Best way to raise a smooth shelled Russian tortoise?

[BorisTheWonderTort]

I have read Tom’s forum on best way to raise a temperate species and have found the information very useful but I wanted to know more about housing. I am aware about the enclosure size I just wanted to know more about how I can house them in the uk outdoors. We have quite a warm summer time with temperatures of around 90f (30-35c) but very cold winters. I have seen people housing them outdoors in NJ which has a much colder climate but I just wanted to hear peoples opinions. Apparently, putting them outside is very beneficial to their development and health. Most of the outdoor kept Russian tortoises on this forum (in the US) are really nice and smooth shelled with good shell colour (the proper light brownish colour). I haven’t seen anyone able to achieve that in the uk (I at least haven’t seen anyone based in the uk achieve that on this forum, most of them are an off greenish colour and relatively pyramided). From what I have found, most tortoises housed indoors long term (under artificial lighting) in cleaner conditions are a more pastel green colour. I was just wondering if anyone had any advice on housing outdoors in the uk and outdoor housing in the USA for proper shell growth. I am just trying to learn as much about tortoises as possible. Help is always appreciated. Have a wonderful day!

 

[wellington]

A lot of the older smooth ones in the US is likely wild caught.
To raise a smooth one, a closed chamber enclosure with 80% humidity for about 3 years is they say they are gown smooth from a hatchling. At that stage, they can go outside for short visits but the majority of the time they are in the closed chamber. Then as adults, they can be kept outside with a humid hide of about 50% humidity.
I have never seen any green, that might be your screen.

 

[Tom]

I have read Tom’s forum on best way to raise a temperate species and have found the information very useful but I wanted to know more about housing. I am aware about the enclosure size I just wanted to know more about how I can house them in the uk outdoors. We have quite a warm summer time with temperatures of around 90f (30-35c) but very cold winters. I have seen people housing them outdoors in NJ which has a much colder climate but I just wanted to hear peoples opinions. Apparently, putting them outside is very beneficial to their development and health. Most of the outdoor kept Russian tortoises on this forum (in the US) are really nice and smooth shelled with good shell colour (the proper light brownish colour). I haven’t seen anyone able to achieve that in the uk (I at least haven’t seen anyone based in the uk achieve that on this forum, most of them are an off greenish colour and relatively pyramided). From what I have found, most tortoises housed indoors long term (under artificial lighting) in cleaner conditions are a more pastel green colour. I was just wondering if anyone had any advice on housing outdoors in the uk and outdoor housing in the USA for proper shell growth. I am just trying to learn as much about tortoises as possible. Help is always appreciated. Have a wonderful day!

This just came up on another thread. Here is what I said there, and I'll post a link to the whole thread, so you can get the context.

"Here is the concept: Russian tortoises come from an arid region. Low humidity most of the time. Adults walking around foraging, fighting, mating, etc... are well equipped to handle the dryness and survive it. Babies, on the other hand, are not. Babies, of any species of tortoise, hide all day down in thick underbrush, in root balls of plants, and in areas where the temperatures extremes are more moderate, and humidity is much higher. If babies walked around out in the open like the adults do, they would be eaten by one of many predators, or they would quickly desiccate and die of dehydration.

So many of the websites offer advice on how to care for a given species with no differentiation between housing a hatchling or housing an adult. This is a MAJOR problem for baby tortoises.

So what should YOU do about this? House your baby with higher humidity and warmer temps than what is necessary to keep an adult alive. Soak more often, offer multiple humid hides, keep the substrate damp, cover the top of the enclosure (or use a closed chamber) to hold in heat and humidity.

Humidity relates to temperature. As the temperature cools it is normal for the relative humidity percentage to go up. Humidity can also rise when our electrically generated heating devices are off at night and not drying everything up."

Here is the whole thread:

Humidity

I must be driving you crazy, but thanks to this forum my enclosure is transformed for the better. Through the day my humidity in my just under 3ft vivarium is sitting at 50-60. Seems to be higher down the cool end, but there's 2 hides and he spends his time in the hot end hide. Temps are fine...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[BorisTheWonderTort]

This just came up on another thread. Here is what I said there, and I'll post a link to the whole thread, so you can get the context.

"Here is the concept: Russian tortoises come from an arid region. Low humidity most of the time. Adults walking around foraging, fighting, mating, etc... are well equipped to handle the dryness and survive it. Babies, on the other hand, are not. Babies, of any species of tortoise, hide all day down in thick underbrush, in root balls of plants, and in areas where the temperatures extremes are more moderate, and humidity is much higher. If babies walked around out in the open like the adults do, they would be eaten by one of many predators, or they would quickly desiccate and die of dehydration.

So many of the websites offer advice on how to care for a given species with no differentiation between housing a hatchling or housing an adult. This is a MAJOR problem for baby tortoises.

So what should YOU do about this? House your baby with higher humidity and warmer temps than what is necessary to keep an adult alive. Soak more often, offer multiple humid hides, keep the substrate damp, cover the top of the enclosure (or use a closed chamber) to hold in heat and humidity.

Humidity relates to temperature. As the temperature cools it is normal for the relative humidity percentage to go up. Humidity can also rise when our electrically generated heating devices are off at night and not drying everything up."

Here is the whole thread:

Humidity

I must be driving you crazy, but thanks to this forum my enclosure is transformed for the better. Through the day my humidity in my just under 3ft vivarium is sitting at 50-60. Seems to be higher down the cool end, but there's 2 hides and he spends his time in the hot end hide. Temps are fine...

tortoiseforum.org

Thank you. I was just wondering where I should position the humid hide and how many I should have. Should I put the humid hide in the warm or cool side?

 

[Tom]

Thank you. I was just wondering where I should position the humid hide and how many I should have. Should I put the humid hide in the warm or cool side?

Generally that should be on the warm side. Its a good idea to have two or three of them for the tortoise to choose from.

 

[BorisTheWonderTort]

Generally that should be on the warm side. Its a good idea to have two or three of them for the tortoise to choose from.

Thanks very much. My Russian tortoise loves to burrow for sleepy time which makes me think if I should put coco coir in the humid hides. They struggle to burrow in the orchard bark as it falls over and isnt as connected together like the coco coir. Should I do this or do you think that this isn’t necessary?

 

[Tom]

Thanks very much. My Russian tortoise loves to burrow for sleepy time which makes me think if I should put coco coir in the humid hides. They struggle to burrow in the orchard bark as it falls over and isnt as connected together like the coco coir. Should I do this or do you think that this isn’t necessary?

I wold not call it necessary, but it also wouldn't hurt anything. Give it a try and see what you, and your tortoise, think about it. Use a thick layer and hand pack it down.