Cheap parents :(

JustADopeyTortoise said:

Okay so, I’ve been taking care of my female tort for roughly over a year now, and I do have to admit that it was an impulse buy, I met someone else with a russian tortoise and my mom said that i could have one.


Little did i know that i would regret doing that with little information.

She is currently in an indoor wooden hand made cage, but she used to live in a small aquarium that we bought with her, and i am still pretty sure that her cage is too small, i think I’m giving her proper lighting, but there are some things that i am extremely worried about.

1. Trips to the vet: My mom does not want to “waste” money taking my tort to the vet, and she continuously says that “She’s fine” but i always worry that she could be sick in some way, and that she could die at any moment
2. Food: My parents buy my torts food from the supermarket, and i always hear that russian torts should be eating weeds and grasses, but i can never find a big supply of them, and i am anxious that i could be feeding my tortoise foods that are poisonous to her, but, my mom still says she’s fine
3. Bedding: I’ve always used substrate for “small animals”, you know, those bags of random paper shreddings or something with hamsters and rabbits on them and they say “Known to cause cancer in california” or something, and i know i should be using eco earth or whatever those are called, but still, cheap parents

I honestly don’t know what to do, and i know it’s selfish but I don’t want to give her away, so please tell me what i can do about this!

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• They need an enclosure around 4x8 feet. That is the size of a sheet of plywood.
• For substrate, fine grade orchid bark works best for them once they are more than about 3-4". You can get this cheaper at a garden center than a pet store. It is cheaper than the stuff they are buying now, and much bette for your tortoise. If you soak the tortoise regularly and spot clean, you don't ever have to change out the substrate too.
• What do you consider "proper lighting"? Tell us what bulbs you've got and what your temperatures are. What type of UV bulb?
• The vet really isn't necessary if everything is going well.
• Weeds are good if they are the right type and not sprayed with any chemicals. You need to learn to ID your local weeds and learn which ones are good for them. We can help if you post pics. We also have a weed ID section where many of them are already listed. A local nursery will likely have a weed expert that can help you ID the ones near you.
• Russians are not grass eaters. Grass won't hurt them, but they don't usually eat it.