Help please still not sure about enclosure

Yvonne G · Feb 7, 2019

Hi Tanya:

That's quite a lot you're going through, but it's really not as bad as it feels. Think about it. . . your mom was taking care of these tortoises all wrong for all their lives, and they're not dead yet, so what little time it takes you to get it "right" is not going to be harmful to them. They are quite hardy.

The aquarium is fine for now. But judging from what I can see of their size, it may not be big enough for the both of them. Do you have another tank that you can set up for one of them? Then, get rid of whatever that is you have on the bottom of the tank and put some fir bark or cypress mulch in there. Pet stores sell it in smaller bags called Forest Floor or Repti Bark. These are substrates that can be moistened. Yes, I know, I know. . . they come from the desert. But it is beneficial to them to have a bit of moisture in their enclosure, and as it evaporates it adds humidity to the air, which is also beneficial.

I think the Zoo Med Tortoise thingey is about 4' long, right? That would be ok for one of them, then leave the other in the aquarium.

Be creative. Let your artistic juices flow. Decorate those enclosures so they're eye pleasing for you and interesting for the inhabitants.

Your tortoises don't need "closed chambers." They're big enough to be able to get by with just a little humidity from moistened substrate. While the info given to you about foil, and covering the enclosures was good info, it was really for tortoises younger and smaller than yours.

I'm attaching a picture of an enclosure that I had with some desert tortoises in it just for you to get an idea:

The substrate in this plastic tub is called fine grade orchid bark, my favorite.

(Notice that the silly tortoise is high centered on the plant pot)

Tanyabobanya · Feb 7, 2019

Ok thank you. @TechnoCheese im sorry I kept calling you TOMMM! ‍♀️
@KarenSoCal thank you for your patience

Tanyabobanya · Feb 7, 2019

For @Yvonne G - I have 2 of each of these enclosures- Zoo Med Tortoise House 3ftX2ft
Glass aquarium Tank 1ft X 2.5ft
I also have one larger glass tank I can measure later. Bigger than the 2 I have. Someone had told me that a large habitat for babies wouldn’t retain heat and to use something smaller. Oy vey.
My two tortoises are 3 months old. They look about the size of yours (who is very cute btw).
What size tub is yours in and what are those tubes hanging above? Asking because I don’t have those!
I have read up on here about the harm that coil UVB lights give off so I’ve stopped using them today. One of the babies I noticed had one eye that looked not right.I hope I haven’t caused damage. Will @TechnoCheese be ok with tanks? Oh and one more question- on the creative side, will desert scenes added to the inside of tanks instead of outside because of the reflection, give off toxins in the tank? I haven one that’s peel of vinyl and one that’s printed on maybe a photo paper.

TechnoCheese · Feb 7, 2019

Tanyabobanya said:
Ok thank you. @TechnoCheese im sorry I kept calling you TOMMM! ‍♀️
@KarenSoCal thank you for your patience

Don’t worry, I’d take being mistaken for Tom as a compliment any day

TechnoCheese · Feb 7, 2019

Tanyabobanya said:
For @Yvonne G - I have 2 of each of these enclosures- Zoo Med Tortoise House 3ftX2ft
Glass aquarium Tank 1ft X 2.5ft
I also have one larger glass tank I can measure later. Bigger than the 2 I have. Someone had told me that a large habitat for babies wouldn’t retain heat and to use something smaller. Oy vey.
My two tortoises are 3 months old. They look about the size of yours (who is very cute btw).
What size tub is yours in and what are those tubes hanging above? Asking because I don’t have those!
I have read up on here about the harm that coil UVB lights give off so I’ve stopped using them today. One of the babies I noticed had one eye that looked not right.I hope I haven’t caused damage. Will @TechnoCheese be ok with tanks? Oh and one more question- on the creative side, will desert scenes added to the inside of tanks instead of outside because of the reflection, give off toxins in the tank? I haven one that’s peel of vinyl and one that’s printed on maybe a photo paper.

A larger enclosure will definitely retain heat, especially if you close the gaps to maintain humidity. It’s actually harder to maintain a correct heat gradient with a small enclosure.

There’s nothing wrong with using tanks, but what you have now is much too small. I would just stick with the Zoo med houses for now.

