Adult Tortoise New to the House and Questions

[Collingwood]

My girlfriend recently moved in and she brought her tortoise with her. I believe it's a Russian tortoise. I want him to be happy and well-cared for, so I've been reading a fair bit. He seems in good shape, with no pyramiding or similar, so it seems to me, initially, that she took good care of him.

At her place (with her mother) she let him roam around her room in the apartment, and he knew all the little places to hide. I was worried that he wouldn't know at my place, so might feel stressed. Also, mine is a bit messier than her mum's apartment, and I wanted a decent place for him to be. Given that, I built a makeshift habitat for him, from some plastic trays (imagine a cat-litter tray, but twice as deep) laid side by side, and enclosed with cardboard to give him some cover (I read this was important). It's a bit bigger than the recommended size for a tortoises I read. I filled them with pine bark, and put a embedded a plant pot as deep as it would go so he could hide there. There's still space for him to get out, if he wants a wander, and I'm comfortable with that.

I have some questions:

1. I tried to cover one end of the enclosure with a piece of cardboard, thinking that it would give him some privacy. At my girlfriend's old place, he loved hiding under a wardrobe, and I thought it would be similar. Here, though, he just goes half way in and doesn't move. He even slept like that last night. I want him to be as stress-free as possible, but can anybody advise on how to give him hiding spaces he'd like?

2. He moved the plant pot and then started digging in the corner. He got right to the bottom. Is this a normal instinct, good exercise and giving the adorable chap a chance to dig, or is it him feeling stressed and trying to get out? Again, what can I do to help him?

Thanks greatly for any advice you can give. I'm really soft when it comes to animals, and I think I'm more worried about making him happy than the tortoise is himself, but I really don't want him to feel stressed in any way.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome!

We don't use pine bedding for tortoises. My preferred substrate would be orchid bark (fir bark) or cypress mulch. Lots of folk here also use coco coir. But pine or cedar - never.

Your right in thinking the tortoise needs his own space. It's not a good idea to allow them to wander around on the floor. Besides being dangerous, there are too many little things he might eat that will either make him sick or get stuck in the digestive tract.

Russian tortoises like to bury themselves. Try giving him a plant pot to hide in. Bury it a bit in the substrate. It was a good idea to lay the cardboard over one end, and put the plant pot under that too.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Welcome..
I just added this to your Intro....but here is the care sheet too

https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

Happy torting

 

[Changa]

My girlfriend recently moved in and she brought her tortoise with her. I believe it's a Russian tortoise. I want him to be happy and well-cared for, so I've been reading a fair bit. He seems in good shape, with no pyramiding or similar, so it seems to me, initially, that she took good care of him.

At her place (with her mother) she let him roam around her room in the apartment, and he knew all the little places to hide. I was worried that he wouldn't know at my place, so might feel stressed. Also, mine is a bit messier than her mum's apartment, and I wanted a decent place for him to be. Given that, I built a makeshift habitat for him, from some plastic trays (imagine a cat-litter tray, but twice as deep) laid side by side, and enclosed with cardboard to give him some cover (I read this was important). It's a bit bigger than the recommended size for a tortoises I read. I filled them with pine bark, and put a embedded a plant pot as deep as it would go so he could hide there. There's still space for him to get out, if he wants a wander, and I'm comfortable with that.

I have some questions:

1. I tried to cover one end of the enclosure with a piece of cardboard, thinking that it would give him some privacy. At my girlfriend's old place, he loved hiding under a wardrobe, and I thought it would be similar. Here, though, he just goes half way in and doesn't move. He even slept like that last night. I want him to be as stress-free as possible, but can anybody advise on how to give him hiding spaces he'd like?

2. He moved the plant pot and then started digging in the corner. He got right to the bottom. Is this a normal instinct, good exercise and giving the adorable chap a chance to dig, or is it him feeling stressed and trying to get out? Again, what can I do to help him?

Thanks greatly for any advice you can give. I'm really soft when it comes to animals, and I think I'm more worried about making him happy than the tortoise is himself, but I really don't want him to feel stressed in any way.

Welcome I am new too tI have a lot to learn i have two little Sulcatas
U seems to have a more Eye ball on ur new friend than I do and it seem that the vets are on this for u this the way this forum works provides help with a lot of information Good Luck wish u guys well

 

[Changa]

oops got carried away the pics

 

[Collingwood]

Hi, and welcome!

We don't use pine bedding for tortoises. My preferred substrate would be orchid bark (fir bark) or cypress mulch. Lots of folk here also use coco coir. But pine or cedar - never.

Your right in thinking the tortoise needs his own space. It's not a good idea to allow them to wander around on the floor. Besides being dangerous, there are too many little things he might eat that will either make him sick or get stuck in the digestive tract.

Russian tortoises like to bury themselves. Try giving him a plant pot to hide in. Bury it a bit in the substrate. It was a good idea to lay the cardboard over one end, and put the plant pot under that too.

Thank you for this.

We bought pine bark mainly because it was all the pet shop had, and I didn't want him roaming around a new place. But I shall look for something else next time -- perhaps order some if the shops don't have it. EDIT: I'm going to check exactly what the bag of bark said. It had a big picture of a tortoise on it, and said it was suitable for them on the back. I'll double check, though.

