ZOO MED LOW BOY FOR A RUSSIAN TORTOISE?

BeardooWeirdoo

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Hello!

I got a Russian tortoise about 3 weeks ago. I have him (told a her, think it's a him) in a Zoo Med Tortoise House right now which is 36x24x12 but hate that I can't see him unless I'm right on top of him. I was looking at the Zoo Med Low Boy Terrarium which is 48x24x10. Anybody ever try one of these for their tortoise(s)? I've been reading a bunch on here and can't seem to find a thread for this type of enclosure.

Candy
 

wellington

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If your tort is an adult then it needs a minimum of a 4x8 foot. Most that are purchased in pet stores are worthless. The one you are using now is barely good enough for a hatchling.
 

Yvonne G

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Not big enough. Any reason you can't set him up outside? They do much better outside.
 

BeardooWeirdoo

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Not big enough. Any reason you can't set him up outside? They do much better outside.
Thank you for your reply!

I take him outside daily for a bit and let him walk the neighborhood. (I'm with him, of course!) I live in Michigan so we don't have nice weather year round here unfortunately.
 

Lyn W

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Be careful of walking him around the area, especially if he stops to graze. There may be chemicals like pesticides and fertilisers on the land that you aren't aware of as well as pathogens and parasites from the poop and urine of other animals that could make him ill.
Supervised outdoor time in a secure and predator proof enclosure is fine as long as he has shade and access to water.
How old is your tort?
 

BeardooWeirdoo

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Be careful of walking him around the area, especially if he stops to graze. There may be chemicals like pesticides and fertilisers on the land that you aren't aware of as well as pathogens and parasites from the poop and urine of other animals that could make him ill.
Supervised outdoor time in a secure and predator proof enclosure is fine as long as he has shade and access to water.
How old is your tort?
Thank you for your reply!

I do keep an eye on him regarding grazing. I only let him graze at our house and at a few neighbors' who I talked to about if they fertilized, etc... However, I did not think about parasites from the poop and urine of other animals. Thank you for mentioning that. I think he's probably super old. I got him at Petsmart (I know, I know) and he is definitely over 4 inches. His shell looks like he may have had a rough life too. Marked up. A lot of the brown is gone. Mostly yellow. Lots of rings. The booger moves fast, though, for being old! He seems kind of on the skinny side too. Eats real good though. Had a fecal done before my 14 days were up and no parasites. Very stubborn too when I take him away from areas/things he should not be at/near.
 

Lyn W

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Thank you for your reply!

I do keep an eye on him regarding grazing. I only let him graze at our house and at a few neighbors' who I talked to about if they fertilized, etc... However, I did not think about parasites from the poop and urine of other animals. Thank you for mentioning that. I think he's probably super old. I got him at Petsmart (I know, I know) and he is definitely over 4 inches. His shell looks like he may have had a rough life too. Marked up. A lot of the brown is gone. Mostly yellow. Lots of rings. The booger moves fast, though, for being old! He seems kind of on the skinny side too. Eats real good though. Had a fecal done before my 14 days were up and no parasites. Very stubborn too when I take him away from areas/things he should not be at/near.
Could be that he is wild caught rather than captive bred because of the state of his shell. If you post some pics of him members can give you a good idea of his condition. It could be he's not as old as you think.

This is the caresheet you need to follow to make sure he is as healthy and happy as possible
Read that and ask as many questions as you like.
Torts also hate change so taking him out and about could be quite stressful for him especially if he feels exposed and vulnerable.
 

BeardooWeirdoo

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Could be that he is wild caught rather than captive bred because of the state of his shell. If you post some pics of him members can give you a good idea of his condition. It could be he's not as old as you think.

This is the caresheet you need to follow to make sure he is as healthy and happy as possible
Read that and ask as many questions as you like.
Torts also hate change so taking him out and about could be quite stressful for him especially if he feels exposed and vulnerable.
Thanks again for your replies and the reading information! I did post another thread with pictures regarding his/her appearance as well as a post regarding if it's a he or she. In fact, I accidentally posted a few similar threads. It looked like some of them didn't post originally so I did them again. Tried deleting the extras but it says you have to go through a moderator. Oops! I'm new here and am learning the ropes.
 

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