Not sure about the background.

Tanyabobanya · Feb 7, 2019

Thank you. I’ll swap from tanks to zoo med in morning. This is like having newborns again. Not quite but sort of. How big is your plastic bin and where did u get it?

DesertGirl · Feb 13, 2019

TechnoCheese said:
-tortoises roam miles in days, and need a large area for an adequate heat gradient. Yes, they do need that much space.

-if you already have the zoo med houses and you really don’t want to buy anything else, I suppose they’ll do for now. You’ll just have to cover the top with tin foil and/or plastic wrap to contain humidity.

-yes, you can get the lights on amazon.

The average territory of a desert tort is 350 square miles. My source is an animal biologist with the BLM. They walk A LOT!

Yvonne G · Feb 13, 2019

Tanyabobanya said:
For @Yvonne G - I have 2 of each of these enclosures- Zoo Med Tortoise House 3ftX2ft
Glass aquarium Tank 1ft X 2.5ft
I also have one larger glass tank I can measure later. Bigger than the 2 I have. Someone had told me that a large habitat for babies wouldn’t retain heat and to use something smaller. Oy vey.
My two tortoises are 3 months old. They look about the size of yours (who is very cute btw).
What size tub is yours in and what are those tubes hanging above? Asking because I don’t have those!
I have read up on here about the harm that coil UVB lights give off so I’ve stopped using them today. One of the babies I noticed had one eye that looked not right.I hope I haven’t caused damage. Will @TechnoCheese be ok with tanks? Oh and one more question- on the creative side, will desert scenes added to the inside of tanks instead of outside because of the reflection, give off toxins in the tank? I haven one that’s peel of vinyl and one that’s printed on maybe a photo paper.

That tub is about 3' long and maybe a foot and a half wide. The "tubes" are just a guard covering the bell shaped light fixture. I'd put the scene on the outside.

Ray--Opo · Feb 13, 2019

Tanyabobanya said:
Oh my. I am so embarrassed now. I swore I saw the name Tom at the end of the last one. When l look for answers on the forum “Tom” is the person who seems to give solid advice (and belittle ) people.
Tom. Well.. I’m grateful for you all and the help. I still haven’t decided where to put these sleeping babies. The tank for now. Please excuse my crazy posts, I’m in over my head over here!

Hang in there. To keep the confusion limited stay on this site. There are committed members here with great knowledge. You have heard from some already. I to jumped around the internet. I was grateful to find TFO. Good luck

Ciri · Feb 16, 2019

You're doing a great job taking care of these little tortoises. Hope they are doing better now.

Tanyabobanya · Feb 16, 2019

Thank you for saying that. Like parenting, I don’t feel like I’m doing a great job. If my 2 big ones were (one still refuses to eat on its own) hibernating it’d be less work but for now they are up. The 2 babies are going bizerk. It’s been rainy and all 4 inside for the last couple weeks. I put the babies in their zoomed houses with cococoir and I want to get them in a raised habitat, this is way too messy. After one failed attempt at getting organic top soil at home depot, I found some at a smaller garden store so will add some because the cococoir isn’t drying hard, it’s messy.. and I need to find homes for these beautiful creatures !

Ciri · Feb 16, 2019

When they are so young it's hard not to stress. And you certainly have a lot on your hands! It has been unusually cold and rainy here recently also. I have one box turtle awake because he got mud stuck in his mouth and the vet had to remove it. He wasn't soaking when I got him up from hibernation for water. Now he soaks himself just fine. But spends a lot of time objecting to being in the house on days I can't get him out because of the cold. Thank goodness my three-year-old desert tortoise is still hibernating along with the others. Only a few more weeks and it will be spring!

Melis · Feb 16, 2019

Tanyabobanya said:
Thank you for saying that. Like parenting, I don’t feel like I’m doing a great job. If my 2 big ones were (one still refuses to eat on its own) hibernating it’d be less work but for now they are up. The 2 babies are going bizerk. It’s been rainy and all 4 inside for the last couple weeks. I put the babies in their zoomed houses with cococoir and I want to get them in a raised habitat, this is way too messy. After one failed attempt at getting organic top soil at home depot, I found some at a smaller garden store so will add some because the cococoir isn’t drying hard, it’s messy.. and I need to find homes for these beautiful creatures !