I did indeed get a plantpot, turn it on its side, and bury it in substrate, but he just moved it to the side (strong fella) and started digging behind it, in the corner. I was worried that it was because he was stressed and trying to get out, but I did also think it could be because he is a tortoise and likes to dig.

I then buried the pot a bit deeper, and stacked more substrate inside and around it, and put a cover over the end where the pot was. But he really didn't seem to like it. I popped him nearby, and he just got half in but wouldn't move farther. He even slept there last night. I was puzzled by this. Maybe the lid was too low? The clearance was probably a fraction less than twice his height. Could it be that?

Thank you again.

 

[Minority2]

How old is this tortoise? What is length of the shell? And do you know where this tortoise was purchased from?

You may very well have an adult Russian tortoise on your hands. Tiny bulldozers.

Buy/build an 6'-8' (L) x 3'-4' (W) x 2' (H) ft enclosure. That should be enough space to keep them occupied. Roaming on the floor can be dirty as tortoises can poo, wee, and purge their urates (uric acid crystals) around the home and whatever hiding spots they may choose.

Substrate such as fine grade orchid/fir bark and coco coir can be found much cheaper and of better quality online, in gardening centers, tractor supply stores, and some big box hardware stores.

 

[Collingwood]

How old is this tortoise? What is length of the shell? And do you know where this tortoise was purchased from?

You may very well have an adult Russian tortoise on your hands. Tiny bulldozers.

Buy/build an 6'-8' (L) x 3'-4' (W) x 2' (H) ft enclosure. That should be enough space to keep them occupied. Roaming on the floor can be dirty as tortoises can poo, wee, and purge their urates (uric acid crystals) around the home and whatever hiding spots they may choose.

Substrate such as fine grade orchid/fir bark and coco coir can be found much cheaper and of better quality online, in gardening centers, tractor supply stores, and some big box hardware stores.

I don't have the answers to any of your questions, alas, but I think that he's about seven years old. My girlfriend is really confident that all will be ok, and she seems to know what's what (she called me tonight to tell me to feed him and to make sure his special lamp was turned on), but I'm very soft when it comes to animals and dear he might get stressed in the new place. Little things, like the digging, make me worried that he's trying to get out. When I got home tonight, he was tucked away in the embedded plant pot, which I guess is a good sign .

 

[Minority2]

I don't have the answers to any of your questions, alas, but I think that he's about seven years old. My girlfriend is really confident that all will be ok, and she seems to know what's what (she called me tonight to tell me to feed him and to make sure his special lamp was turned on), but I'm very soft when it comes to animals and dear he might get stressed in the new place. Little things, like the digging, make me worried that he's trying to get out. When I got home tonight, he was tucked away in the embedded plant pot, which I guess is a good sign .

1. What are you feeding your tortoise? Types of foods, specify if possible.

2. What is this special lamp? Is it a mercury vapor bulb? Is it on a timer?

Timers are essential in tortoise care.

This is an example of a Russian tortoise lighting setup in a 8' x 4' ft enclosure:
1x 10.5 inch brooder lamp fixture with 1x 40-65 watt incandescent flood bulb. (higher wattage for open enclosure, lower wattage for closed chamber)
2x 3 ft T5 linear florescent bulb fixture with 2x T5 HO linear florescent UV(B) reptile rated bulbs. Example linked below:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AQU8HKO/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20
1-2x ceramic heat emitter or 1x large radiant heating panel for night time heating if night time ambient temperatures fall below 65-60F.

The likely truth is that your girlfriend may have purchased this tortoise from a local pet shop. My guess is that this tortoise is most likely already an adult, most likely wild caught which is why the shell is smooth with no sign of pyramiding. This special lamp makes me believe it to be a mercury vapor bulb, a bulb which can cause a very drying effect on tortoises which makes them seem and feel lethargic. A incandescent flood bulb will also do this, but at a lesser intensity than a mercury vapor bulb which is why incandescent flood bulbs are often recommended by tortoise forum members such as myself than a mercury vapor bulb.

Your adult Russian needs space, a lot of space for themselves. He or she requires a 6' x 3' ft or a 8' x 4' ft enclosure. Do not believe what the pet shop sales associates are telling you. Tortoises need space for exploring, exercising, and thermoregulating. A small enclosure will only raise the inactivity level of tortoises and possibly make them feel trapped which may explain why most tortoises such as Russians that live in small enclosures often try to escape.

Digging is not necessarily a sign of escaping. There are many reasons why Russians would dig into their substrates. Thermoregulating, incorrect temperatures, intense bright lights are just a few I can currently think of.

A very detailed care sheet on how to properly care for a Russian tortoise:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

The list of food in this care sheet can also be fed to Russian tortoises:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

These questions aren't meant to bombard you or make you or your girlfriend feel bad. It is meant to inform you that there are better ways to take care of your tortoise than the unsafe ones you're currently using, which is no fault to you or your girlfriend. The blame is solely on the person that gave her this outdated advice and unsafe, overpriced equipment to go along with it.