Brand new Russian tortoise mommy HELP

[molly.b]

What brand of orchid bark can I buy it on the Internet? I plan to have this done and him already settled in his new enclosure hopefully by end of next week. I'm so grateful for all your help

 

[dannylozano10]

I really like the little Built in hideout with an. Opening up top that I can open up and get him out. If I went with something looking like this where would I put his basking lamp?

On the opposite site of the hide! So there can be a cool down side

 

[Yvonne G]

What brand of orchid bark can I buy it on the Internet? I plan to have this done and him already settled in his new enclosure hopefully by end of next week. I'm so grateful for all your help

Black Gold. Wonder Bark. It's awfully expensive to buy online because it's heavy. The shipping is quite high.

Look in the Yellow Pages and call the nurseries in your area, asking them if they carry orchid bark. Any brand will do. Much cheaper to buy it locally.

 

[Yvonne G]

I guess I'm just confused on how heat Will stay in the enclosure if it's open

It won't. You'll need to cover it. I cover my open-topped habitats with either plastic sheeting or aluminum foil. Some fashion acrylic covers, some have wood with holes for the lights. You can get all kinds of ideas in our "Enclosures" section. But for an adult tortoise, you probably won't need to cover the habitat. He'll get his warmth from the light, then retreat to a cooler area.

 

[Yvonne G]

Also how do you change bedding in an open top enclosure , i'm currently talking to someone who is going to come and build it and I wanted to see how it's going to be able to keep humidity? Do you prefer a mulch that's damp for the whole enclosure? Or is bark better?

If you spot clean you don't need to change the substrate. I use the same substrate for over a year.

 

[Yvonne G]

The whole tank is 90° because it's such a small tank there's no way to get two different temperatures and it's 30 inches. And I was so dumb to believe the pet store when they said that the reptile tank would be big enough I even asked why it didn't have tortoise is listed on the tank list of different reptiles that could go in it

A large plastic tub/bin is way cheaper than a glass aquarium. If it were me, I'd sell that aquarium on craigslist and buy two large plastic tubs, cut out opposing ends and fit them together to make one big enclosure. Then I'd take the lids, cut holes for the lights and cover the whole thing.

 

[Pearly]

Hi Molly and welcome to TFO. Don't worry, many of us here started with bad advice. You are here now and will get all that figured out with the help of very fine people. I keep RF babies and also have tank. My babies were only 2 inches when I got them so the size of the tank was acceptable. My torts are tropical species and need to be kept very humid and warm so tank for me works great for now. It's easy to cover and keep all the heat and humidity in. I think having a tortoise table built would be best for your tort. Btw my babies haven't had any issues with glass walls, running into one or such. I too want for my children to see the inside of the tank, and if any issues one can always get some of those terrarium backgrounds and put around the perimeter just at the tort's eye level to block the view. My tank is planted with many different sight barriers which likely help too. here part of my tort nursery

 

[molly.b]

Wow thank you all so much!

 

[Claireybell]

Guys I'm also a newbie, what plants am I able to put on my tortoise table, where is the best place to buy them from, garden centres will prob have chemicals

 

[dannylozano10]

Hey guys here is a good ol' thread about toxic and safe plants for torts please check them out!

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/index....---both-edible-and-toxic-for-tortoises.14564/

 

[dannylozano10]

Here's also a really good site

http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/files/Edible doc 3rd edition_2013_condensed.pdf

 

[Tom]

Guys I'm also a newbie, what plants am I able to put on my tortoise table, where is the best place to buy them from, garden centres will prob have chemicals

Hello and welcome. See if you can find the introduction section and do a little post over there to get started. Tell us where you are and what tortoise(s) you might have. After that you can make a new thread with all of your questions and we would love to talk tortoises with you all day everyday.

To answer your question, most of us grow our own from seed, or we source them from long established, pesticide free sources like friends, family and neighbors. Keeping you plants in pots will keep the tortoise from destroying them.

 

[Claireybell]

Hello and welcome. See if you can find the introduction section and do a little post over there to get started. Tell us where you are and what tortoise(s) you might have. After that you can make a new thread with all of your questions and we would love to talk tortoises with you all day everyday.

To answer your question, most of us grow our own from seed, or we source them from long established, pesticide free sources like friends, family and neighbors. Keeping you plants in pots will keep the tortoise from destroying them.

 

[Claireybell]

Thanks Tom I'm finding it hard to navigate around on my phone, I'm from the UK and my tortoise is a horsefield

 

[Rafael Salinas]

Here's my setup