What am I doing wrong ?

[TechnoCheese]

you have no idea what you are talking about. the can live in a 3x2 and still be the healthiest tort in the world. not that big is bad but you dont have to have a swimming pool as an enclosure.!!!

While I was wrong about the 4x8 part, they still need an absolute minimum enclosure size of 6x3.
Tortoises wander miles and miles in search of food, and walking aids in their digestion. That 3x2 enclosure is even too small for a yearling, and a hatchling will out grow it within months, if it has the proper care.
If you hang around this forum for long enough, you will soon see that there are so many misconceptions and lies about tortoises on the internet that tortoise forum is trying to fix. If I have no idea what I’m talking about when it comes to tortoises needing a large enclosure, then this forum must be full of imbeciles.

 

[Tort dude]

they can live in a 3x2 as long as they are exercised, and i know people who have had their torts for years and they lived in a 3x2. you probably do know what you are talking about. i have nothing against keeping a tort in a huge cage. but i have a budget because i am young and i dont have a job because i am 14. thank you for your concern over these great animals created by God.

 

[TechnoCheese]

they can live in a 3x2 as long as they are exercised, and i know people who have had their torts for years and they lived in a 3x2. you probably do know what you are talking about. i have nothing against keeping a tort in a huge cage. but i have a budget because i am young and i dont have a job because i am 14. thank you for your concern over these great animals created by God.

I am also 14, but if you have an adult in a 3x2 enclosure and want to argue that it is perfectly happy,that is very sad.
There is a difference between surviving and thriving.
If you were locked in a small metal box all of your life, but you were given the necessities to live like food and water, you would be surviving. But would you be happy? Would you be thriving in your surroundings?
Torts can survive in such a small enclosure, but they will never thrive.
Also, I bet my house that your tortoise spends it’s day walking along the edge of your enclosure. This is a clear sign that your tort is in too small of an enclosure.

 

[TechnoCheese]

they can live in a 3x2 as long as they are exercised,

What do you mean by “exercise”?
Are you letting your tort roam your house?
This is highly looked down on in this forum, because of everything that goes wrong. Just recently, we had a member who accidentally stepped on their tortoise’s leg. It always starts with “I was watching him the whole time, but I looked away for _____ seconds, and _____happened!”

 

[Yvonne G]

Let's don't forget that this is Qads' thread.

 

[TechnoCheese]

Let's don't forget that this is Qads' thread.

Very true, Yvonne. Sorry for the hijack!

 

[Yvonne G]

Very true, Yvonne. Sorry for the hijack!

It's ok. I just thought I'd better nip this big argument in the bud.

 

[Cheryl Hills]

you have no idea what you are talking about. the can live in a 3x2 and still be the healthiest tort in the world. not that big is bad but you dont have to have a swimming pool as an enclosure.!!!

No, you are wrong! A 2 x 3 enclosure is way two small except for maybe a very young hatchling. @Qads please listen to the experts on this forum. They will not steer you wrong.. russian torts need at least a 4 x8 enclosure and if it Greek as said, they get bigger then Russians.

 

[Alex Z]

Wow I feel so embarrassed. The pet store swore that it was a russain and that the substance i have under them is the best. Thank you for your advice, I will start working on a new habitat these coming days and update you for your advice, if its no trouble.
Forgive me if its a silly question but how do I know the tempreture ? Just a regular thermometer placed close to the light ?
Also what about its vitamins ? How and what vitamins can I feed it. The foods/plants in the recommended sheet are almost impossible to find in my country and would cost me at least $30-$50 per meal/day
I generally let them soak until I finish cleaning their enclosure which takes 5 - 10 mins but they want to get out after 5 mins anyway.
Is the light I have set up good for ther vitamin D ?

Thank you so much

Petshops are the worst. You did great finding this site. Now you have the means to correct the mistakes. Start with getting some plastic tubs. Homedepot has them cheap.

 

[Qads]

@Qads None of the lights you are showing are ones I like to use. Yvonne showed some good examples in a post above.

I know you are having trouble finding these items in UAE. We do have another member I know has set up quite a bit for an Aldabra tortoise who lives in the UAE. Perhaps he can offer suggestions for what he found and where he got them - @TortyDxb can you heip??

