GregUnd said:
At least 2-3X a week, but daily does no harm.
worried about my Tortie
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At least 2-3X a week, but daily does no harm.
Hi...we have Ca Desert Tortoises .....I don't know if Russian Tortoises are affected by sand impaction risk the way CDT are? You mentioned sand with soil and that may possibly cause a bad situation. I rescued an old timer (CDT) from person who left the state after having him for a short time.....this poor guy had such poor eyesight (cataracts) that when he struck to eat he apparently was taking in mouthfuls of sand and likely very little food....well this was discovered when his outside burrow was opened up for repairs prior to winter onset...I was helping my friend and reached down and picked him up and he was feather light....and he is big based on his shell and legs..etc....so I kinda freaked out...at that point I had never experienced any torts with any problems and while I did not know what was wrong I knew something wasn't right...so to try ne shorten this long story...it took me approximately 5 weeks to get him to pass all the sand ( I use to literally say he is so old he's, well, passing dirt..keeping it clean on the language) I had to soak him twice a day everyone of those days and for about 4 of the weeks I laid on my stomach and hand fed him bite by bite....it was truly the most awesome thing when I walked in one day and found an actual tortoise pop...beautiful! I actually left it on the floor for days admiring it lol. Be patient with yourself...trust me he will be patient and wait for you to get it lol
I hope this doesn't frustrate you too much, but I highly recommend against sand. Even as part of a mixture. Many people use it and get away with it, but it poses a real risk of impaction. I've seen too many x-rays of impacted tortoises to even risk it. Even if it doesn't cause an impaction it can still be a skin and eye irritant.
You'll be much better off with plain soil(no additives), coco coir, orchid bark, peat moss, cypress mulch or any combination of these.
Sorry. I know there is a lot of conflicting info out there. It frustrates all of us here on the forum too. Just remember that a lot of the info floating around "out there" is old and outdated. And some of this is just a matter of opinion.
You'll be much better off with plain soil(no additives), coco coir, orchid bark, peat moss, cypress mulch or any combination of these.
Sorry. I know there is a lot of conflicting info out there. It frustrates all of us here on the forum too. Just remember that a lot of the info floating around "out there" is old and outdated. And some of this is just a matter of opinion.
Tom said:
Thank you. As you can see, I am in need of this direct and specific information. This doesn't frustrate me, it relieves me! It's an easy fix.
So, to be certain, I will get pure soil. Do you try to keep the soil loose...I'm wondering what happens if he spills his water and it gets muddy. I was planning on using a clean floor tile under his water dish to help prevent too much spilling.
By the way, Tortie ate last night. I mashed up the pellets and mixed it with greens. He seemed to eat a big meal, so he must have gotten greens. It's a good start.
Yes, that is a good start!
A couple more pieces of advice for you. Many turtles fail to thrive when prevented access to real sunshine. I would take your little guy outside for a few days each week for an hour at a time, or even longer. Make sure he gets some direct sunlight on nice, sunny days. At first he might be reluctant to move around much, but after a few such field trips he should start walking around and foraging on grass and weeds.
His indoor enclosure should be pretty roomy. A Russian tortoise gets to be about 8-10 inches long, so they should have at least a 55-gallon tub all to themselves; looks like your setup does provide that kind of space.
The ambient temperature should be in the 70's, with the hot spot being 90-95 Fahrenheit. At night the temperature can drop into the 60's. The humidity should be low to moderate, like from 20-50%. Russians come from semi-arid grasslands, so they become susceptible to pneumonia at higher levels of humidity. You mentioned you live in Kansas, so that is actually a great climate for a Russian tortoise.
