Vivarium set up

[Fireyfiona]

hi all,
New to this site, I have a vivarium with a 2 yr Russian torte called Crowley, have added a picture, hope it all looks good, he seems happy

 

[lismar79]

Is that sand you are using? Sand can cause internal impactions and eye problems. I would also suggest hanging that light pointing straight down & put a flat rock under it for basking.

 

[Tyanna]

It looks good, but soon your Russian will need something much bigger! @Tom suggests 4x8'. There's many different ways you can get the floor space needed without making it all in one 4x8'. I'm making a 2-3 story enclosure to help save space but still make sure my Russian gets his space and climbing needs.

 

[Fireyfiona]

Is that sand you are using? Sand can cause internal impactions and eye problems. I would also suggest hanging that light pointing straight down & put a flat rock under it for basking.

Hi
It's stuff from pet store, especially for tortoises, I will defo put a flat rock under lamp, he likes it there, thanks

 

[Tyanna]

Hi
It's stuff from pet store, especially for tortoises, I will defo put a flat rock under lamp, he likes it there, thanks

Even if it's from a pet store, sand is still not recommended. There's some photos of nasty x-rays of impactions from sand.

 

[Fireyfiona]

sou

It looks good, but soon your Russian will need something much bigger! @Tom suggests 4x8'. There's many different ways you can get the floor space needed without making it all in one 4x8'. I'm making a 2-3 story enclosure to help save space but still make sure my Russian gets his space and climbing needs.

Sounds interesting, great idea, I will look into that. I want him to have a lovely home.

 

[lismar79]

Pet stores are unfortunately known to give bad advice.....They are there to sell you what they have. I would remove it to minimize the risk of harm

 

[Fireyfiona]

Pet stores are unfortunately known to give bad advice.....They are there to sell you what they have. I would remove it to minimize the risk of harm

I will do luckily I bought more substrate today

 

[lismar79]

Great! Here is a russian care sheet. If you have any quesions let us know
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

It looks great for right now (good job on ditching the sand) but he'll grow bigger!
Can he climb into the water dish easily? Terra cotta plants dishes are grippy and shallow, very safe.

 

[Fireyfiona]

It looks great for right now (good job on ditching the sand) but he'll grow bigger!
Can he climb into the water dish easily? Terra cotta plants dishes are grippy and shallow, very safe.

I haven't seen him go in at all, so I may switch to a terracotta one, sounds a good idea, he does wee, so I think he must be drinking, or perhaps getting enough from his leaf

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

Mine loves to go especially in his dish, which is very nice of him, but he doesn't often, unless I give him a bath
No, unfortunately it's something that is still floating around, but torts do not get enough water from their greens and weeds, and they are NOT desert animals (most) and need humidity too