best tortoise for newbies

hello new to keeping tortoises I decided to get a tortoise after I went to school on my first day and my teacher had a red-footed tortoise and I loved it so I would like to get a tortoise for this reason. I keep fish and I have lots of empty tanks (can buy lids with holes in them to make it more breathable ) I could convert to a tortoise aquarium. ( i have read that you aren't supposed to let tortoises see outside there tanks if this is true I can block off the glass/acrylic) I am interested in the Russian tortoise because its cheaper and I like the look I know that you need a heat lamp (just in case i dont my house temps are 76ish-74ish in the day and 72ish at night). (would be open to recommendations for heat lamp types) also, need to know what to feed.

Hello and Welcome. An adult Russian needs a minimum of a 4x8 foot enclosure. I'm guessing the Red Foot your teacher has is sadly being housed in a way too small enclosure seeing they need more room then a Russian.

yea she has the red foot in a 2x5 ish foot enclosure but most of the time its outside of its enclosure and walking around the classroom stepping on science projects (supposed to be earthquake resistant let's see if its red-footed tortoise proof) I might be able to do a 4x8 how tall does it half to be and could I just build something out of finished lumber for it and would i have to put a substrate in.

hellofrresh said:

yea she has the red foot in a 2x5 ish foot enclosure but most of the time its outside of its enclosure and walking around the classroom stepping on science projects (supposed to be earthquake resistant let's see if its red-footed tortoise proof) I might be able to do a 4x8 how tall does it half to be and could I just build something out of finished lumber for it and would i have to put a substrate in.

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That is not okay, tortoises should never, ever be allowed to roam the floor. Not only is it way too cold, but it is extremely dangerous.

Please give these a read, and maybe direct your teacher to this forum. It does not sound like that redfoot is getting the proper care.
Russian Tortoise Care Sheet https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Russian-Tortoise-Care-Sheet.80698/

Beginner Mistakes https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Beginner-Mistakes.45180/

ok i will try to tell her and speaking of cold my room is so cold that most of my classmates are wearing a sweater or a hoodie of some kind
(in case there was some confusion she doesn't have a Russian tortoise but she has a 1ft red-footed tortoise) but besides the size, and the scales(some missing) and floor, he looks pretty healthy to me (may have a pic of him on my phone will check sometime tomorrow)

hellofrresh said:

ok i will try to tell her and speaking of cold my room is so cold that most of my classmates are wearing a sweater or a hoodie of some kind
(in case there was some confusion she doesn't have a Russian tortoise but she has a 1ft red-footed tortoise) but besides the size, and the scales(some missing) and floor, he looks pretty healthy to me (may have a pic of him on my phone will check sometime tomorrow)

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While an adult red foot tortoise can withstand a larger range of temperatures, the floor of a classroom, a cold one at that, is definitely not the right place for them.

1. How is this teacher able to utilize school resources (heating/lighting) to house this tortoise? Did she get approval from the school? Who pays for the food, heat, and lighting? Do the parents of the students know she's doing this? Who's going to be blamed if the tortoise ends up biting someone?

2. A 2 x 5 ft enclosure is too small for an 12 inch Red foot tortoise. An 8 x 4 ft enclosure wouldn't be enough. It should be permanently housed outside in their own outdoor enclosure with a overnight heated hide box.

A 2 x 5 ft enclosure is too small for a 12-inch Red-foot tortoise. An 8 x 4 ft enclosure wouldn't be enough. It should be permanently housed outside in their own outdoor enclosure with an overnight heated hide box. can't do this live in Michigan over here it either snowing or the sun is killing you

How is this teacher able to utilize school resources (heating/lighting) to house this tortoise? Did she get approval from the school? Who pays for the food, heat, and lighting? Do the parents of the students know she's doing this? Who's going to be blamed if the tortoise ends up biting someone?
he has never bit anyone and I have no idea on heating or lighting except for a heat lamp and a tub of water probably has approval from the school her rule of thumb is if you stick your hand in front of his face and you get bit its your fault no one has ever been bit by him besides if you put your hand in his face parents+students know going back to approval from the school i think it would be quite easy because i have had or known teachers that have had a parrot(or some bird can't remember what type) a hamster, a cat and once I had someone in my class who had to have a dog (all of the animals above were living in good conditions and were very healthy) with her also my current teacher has a lizard of some sort in like a 10 gallon(sorry don't know the width of length) the lizard i wanna say is 5 inches

I'm new to the tortoise world, and am loving my redfoot, Darwin. He's tiny, and currently living in 50g aquarium, but I'll be building him a bigger enclosure in the spring.

Jamie

But to answer the original question, a Russian is a great 1st tortoise. If you buy a healthy one, they are tolerant of a lot of beginner mistakes.