Your tortoise's diet should consist mostly of leafy greens, with a vitamin and mineral supplement sprinkled over them several times a week. Looks like in your picture you have alfalfa pellets for the substrate. They are not good, because they are very dry and don't promote a microclimate with elevated humidity. If too dry, then they can create a lot of dust, which can lead to lung problems. Conversely, they can also become fungused if they remain wet for a while, which again can lead to lung problems. Alfalfa pellets can be a good food for grazing animals, but they're not really a good substrate. I would switch to cypress mulch or orchid bark, or else a mix of coconut coir (fiber) or plain soil with some of calcium sand mixed in. Calcium sand is better than real sand because, as mentioned above, real sand can be an irritant and cause gut impaction, while calcium sand, if ingested in small amounts, would merely serve as a dietary supplement.
If none of that works, then it sounds like he might have an infection or avitaminosis, in which case he would need veterinary assistance to recover.
A couple more pieces of advice for you. Many turtles fail to thrive when prevented access to real sunshine. I would take your little guy outside for a few days each week for an hour at a time, or even longer. Make sure he gets some direct sunlight on nice, sunny days. At first he might be reluctant to move around much, but after a few such field trips he should start walking around and foraging on grass and weeds.
His indoor enclosure should be pretty roomy. A Russian tortoise gets to be about 8-10 inches long, so they should have at least a 55-gallon tub all to themselves; looks like your setup does provide that kind of space.
The ambient temperature should be in the 70's, with the hot spot being 90-95 Fahrenheit. At night the temperature can drop into the 60's. The humidity should be low to moderate, like from 20-50%. Russians come from semi-arid grasslands, so they become susceptible to pneumonia at higher levels of humidity. You mentioned you live in Kansas, so that is actually a great climate for a Russian tortoise.
Your tortoise's diet should consist mostly of leafy greens, with a vitamin and mineral supplement sprinkled over them several times a week. Looks like in your picture you have alfalfa pellets for the substrate. They are not good, because they are very dry and don't promote a microclimate with elevated humidity. If too dry, then they can create a lot of dust, which can lead to lung problems. Conversely, they can also become fungused if they remain wet for a while, which again can lead to lung problems. Alfalfa pellets can be a good food for grazing animals, but they're not really a good substrate. I would switch to cypress mulch or orchid bark, or else a mix of coconut coir (fiber) or plain soil with some of calcium sand mixed in. Calcium sand is better than real sand because, as mentioned above, real sand can be an irritant and cause gut impaction, while calcium sand, if ingested in small amounts, would merely serve as a dietary supplement.If none of that works, then it sounds like he might have an infection or avitaminosis, in which case he would need veterinary assistance to recover.
One of the benefits of using the substrates I mentioned above is that they can be moistened and it won't hurt anything. A lot of people think tortoises need to be kept dry and arid. Sulcatas, Leopards, CDTs, and russians too. In actuality, they do quite well wit lots of humidity. The trick is: Don't let them get cold and damp at the same time. For an adult russian, I don't think you need a whole lot of humidity, but SOME humidity, like from spilled water near the water bowl won't hurt a darn thing.
BTW, plain soil has been hard to find these days. They seem to always put some sort of fertilizers, or additives of some sort in them. Some people use dirt from outside, but I found that to be a bit, well, dirty. I really like cypress mulch, but its hard to find in my area. I typically use coco coir, coco chips, orchid bark or a mixture that I buy in large bags at the hardware store like this one:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Substrate--13520#axzz1NHSF3BX2
Its really not critical, but I just wanted to warn you that I have seen sand impacted tortoises before, as well as eye irritation. I've never seen a case of either, or had any humidity related probelms with any of these other substrates. This way you can make a more informed decision about what's best for your situation.
BTW, plain soil has been hard to find these days. They seem to always put some sort of fertilizers, or additives of some sort in them. Some people use dirt from outside, but I found that to be a bit, well, dirty.
I really like cypress mulch, but its hard to find in my area. I typically use coco coir, coco chips, orchid bark or a mixture that I buy in large bags at the hardware store like this one:http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Substrate--13520#axzz1NHSF3BX2
Its really not critical, but I just wanted to warn you that I have seen sand impacted tortoises before, as well as eye irritation. I've never seen a case of either, or had any humidity related probelms with any of these other substrates. This way you can make a more informed decision about what's best for your situation.
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