I'm going to get a Russian tortoise hatchling soon and I just need to make sure I have the husbandry correct, because the research that I have done online is very mixed and not firm on some aspects of husbandry.
The enclosure: (L x W x H) 4' 3' 1', 2 hides, eating tile and water dish, some rocks and sticks to climb on for recreation
Substrate: either orchid bark or 70:30 mix of play sand a straight up top soil with out fertilizer (depends if I want to have live plants if I go the play sand/top soil route)
Humidity: 50-60% and one of the hides is around 80%
Heat: ambient is around mid 80's and basking spot is around 95 degrees Fahrenheit
Lighting: A HO t8 or t5 uvb strip (need some suggestions on which light is best)
Bathing: 20 minutes of soaking with warm water every day
Food: Kale, the usual lettuces, squash (the leaves, the flowers and the squash itself), dandelion leaves and flowers, turnip greens, mustard greens and collard greens, (I will switch up his diet every now and then).
Calcium: dust the food lightly about 3-4 times a week
Outside time: should I even give the tort outside time when their a baby? If so I did make a little outdoor enclosure for the tort and I would plan on giving the tort about an hour and a half every 2 days of the week if the weather permits.
Am I forgetting anything? Should I tweak something?Thank you for taking the time to read this
The enclosure: (L x W x H) 4' 3' 1', 2 hides, eating tile and water dish, some rocks and sticks to climb on for recreation
Substrate: either orchid bark or 70:30 mix of play sand a straight up top soil with out fertilizer (depends if I want to have live plants if I go the play sand/top soil route)
Humidity: 50-60% and one of the hides is around 80%
Heat: ambient is around mid 80's and basking spot is around 95 degrees Fahrenheit
Lighting: A HO t8 or t5 uvb strip (need some suggestions on which light is best)
Bathing: 20 minutes of soaking with warm water every day
Food: Kale, the usual lettuces, squash (the leaves, the flowers and the squash itself), dandelion leaves and flowers, turnip greens, mustard greens and collard greens, (I will switch up his diet every now and then).
Calcium: dust the food lightly about 3-4 times a week
Outside time: should I even give the tort outside time when their a baby? If so I did make a little outdoor enclosure for the tort and I would plan on giving the tort about an hour and a half every 2 days of the week if the weather permits.
Am I forgetting anything? Should I tweak something?Thank you for taking the time to read this