These are the type of lights I use and love. See if you can find something like them to purchase of have shipped:

View attachment 228369 View attachment 228370

This is my bulb of choice with a fixture that comes with it with a great reflector hood built in.

View attachment 228371


I also use grow light fixtures. They also are normally a good quality fixture as a good quality ballast is important for bulb performance and life. So it is important to get a good fixture for these bulbs. Grow light come with bulbs included that are great for growing plants and have a nice daylight type of light color. I replace one of the bulbs with one of the D3 bulbs shone above and leave the other grow light bulb in the other socket. This is an excellent choice:

View attachment 228373

Here is another. I have a few of these in use and am really pleased with them:

View attachment 228374

Hope this helps and you are able to find something. I would think the pet shop you took all those pictures of those other bulbs would stock at least some of these T5 bulbs. Perhaps now that you know what you are looking for, you can find them, or have them order for you. The compact fluorescents are not a good choice for a tortoise. All the basking bulbs you pictured are "spot" type bulbs and also not a good choice for basking as they concentrate too much heat in a very small area. For basking, I use a regular incandescent FLOOD bulb from a hardware or home improvement store. I put that in a brooder fixture made for heat for baby chicks. Use a fixture with a wide hood, not a closed "deep dome" hood the reptile shops sell. Those will overheat a bulb and dramatically shorten the life of the bulb. Here's the bulb and fixture I use:

View attachment 228375 View attachment 228376

Hey there,

I was able to buy this. Is this good enough for their sun and heat ?
Also when i open the plug, it smells like something is burning ??

Thank you

 

[Alex Z]

Hey there,

I was able to buy this. Is this good enough for their sun and heat ?
Also when i open the plug, it smells like something is burning ??

Thank you

Dome could be malfunctioned. Return it and get a new one if needed. Powersun is a great choice or mercury bulb. Remember, these only last 6 months.

 

[TechnoCheese]

Hey there,

I was able to buy this. Is this good enough for their sun and heat ?
Also when i open the plug, it smells like something is burning ??

Thank you

Sometimes the light has a slight smell when you first use it. Does the dome have enough wattage?
It should be enough for uv, but you need to monitor the temps and adjust the height until you get the right temps.
I’m sure your torts will love it!

 

[Markw84]

Hey there,

I was able to buy this. Is this good enough for their sun and heat ?
Also when i open the plug, it smells like something is burning ??

Thank you

That bulb is a good source of UVB and heat. I personally don't like them as they emit a large amount of Infrared heat in wavelengths that are very desiccating. For a Russian tortoise, not a bad choice, though. I find they do not last very long and need replacing often. The fixture you picture is not good at all for this bulb. These bulbs run very hot and heat is built up in this type dome. It will shorten the life of this bulb dramatically more than normal. That dome is also got a high reflective inside. that amplifies the UVB ( and IR) in a narrow area. Be very careful about the height you put it therefore. Sometimes, a deep dome like this will burn out the bulb in a few days. The "brooder fixture" I pictured earlier for you is better as it has a wide dome with more air circulation around the bulb. If your fixture has a plastic base - that may be what you are smelling - the plastic melting!

 

[Qads]

A quick update.

So my bigger tort who was the healthier one got sicker. It isnt eating at all and its weight dropped from .48 to .42 in just one week
It rarely eats by itself so i have to hand feed it myself and it eats normally, in fact my tort has a big appetite but will only eat when I feed her myself, she smells me then she accepts what im giving her, she doesnt respond to other hands, only mine.
Also, she tries to move but she isnt, i can see her make a dirt angel in an attempt to move but no luck.
Someone told me she may be too cold so i up'd her heat and it slipped my mind that she cant move away and when I came back she was foaming in the mouth. I didnt know what it meant but I immidiatly soaked her in water and she was drinking like crazy. Ive been soaking them daily for about 5 - 10 mins each or until the other one gets out.

What do I do about her weakness ?
Thank you, you are all saving their lives

 

[TechnoCheese]

A quick update.