I spent months doing research before I came to the forum and found out the majority of my research was useless. My advice would be to research all out can on the forum (focusing on Russian torts), and ask questions! Everyone here is super passionate about there pets and we have lots of people with lots of experience.

I, personally, built a 8x4 enclosure out of lumber, just remember to line it with something water proof. I was able to get roof lining!! But I hear heavy duty shower curtains work just as Well!

Last thing! Please please read the care sheets and beginner mistakes thread and have them be your tortoise bible!!!

hellofrresh said:

hello new to keeping tortoises I decided to get a tortoise after I went to school on my first day and my teacher had a red-footed tortoise and I loved it so I would like to get a tortoise for this reason. I keep fish and I have lots of empty tanks (can buy lids with holes in them to make it more breathable ) I could convert to a tortoise aquarium. ( i have read that you aren't supposed to let tortoises see outside there tanks if this is true I can block off the glass/acrylic) I am interested in the Russian tortoise because its cheaper and I like the look I know that you need a heat lamp (just in case i dont my house temps are 76ish-74ish in the day and 72ish at night). (would be open to recommendations for heat lamp types) also, need to know what to feed.

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Hello and welcome.

The Russian tortoise is a good first tortoise. I HIGHLY recommend buying a captive bred baby from a breeder who starts them right. We have several good breeders here on the forum. All the care, feeding and substrate info is in the links that TechnoCheese left for you in post number 4.

ok thank you also is there any certain type of brand of heater that i should use

hellofrresh said:

ok thank you also is there any certain type of brand of heater that i should use

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It's been recommended to use a CHE for heating, i simply amazon searched this. but as like a basking spot a 60watt flood light. I got this at Wal-Mart. The wattage is depending on how far you have the light from the tortoise, you will want that temp about 95 (using a heat gun, I promise you will need it). And a uvb light... they need lots of lights.

So heating an enclosure without light= CHE

basking spot= flood light

ok so ill get a flood light and a che heat lamp i have already built the base for it so 2 more questions 1 should i put the flood light and heat lamp inside with the russian or should i leave it outside and angle it so it points into the area 2 how tall should i make it

hellofrresh said:

ok so ill get a flood light and a che heat lamp i have already built the base for it so 2 more questions 1 should i put the flood light and heat lamp inside with the russian or should i leave it outside and angle it so it points into the area 2 how tall should i make it

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1. Inside, pointing straight down. At an angle is like driving in morning sunlight. 10/10 no fun.
2. Use a heat gun to get desired tempts. There is no magic height.... or a more experienced person knows that answer. But it is playing around with the height to get the right temps

hellofrresh said:

ok so ill get a flood light and a che heat lamp i have already built the base for it so 2 more questions 1 should i put the flood light and heat lamp inside with the russian or should i leave it outside and angle it so it points into the area 2 how tall should i make it

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Equipment for Russian tortoises:
1. You need 1x basking fixture and a incandescent flood bulb. 12-14 hour daily cycle.
2. You need 1x linear florescent fixture with a UV(B) reptile rated bulb. 12-14 hour daily cycle. There is another alternative lighting fixture combination I often recommend however, initial added costs may prevent some owners into going through with this setup.
3. Night time heating is only necessary if your indoor enclosure falls below 65-60F. As a precaution for growing young tortoises, you may want to keep your night time temperatures above 70-75F if humidity levels inside the enclosure is over 80-100%.

Do not hang any fixtures at an angle. Basking bulb wattage depends on your enclosure type and height distance from the substrate. Closed chamber style enclosures will generally use very low wattage bulbs. Open enclosure, often the complete opposite.

You'll have to show picture(s) of your current setup including information on the dimensions to be able to get more specific advice.

I probably shouldn't post this controversial thought but it is what I'm thinking. A Russian is way more then a great beginners tortoise. They make a great lifetime pet. I did the math. I was 54 when I bought him. That means I may have to live until I'm 104. Sounds good to me but not likely going to happen. I find that classroom situation very sad. The students, the teacher, and her tortoise are too cold or too hot in the summer. The teacher has inspired a young person to care about something other then themself. I'm just saying...

Don’t

Cathie G said:

I probably shouldn't post this controversial thought but it is what I'm thinking. A Russian is way more then a great beginners tortoise. They make a great lifetime pet. I did the math. I was 54 when I bought him. That means I may have to live until I'm 104. Sounds good to me but not likely going to happen. I find that classroom situation very sad. The students, the teacher, and her tortoise are too cold or too hot in the summer. The teacher has inspired a young person to care about something other then themself. I'm just saying...

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Don’t give up. My dad lived to be 105. He didn’t have tortoises though.

DesertGirl said:

Don’t


Don’t give up. My dad lived to be 105. He didn’t have tortoises though.

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He might have lived longer if he had a wonderful tortoise friend.

Cathie G said:

He might have lived longer if he had a wonderful tortoise friend.

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No doubt!