Zoo Med Tortoise Smells Strong like Cedar??

[RussianRupert]

Hi,
I’m new to this forum, I searched for a little while before positing- So I apologize if this has been covered before.
I’m a new tortoise owner- we welcomed a 6yr old Russian male into our home a few weeks ago. I set him up temporarily in a large rubbermade tub/with low sids. When I set up the rubbermade tub I intended it to be temporary until my local pet store received a shipment of Zoo Med Tortoise Houses.
Well, I just picked up the Zoo Med Tortoise house today- right as I opened the packaging there was an over powering smell of Cedar or Pine.. something of that nature. It’s almost like the wood pieces were soaked in a pine/cedar oil b/c the odor is too strong to be from the wood alone. I started searching online to find out what the enclosure is made out of...a lot of websites/reviews have listed the wood as fir. So I assumed it was safe and put the house together/lined the bottom with subtrate- and placed Rupert in his new home.
Right away he panicked/tried clawing at the sides, after a min he just retracted into his shell. After thirty mins of him being in it- the cedar/pine odor was just as strong as it was when I unpacked it. I picked Rupert up out of the Tortoise House (he was still hiding) and I could smell the cedar/pine sent coming off him. I bathed him right away- and I set his rubbermade enclosure back up, there’s no way I’m going to put him back in the Tortoise House with it smelling so awful. He’s still very distressed, Im pretty certain he is stressed out from the smell not from the change in environment. I changed his enclosure once before this- he didn’t react anything close to how he is now after spending 30 mins in the Zoo Med tortoise house. He won’t eat- he is acting really withdrawn and timid.
I read a post on this forum from a member who said their tortoise ended up in the vet/had some type of toxicity from the enclosure. I don’t know how people who rave about this product haven’t been bothered by the smell-it was the first thing I noticed and was a cause for concern right away. I almost didn’t put Rupert in his new home because of the odor, but I went against my better judgment and now I reallt regret exposing him to whatever obnoxious oil/preservative is in the wood.
Anyone else have this problem??
Also- Rupert is 4.5 in when he gets bigger I will make certain his enclosure accommodates his size. I am only asking if anyone has had a similar experience with the strong cedar/pine aroma and if so was did it cause your tortoise to become sick/distressed?
Thank you for taking the time to read- I appreciate your support.

 

[Cheryl Hills]

The zoomed tortoise houses are not recommended here. They are way to small for any tortoise. If you have a 6 year old Russian, the minimum enclosure size should be 8 X 4. They need plenty room to roam around and get there exercise. I have not heard of the problem with smell as you have described.

 

[Reptilony]

He is probably better in the rubbermade tub. You could get him a bigger tub (christmas tree) and it can make a good enclosure if you do it right. (for a couple months). After that you can start working on a new big enclosure which is inevitable, adult tortoise enclosures are not purchasable, have to make it yourself ; ).

 

[Reptilony]

He is probably better in the rubbermade tub. You could get him a bigger tub (christmas tree) and it can make a good enclosure if you do it right. (for a couple months). After that you can start working on a new big enclosure which is inevitable, adult tortoise enclosures are not purchasable, have to make it yourself ; ).

Edit : I tought the russian was 6 months not 6 YEARS. You gotta be working on that big enclosure asap!

 

[Yvonne G]

I agree the Zoo Med Tortoise house isn't big enough for a full grown Russian tortoise, and at 6 years, yours is almost full grown. But if you want to try it temporarily until you can get him outside in a permanent outdoor enclosure, you can try setting it in the sun for a few days, empty of course.

 

[Tom]

I have never put a tortoise into anything like that, so I have not had that experience. Seems likely that the fumes are a problem given your description.

I agree with the other posters that those houses are much too small. 4 of them all together with portals into each other would still be on the small side for a 4.5" 6 y/o Russian. They need room to move.

Check these out:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

 

[-ryan-]

I'm going to offer an unpopular counterpoint in terms of enclosure size for Russians. I have worked with them for years, raised many from hatchlings to adulthood, and produced many offspring. I didn't keep count, but probably in the range of 30+ per year for a period of half a dozen years or so before I retired my breeders. Mine are indoors year round, and at one point I switched from using relatively small cattle troughs to large 8x4 enclosures, and then I switched back to smaller enclosures. They just exhibit more of what my experience has shown to be healthy Russian Tortoise behavior and less stress. My males are mostly in either 36"x28" or 48"x26" enclosures, and females are in 72"x32", and I purposely clutter the enclosures up a bit with cork bark, driftwood, and other items that the tortoises can climb over, under, and bulldoze around to create their own hiding spots and basking platforms. They didn't do well for me with open floorspace, and cluttering up an 8x4 sufficiently was cumbersome (sight breaks and man made hiding areas are poor substitutes for areas the tortoises can really wedge themselves under or through), so I switched back to smaller, cluttered habitats and the results have been great. If I could go back and rewrite my Reptile's mag article I would include this info.

That being said, I wouldn't recommend using a tortoise house for a Russian, but that's less about size and more about materials and construction. Your tortoise is most likely responding to the stress of moving around to different habitats, and in my experience it takes a week or two (possibly longer) for them to rebound from that stress and begin eating and basking consistently again, but I can't say for sure that the smell of the wood may not bother your tortoise. In your situation I would use a very large Rubbermaid bin and let the tortoise settle in for a few months before making any more changes or attempting to interact with him on anything but his terms. Stress is the single largest factor in failure of these tortoises to thrive. Physically they are brutes, but they can be extremely sensitive to the smallest source of stress.

 

[Yvonne G]

Not unpopular at all. We just recommend MORE sight barriers to clutter up the larger space. I don't think any of us ever said we think they should be kept in a large, open space. All tortoises do better with 'clutter' around them. Makes them feel safer.

 

[-ryan-]

I think it's clear you can create a secure environment for a Russian Tortoise in a larger enclosure, but the hiding spots and sight barriers commonly used (and what I have used in the past) aren't really adequate for a Russian. These guys are 'crammers' and 'wedgers' and burrowers and we need to give them the tools to be able to securely hide themselves from our view. Most hiding spots are really like little rooms within an enclosure, but the Russian Tortoise wants to feel like we do when we are snug in bed wrapped in a heavy comforter (pulled over our heads, to defend against the bogey man of course).

They also need these super tight, secure hiding spaces throughout the enclosure, so they can reach them at a moment's notice and be totally out of sight and (to their knowledge) able to hold their ground and resist being pulled out by predators. In a large enclosure, that might just mean having a couple dozen 1'x1' pieces of cork bark thrown around. They also like to be able to 'bask' while totally concealed, so the cork bark is nice because they can stack it up underneath the heat lamp (and in my experience they know how to do this) and choose a level that suits their temperature needs.

They are awesome captives, and their behavior becomes very deliberate and predictable when they what they need to feel secure. I may go back to larger enclosures in the future, but the results of their current setups have been stellar.