So my bigger tort who was the healthier one got sicker. It isnt eating at all and its weight dropped from .48 to .42 in just one week
It rarely eats by itself so i have to hand feed it myself and it eats normally, in fact my tort has a big appetite but will only eat when I feed her myself, she smells me then she accepts what im giving her, she doesnt respond to other hands, only mine.
Also, she tries to move but she isnt, i can see her make a dirt angel in an attempt to move but no luck.
Someone told me she may be too cold so i up'd her heat and it slipped my mind that she cant move away and when I came back she was foaming in the mouth. I didnt know what it meant but I immidiatly soaked her in water and she was drinking like crazy. Ive been soaking them daily for about 5 - 10 mins each or until the other one gets out.

What do I do about her weakness ?
Thank you, you are all saving their lives

When she was foaming at the mouth, she was over heated. It’s good that you soaked her.
You need to be soaking them daily in tall sided tubs that they can’t walk out of for 20-30 minutes.
Have you made any changes to the enclosure yet?
Try soaking in a 50/50 mixture of carrot baby food and water. Soak both daily for 30 minutes, and make sure the water stays warm
You need to make sure they have the proper enclosure and heating ASAP.

 

[Qads]

When she was foaming at the mouth, she was over heated. It’s good that you soaked her.
You need to be soaking them daily in tall sided tubs that they can’t walk out of for 20-30 minutes.
Have you made any changes to the enclosure yet?
Try soaking in a 50/50 mixture of carrot baby food and water. Soak both daily for 30 minutes, and make sure the water stays warm
You need to make sure they have the proper enclosure and heating ASAP.

Ok so I changed the substrate to a reptile bedding that was mostly made of coco coir but they didnt like it, there were tiny grains stuck to little noses and little eyes.
So i changed instead to orchid bark but the pack I got online didnt fill up the entire enclosure. I thought maybe I put a coco coir base and add orchid bark on top ?

I was lucky enough to find some reptile calcuim in the petshop so i sprinkle a pinch of it on their food daily. The weaker ones shell seems to be getting stronger but both of them still have a pale tongue but I am giving them a (dog) liver medicine as per my VET recommendation

Right now I only have a heat set up, no UVB yet as im still on the look out for the correct dome to plug it in ... hopefully everything will be ready by this week as Ive been swamped with work but little by little Im getting there thanks to all of your help and recommendations.

 

[TechnoCheese]

Ok so I changed the substrate to a reptile bedding that was mostly made of coco coir but they didnt like it, there were tiny grains stuck to little noses and little eyes.
So i changed instead to orchid bark but the pack I got online didnt fill up the entire enclosure. I thought maybe I put a coco coir base and add orchid bark on top ?

I was lucky enough to find some reptile calcuim in the petshop so i sprinkle a pinch of it on their food daily. The weaker ones shell seems to be getting stronger but both of them still have a pale tongue but I am giving them a (dog) liver medicine as per my VET recommendation

Right now I only have a heat set up, no UVB yet as im still on the look out for the correct dome to plug it in ... hopefully everything will be ready by this week as Ive been swamped with work but little by little Im getting there thanks to all of your help and recommendations.

Yep, coir as a base and bark at the top is great.
You’re making good progress

 

[Qads]

That bulb is a good source of UVB and heat. I personally don't like them as they emit a large amount of Infrared heat in wavelengths that are very desiccating. For a Russian tortoise, not a bad choice, though. I find they do not last very long and need replacing often. The fixture you picture is not good at all for this bulb. These bulbs run very hot and heat is built up in this type dome. It will shorten the life of this bulb dramatically more than normal. That dome is also got a high reflective inside. that amplifies the UVB ( and IR) in a narrow area. Be very careful about the height you put it therefore. Sometimes, a deep dome like this will burn out the bulb in a few days. The "brooder fixture" I pictured earlier for you is better as it has a wide dome with more air circulation around the bulb. If your fixture has a plastic base - that may be what you are smelling - the plastic melting!

Hi,

I want to ask you if this is a good choice for the bulb I have ? I tried to find the closest to your picture

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003XV8QOU/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

Thanks

 

[Markw84]

Hi,

I want to ask you if this is a good choice for the bulb I have ? I tried to find the closest to your picture

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003XV8QOU/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

Thanks

Yes. That is the fixture I use.