Recent content by Esc

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    Am I being paranoid?

    Update from Paranoid: our Russian seems to have fully recovered thanks to all of you Forum members! He’s living in 100% cypress mulch that I mist heavily every morning. He has a second, larger shaded privacy area and I’ve changed the angle of the light so it’s not so severe. All great...
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    Am I being paranoid?

    my Russian is in 100% cypress now. He has a new shade corner in addition to the original curved wooden thing. He seems to really like the shade corner. we’ve seen him with his eyes open and he’s eaten softened tortoise chow. so definitely some improvement. He’s young, probably 7-8 months old...
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    Built an outdoor cart for my small box turtles

    Genius! Love it! I’m going to do that for ours!!!!
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    Am I being paranoid?

    The lights are exactly what he’s supposed to have. I listed them earlier. It’s dark at night with only a heat bulb. The enclosure has a hot side and a cooler side. I did just change out the substrate. He opened his eyes during today’s soak. He’s got lots of shady areas to get out of the...
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    Am I being paranoid?

    Thanks!! ?
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    Am I being paranoid?

    The enclosure is 4’x3’. It’s plenty big. He has three dark hides. Two in the sunny - hot side, one in the cooler side. The three light fixtures you see - only two are on in the daytime. There are many schools of thought on substrate. The aspen pine is recommended for tortoises. The...
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    Am I being paranoid?

    It’s not pine. It’s aspen and it’s recommended for tortoises. We do soak him and he does not open his eyes.
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    Am I being paranoid?

    There is a Zilla reptile strip light with a T8 fluorescent 50UVB bulb across the middle of the tank and heat lamp that are on during the day, both on timers. That side of the tank stays in the upper 90’ Fahrenheit. There is a 50W nocturnal infrared heat lamp that comes on when the timer turns...
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    Am I being paranoid?

    I have had a 6 month old Russian tortoise for about a month. He was purchased from a mail-order breeder. The enclosure is working great. I know my foods. My question: I don’t see Yuri reacting to food. He’s either buried in substrate on the cool side of the enclosure or in the shade on the...
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    Are the leaves of the houseplant Pothos Ivy safe for my Russian?

    Great info. Thank you both. We don’t have any immediate trips planned and I grow Pothos from cuttings in water so I think it’ll be ok when I need them.
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    Are the leaves of the houseplant Pothos Ivy safe for my Russian?

    Is Pothos acceptable for a Russian tortoise to eat? Someone mentioned that they leave (no pun intended) pothos for their tortoise when going on vacation. I have not fed our guy Pothos but putting a pot of live Pothos in his enclosure if we had to leave sounds like a good idea if the plant is...
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    good food ideas for Russian torts?

    Our Russian loves the leaves of radish, cauliflower, kale, chard and broccoli plants; all of which we grow in our winter garden here in south Texas. He also eats store bought cole slaw mixes (without the dressing) and any organic mixed greens.
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    How long can I leave my tort alone?

    Is Pothos acceptable for a Russian tortoise to eat? Someone mentioned that they leave (no pun intended) pothos for their tortoise when going on vacation. Please advise! thanks.
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