@KarenSoCal and @Yvonne G are both from your neck of the woods. Maybe they can offer some ideas for rehoming these little ones?

KarenSoCal · Feb 16, 2019

Melis said:
@KarenSoCal and @Yvonne G are both from your neck of the woods. Maybe they can offer some ideas for rehoming these little ones?

Gosh, I wish I could help! I just don't know anyone looking for a tortoise.

My only idea would be to contact the local chapter of CTTC. They will take them in.

Unfortunately, they have thousands that need homes. But being babies, maybe they would have a better chance at adoption.

Tom · Feb 17, 2019

Hi Tanya. I was all set to type up all sorts of care info and explain things, and then I re-read my old Russian care sheet thread. Everything you are asking about is explained in detail there. We are happy to answer questions and talk tortoises, but I think the thread explains things best. Have you read it?
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

Something not addressed in the care sheet: Glass tanks are fine for babies. They are actually better for babies for the very reasons "they" say they are bad. I prefer to use glass tanks to start babies, as you can see in the thread, but large ones are needed. The issue with glass tanks for adults is that they are too small.

The ZooMed boxes aren't great for any tortoise of any age. Here is why: They are a good size for babies, but babies need damp substrate and the wood will mold, rot and leak. Adults can tolerate drier substrate, but the size is too small for adults."

Tanyabobanya · Feb 24, 2019

Thank you .. I did read. I just rehomed one baby with a trusted friend and gave her the largest tank I have. I may put the other baby I a planter thing I got on amazon instead of the zoomed tortoise house. I lined the tortoise house with pond liner so hopefully that isn’t rotting. I have the baby outside now in a Guinea pig enclosure for sun. My 4 / 5 year old still isn’t eating on its own. It did poop a few times and when it does out comes either it’s penis or a prolapse, I just can’t tell the difference. It’s darkish purplish and goes back in after the poop comes out. I wish he/ she would eat solid food. Here are 2 photos, one of baby soaking, one of 4 year old who won’t eat next to a poop.

Tanyabobanya · Feb 24, 2019

Tanyabobanya said:
Thank you .. I did read. I just rehomed one baby with a trusted friend and gave her the largest tank I have. I may put the other baby I a planter thing I got on amazon instead of the zoomed tortoise house. I lined the tortoise house with pond liner so hopefully that isn’t rotting. I have the baby outside now in a Guinea pig enclosure for sun. My 4 / 5 year old still isn’t eating on its own. It did poop a few times and when it does out comes either it’s penis or a prolapse, I just can’t tell the difference. It’s darkish purplish and goes back in after the poop comes out. I wish he/ she would eat solid food. Here are 2 photos, one of baby soaking, one of 4 year old who won’t eat next to a poop.

KarenSoCal · Feb 24, 2019

Tanyabobanya said:
Thank you .. I did read. I just rehomed one baby with a trusted friend and gave her the largest tank I have. I may put the other baby I a planter thing I got on amazon instead of the zoomed tortoise house. I lined the tortoise house with pond liner so hopefully that isn’t rotting. I have the baby outside now in a Guinea pig enclosure for sun. My 4 / 5 year old still isn’t eating on its own. It did poop a few times and when it does out comes either it’s penis or a prolapse, I just can’t tell the difference. It’s darkish purplish and goes back in after the poop comes out. I wish he/ she would eat solid food. Here are 2 photos, one of baby soaking, one of 4 year old who won’t eat next to a poop.

Hi Tanya! Did you post the pictures? I don't see them?

Tanyabobanya · Feb 24, 2019

KarenSoCal said:
Hi Tanya! Did you post the pictures? I don't see them?

I tried but I don’t think it worked I’ll try again ..
1. Dribble who isn’t eating who pooped for second time today yay..but still worried. Sorry it wasn’t sideways in my photos ..
2. Leggy who is cute and had a bent leg but i can’t tell anymore. Leggy is a little over 3 months old. I hope she/he is growing and healthy, it’s she’ll still looks not perfect..
3. Dribble

Tanyabobanya · Feb 24, 2019

tortoise house I’m moving Leggy from into the planter box. They are all outside now because the sun is out ..

Help please still not sure about enclosure

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