What does tortoise do normally

[taiuk10]

hi I have two Russian tortoises in an closed enclosure with a ahs system set to about 27 degrees Celsius. It's near winter in uk and its freezing here. Please see attached photo of my two torts. Is it normal they sleep about 18 hours of the day?

 

[Baoh]

Yeah. It is winter.

 

[Tortus]

Do you always keep them on newspaper?

I guess it's easy to clean but I would think they'd prefer a more natural substrate.

 

[mainey34]

Seems to me that you need to change your setup a little. They need humidity. Substrate. And a larger enclosure. Please look up Russian care sheets. This could be why they are sleeping a lot.

 

[taiuk10]

Hurm let me take another look. I'll change the substrate and find out house to increase humidity and see how it goes. Thanks for advice

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Ps the previous owners put them on wood shavings. I removed them as one of them cannot separate them from their food

 

[EricIvins]

Newspaper is prefectly fine to use as a substrate. It is winter, so they are naturally are going to slow down, especially if the ambient temperatures are lower......

 

[Laura]

use a soil type substrate. they love to burrow..
If they are warm enough and have at least 12 hours of light a day,, they should stay awake. Are they eating?
they looks pretty good.. do they have access to water? using a soil substrate its easier to bury a water bowl. Like a ceramic dish that goes under plants.
What do you feed them?

 

[Tortus]

Newspaper is prefectly fine to use as a substrate. It is winter, so they are naturally are going to slow down, especially if the ambient temperatures are lower......

Herps may survive on newspaper, but do you think they really like it?

Even my leopard likes to dig down a little into the coir as it would in nature. It makes a little nest when it sleeps. Personally I prefer to give mine something it may feel more comfortable in.

 

[taiuk10]

I do think they like something else as I keep hearing them scatching under the log. I read 50:50 mix of sand and soil?

 

[Tortus]

Some people do that, taiuk. But most here seem to prefer just coconut coir. It's fairly mold and disease resistant and holds moisture well. It's also soft and doesn't get muddy like regular potting soil. I was going to try regular organic potting soil once and it was a mess.

Maybe some Russian owners can chime in here.

 

[taiuk10]

Coconut coirs not heard of them as substrate before. Can you get them in uk?

Ive been feeding the English lettuce, cabbage, carrots, kale, rocket ( which they don't like) and tiny bit of cucumber for their vit a supplements.

I normally feed them a leaf the size of my palm for each tortoise each day. They usually come running for food when they see it.

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Oh and they don't like flowers. Tried o feed them dandelion but they ignored them.

 

[dannel]

Coco coir comes in a compacted brick and is in most good pet stores. Not hijacking, but is the stuff from Home Depot ok?
http://www.homedepot.ca/product/beatspeat-50-kg-110-lb-30-cu-ft/937276

 

[Baoh]

I normally feed them a leaf the size of my palm for each tortoise each day.

I think that is a rather small amount of food.

 

[dannel]

I normally feed them a leaf the size of my palm for each tortoise each day.

I think that is a rather small amount of food.

Ditto

 

[stinax182]

yeah, one big leaf is not enough. the usual amount is basically a pile the size of your tortoise. if they have warmth, light, water, a substrate to burrow in and food everyday they should be great.

this time of year mine basically wake up and bask before i feed them. i soak them every other day after they eat and they usually bask some more after that. one will go to sleep in his burrow until later in the evening and the other will basically just nap under the light. I'd say in total they actually "roam" and are "active" for about 5 hours haha. they like to sleep

 

[pineapple]

Coconut coir is great but I like to add Cyprus mulch on top. It smells better and keeps the tort a bit cleaner and the food area cleaner. In the hides I just put coco coir and mine burrows in it.

 

[taiuk10]

Oh that's not enough? They are only 1.5 years to 2 year old ish and 3.5 inches long.

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170g to 190g in weight

 

[furandscales]

Some tortoises are more lazy than others. Mine is extremely lazy, so it makes it hard. If you have a lazy russian tortoise it may be a good idea to take out their hide-away house (or whatever you want to call it) for a portion if the day.

 

[the_bookish_tortoise]

As long as your house isn't freezing and they are under your supervision, you should try letting them run around outside of their cage as well. My Russian loves getting out to stretch his legs. I try to give him a little bit of free range time every day. You might find that your tortoises are more active than you think if they have a more interesting environment to explore.

I also suggest getting a better substrate. Much of my Russian's in-cage activity consists of burrowing.

 

[ShervyBaby]

Oh that's not enough? They are only 1.5 years to 2 year old ish and 3.5 inches long.

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170g to 190g in weight

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Feed them more