New to Tortoises

[krazedpythonboy]

I have no experience at all with tortoises, but for the last couple of months I have really been wanting one and I think I will be getting one at the next reptile show. I have been reading alot about Russian tortoises, and various others, but it seems like for a beginner, Russians are they way to go. Can someone correct me if I am mistaken? I recieved my monthly issue of Reptiles magazine, and behold an article about Russian Tortoise care! Haha, I'm destined to get one. Anyways, I just wanted to get some opinions for a first tortoise, be it a Russian or not. Also, I would NOT be able to house it in an outside enclosure because we have racoons and skunks here, and I just don't want to take the risk. I may not have any experience with tortoises, but I do have alot of experience with large snakes and other reptiles.

Thanks for any input,
Paul

 

[Tom]

Welcome to the forum.

I think Russians are a great tortoise. They have great, outgoing personalities and are generally pretty hardy. You are definitely going about it the right way, by figuring how what you need to do BEFORE you get one.

At the show, try to get a captive bred one. They are much easier to get going and are much less likely to have any parasite or health problems. Tiny babies can be difficult and fragile, so your best bet will be to find a captive bred one that is at least a few months or a few years old.

Tortoises need sunshine and lots of exercise. They don't have to be out all day every day, but some of the time is very beneficial. I usually have an indoor set-up where they live most of the time, and then build an outdoor pen of some sort for them to run around in and graze during warm, sunny days. There are many ways to build a predator proof, safe outdoor pen, so don't worry too much about the local fauna. At the very least you could just sit out there with them for a little while, once in a while.

Hope you enjoy the forum. I have not found any better place to get up to date, correct information.

 

[-ryan-]

Russians are my favorite tortoise. They are very user-friendly and a whole lot of fun. The way I see it you get a big tortoise in a small package. They are generally very outgoing and mine are very active. I keep mine indoors almost all of the time (only outdoors a few hours at a time in the summer), and they do very well that way. I give them as much space as I can (regrettably not a ton of space) and they reward me with lots of eggs I just dug up three huge eggs laid by my largest female (literally dug them up fifteen minutes ago), and she laid them only a week after one of my other females laid her first two eggs (I got her only a few months ago). I would suggest building the indoor enclosure as large as you possibly can, with enough space for a good thick layer of topsoil (I use about 7-8" with my breeding group, but that's mostly because they need that much to nest in). You can build a very cheap and sturdy outdoor enclosure for part-time supervised outdoor excursions.

oh, and I would also suggest that you buy a temp gun and a good digital thermometer. Both are extremely useful in maintaining russian tortoises. Most people keep their basking spots too cool and then wonder why their tortoises sleep all of the time.

Good luck and continue your research!

 

[krazedpythonboy]

Thanks for the information guys. I will definately take in mind about the size and age of the tortoise when I purchase it. Captive bred was a given. It is the only way I go.

As for the indoor/outdoor enclosures. Are there any threads that have a clear demonstration of how to protect agaisnt predators. I am definately thinking about building an outside enclosure just for the summer days.

As for the indoor enclosure, I was thinking something like 4 feet long x 2 feet wide x about 12-15" high. How does that sound for a single Russian tortoise? Any good, recommended caresheet? I've read some, but I'd like to see what people here would recommend.

Temp gun, check. I already have one for all the snakes I own.

 

[-ryan-]

4'x2' is fine for a CB baby, and it could be fine for an adult (I have one of my females in an enclosure that size until she gets a little bigger to move in with the others). Keep in mind bigger is always better, and I think most of us naturally find that as the tortoises grow we tend to build larger enclosures for them. At some point when my fiancee and I are able to buy a house (which seems to be further and further out in the distance) we are hoping to build some very large enclosures for the tortoises. Like a 10'x4' enclosure for the russian group and a similar one for the red foot, and then of course some nice large outdoor habitats.

My outdoor enclosure is 6'x6'x2'. It is somewhat predator proof, but I still don't leave them outdoors unsupervised because of problems we have with human pests (mostly the neighborhood kids who like to destroy property, but a couple days ago a house down the street got broken into, and that is becoming less and less uncommon). Here's a step-by-step:

1) Screw 2'x12's together to create two squares, each measuring 6'x6'x1'.
2) Staple galvanized chicken wire across one of the squares. This will be the bottom of the enclosure and make it impossible for predators to dig in and tortoises to dig out.
3) Lay that square down in the chosen location so that the chicken wire is against the ground.
4) Lay the other square on top and attach them together using metal building ties. You now have a 6'x6'x2' box with a chicken wire floor. At this point I applied some weatherproofing outdoor stain. Can't remember exactly what kind I used.
5) Build a top: I created 3 frames made of 2x2's that each measured 6'x2'x2', and I stapled galvanized hardware cloth to them. I screwed one of these to the box going across the middle and then attached the other two to this center panel with hinges so that you have a 6'x2' opening on either side. I put two locking latches on each door. You can use your own imagination to come up with your own design, however.
6) Fill the enclosure with at least 6" of top soil (so that the tortoises will not be constantly digging down to the chicken wire). I put 12" in to start with, and now several years later, having added more here or there, it is only about 6" high.

This is just a sample idea of an easy to build and easy to maintain enclosure that is virtually predator proof. Mine has held up well as I have coated it with more weatherproofing stain at the end of every summer (once it is too cool to bring the tortoises out), and I have only planted it once with various dandelions, clover, and romaine. Now I don't plant it anymore, but instead in the fall I have to go out and tear out half of the stuff that grows in (mostly dandelion, plantain, and clover) because it gets so dense the tortoises have trouble moving around!