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  1. Tom

    Help with over heating basking light

    Rheostat. https://www.amazon.com/REPTITRIP-Reptile-Thermostat-Temperature-Controller/dp/B0CMTN1CDC/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20
  2. Tom

    The actual difference in care between a Russian and East Hermann's tortoise

    I agree with Fluffy. People do tend to keep Russian tortoises drier and less hydrated because of misunderstood assumptions of how they live in the wild, but this leads to dead Russian tortoises with bladder stones, more than is typically seen with hermanni. All tortoise species need at least...
  3. Tom

    Vet recommended spaying

    Mr. Z, in all my years, I've never encountered this problem. Is it common? All of my adult females have always had a male for breeding, but I've not ever heard of other people's females needing to be spayed when not bred. I'm learning something new today. Would breeding this tortoise solve the...
  4. Tom

    Outdoor time for a yearling

    The parasol is a great idea for shade. Just be sure to mount it securely so that it can't be blown away or knocked over and leave your tortoise to cook. Plants, shade cloth and hides should also be used to build up multiple layers of safety. Ants can swarm a tortoise and kill it. Its a protein...
  5. Tom

    Help with sick sulcata

    Agreed. That is why I won't let them take my animals to the back without me. Same with my child. People can't be trusted. Ignorance and greed abound.
  6. Tom

    Backyard dirt has rocks

    Usually, rocks in the native dirt are not a problem. Can we see a picture?
  7. Tom

    Weird hole in shell Sulcata

    In additional to the hole, this tortoise has been in the wrong conditions and started poorly. Soak him every day for the next couple of years, and house him in a large closed chamber to keep humidity high. More here...
  8. Tom

    ISO Russian Tortoise

    Contact: @TylerStewart @Carol S @biochemnerd808 @HoosierTorts
  9. Tom

    Help with sick sulcata

    I just read the whole thread. It sounds like you were doing everything right, and I don't see an obvious cause of your problem. My best guess is the prolonged June gloom we had this year, so the warm temps probably helped prevent this from being an even bigger problem. I would leave the temps...
  10. Tom

    Do marginateds grow... differently?

    354 is small for for three years old. MBD occurs when there is not enough calcium available for bone growth and bodily maintenance. If the seller is telling the truth and this tortoise was outside its whole life, then the most likely explanation would be a calcium deficient diet. They can't use...
  11. Tom

    Outdoor time for a yearling

    What species is Mabel? Tortoises can go outside when they are little hatchlings. Why would anyone say to keep it inside for years? That's lunacy. You do have to make sure they are warm enough, but not too hot, but outside time is great for tortoises of any age. I prefer to do about an hour of...
  12. Tom

    Do marginateds grow... differently?

    I'm sorry to tell you that this tortoise is not only heavily pyramided, it also had MBD. It was raised and grown completely incorrectly. I wish you had posted pics before you made the purchase. We would have told you to pass on this one. You really ought to share the name of the breeder/seller...
  13. Tom

    Transitioning from indoors to outdoors

    If you just plopped the tortoise outside today, it would survive. I prefer to gradually acclimate them as they are growing. This should have been done early in the spring before it got too hot. At this point, I would do and hour or two a day in the morning before it gets too hot. It's hard to go...
  14. Tom

    I feel that, Marginateds do not get enough love. And therefore there are not enough pictures of them out there. Would love to see some of your animals

    I agree. They are a really nice species, but few people seem interested in them, oddly. I don't have any, but if you do, perhaps you could show some pictures of yours?
  15. Tom

    Do you need a basking lamp or can a radiant heat panel plus T5 UVB and LED lights work instead?

    You need both. Here is a breakdown of the four heating and lighting essentials: Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and...
  16. Tom

    Hosing/Spraying my Sulcata down with water?

    All of them are scared when they are small. Everything in the wild eats them. Sulcatas usually stop that around 3 or 4 years old, even if you don't do anything at all. I usually try to keep them mostly indoors until they are around 8-10 inches. I put babies outside for an hour or two a couple...
  17. Tom

    Normal behaviour ? Hermann constantly wants to escape

    I would remove that. Penis injury is likely.
  18. Tom

    Russian acting weird lately + not eating as much. Ive been worried

    1. He needs much more ambient light. It should be bright and "sunny" during the day. 2. The coir needs to be kept damp and hand packed. It should not be dry, loose or fluffy. 3. The light timing should mimic the outdoors. It should come on around 6 or 7 and go off 12-14 hours later. 4. The UV...
  19. Tom

    Normal behaviour ? Hermann constantly wants to escape

    Your neighbors have another male? That may be the source of his ire. Males sometimes get super territorial, and more so after brumation, and even more so in spring and summer.
  20. Tom

    Russian tortoise suggestions

    Betadine should only be used once to disinfect. Repeated use kills the regenerating tissue. If those marks are on top and bottom, it could be damage from a dog attack. Check the temperature under the bulb. That will tell you if you need to make a change or not. I would not use reptisoil.
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