortoise species wrong, it’s a Russian tortoise i believe, If anyone has any notes on russian tortoises’s diets and if it’s safe to introduce them to my 5 month old sulcata. (Ps; i am not keeping my tortoises in the same enclosure. I am separating them. and i am aware of the pyramiding.)

 

[zovick]

Turns out we got the tortoise species wrong, it’s a Russian tortoise i believe, If anyone has any notes on russian tortoises’s diets and if it’s safe to introduce them to my 5 month old sulcata. (Ps; i am not keeping my tortoises in the same enclosure. I am separating them.)

Not a good idea to allow contact between the two tortoises for any amount of time. One may be a carrier of some bacteria or parasite which could be quite harmful or even fatal to the other one.

Aside from that, it is not recommended to allow different species to be together. It isn't necessary, and they don't want or need "friends". They are best kept apart at all times.

 

[Zeekst]

Not a good idea to allow contact between the two tortoises for any amount of time. One may be a carrier of some bacteria or parasite which could be quite harmful or even fatal to the other one.

Aside from that, it is not recommended to allow different species to be together. It isn't necessary, and they don't want or need "friends". They are best kept apart at all times.

could i wash them with the same toothbrush ?

 

[wellington]

Best to not share items between them
Your tortoise looks like it might have mbd, can you post a picture of the whole tortoise.

 

[Zeekst]

Best to not share items between them
Your tortoise looks like it might have mbd, can you post a picture of the whole tortoise.

we got the tortoise from a family friend, she didn’t have a uvb bulb and was given calcium once a week, should i start giving her calcium three times a week now ? we’re already planning to go to pet smart and get her a bulb

 

[wellington]

She does need UVb right away. Get that ASAP. She also needs an incandescent flood bulb for basking that reaches 95-100 and the rest of the enclosure to be 75-80 during the day and 70 at night
She also needs a 4x8 foot enclosure. She needs the best you can give her, she's already had a bad life.
She does look to have a possible case of mbd also. Give her a small pinch of calcium three times a week. Don't over do it. Too much is as bad as too little.

 

[TammyJ]

Thanks for trying to help this little tortoise. You have got great advice! All the best.

 

[Zeekst]

She does need UVb right away. Get that ASAP. She also needs an incandescent flood bulb for basking that reaches 95-100 and the rest of the enclosure to be 75-80 during the day and 70 at night
She also needs a 4x8 foot enclosure. She needs the best you can give her, she's already had a bad life.
She does look to have a possible case of mbd also. Give her a small pinch of calcium three times a week. Don't over do it. Too much is as bad as too little.

We went to our local zeptile store and got a basking light 100 watts i believe, night time light 70 degrees and a uvb light 50 watts i believe as well. We got a humidity and temperature thermometer too for the little guys. We haven’t checked the temperature on the basking and uvb light yet so i’ll edit this once i check.

When we got layla we were told she hasn’t ate for a week but when i brought her outside when it was quite warm she ate our clovers so i was thinking maybe she’ll start eating once it’s warm.

 

[wellington]

I'm afraid you likely got the wrong lighting
The basking should not be a mercury vapor bulb or spot bulb but an incandescent flood bulb.
The UV should be from a tube florescent not a coil type bulb. There should be no light at night, that's what a ceramic heat emitter is used for, night heat, and if added day heat is needed, it has no light.

 

[Zeekst]

I'm afraid you likely got the wrong lighting
The basking should not be a mercury vapor bulb or spot bulb but an incandescent flood bulb.
The UV should be from a tube florescent not a coil type bulb. There should be no light at night, that's what a ceramic heat emitter is used for, night heat, and if added day heat is needed, it has no light.

Oh my apologies, These are the items i got. They were recommended by the reptile store owner.

 

[wellington]

The fluorescent is fine. The spot light is not. I have no experience with the infrared one
But never listen to a shop owner. They usually have no clue. They just want to sell you their lousy products.
An incandescent FLOOD bulb is what you want not the spot bulb. The flood you can get an Arcadia brand one or from Amazon.

 

[Maggie3fan]

could i wash them with the same toothbrush ?

Tortoises don't need washed.

We went to our local zeptile store and got a basking light 100 watts i believe, night time light 70 degrees and a uvb light 50 watts i believe as well. We got a humidity and temperature thermometer too for the little guys. We haven’t checked the temperature on the basking and uvb light yet so i’ll edit this once i check.

When we got layla we were told she hasn’t ate for a week but when i brought her outside when it was quite warm she ate our clovers so i was thinking maybe she’ll start eating once it’s warm.

Shop for your stuff on Amazon...you are paying too much at a reptile store and I promise you they will steer you wrong. You can buy a 65 watt incandescent bulb for a few bucks. Wellington gives good fair advice...listen to her...

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

The infrared bulb is a "deep heat projector". While it's great for maintaining ambient temperatures, it's at the same bad for tortoise shell and can cause pyramiding.

You can either not use it at all and or turn it on only at night, when tortoise is in its hide. Ceramic heat emitters would be easier to use (run them on thermostats day and night).

For a 5-month sulcata you need to provide humidity around 80% to avoid pyramiding. You can use a portable greenhouse or just cover the mesh around lamps with foil to achieve that (be careful and watch temperatures in the enclosure after making a cover).

 

[SinLA]

Tortoises don't need washed.

Shop for your stuff on Amazon...you are paying too much at a reptile store and I promise you they will steer you wrong. You can buy a 65 watt incandescent bulb for a few bucks. Wellington gives good fair advice...listen to her...

Just FYI - you can't get incandescents via Amazon in CA, you have to send them to someone out of state and have them mail to you...