Cheers from Northwestern Florida!

[ApartmentTortoise]

Hello all!

My 5 yo russian and I have just recently moved to the panhandle. We've been apartment dwellers for quite some time, and have recently upgraded to a 2 bedroom condo (yay, space!). I'm unfortunately not sure that I'm going to be here for more than a year, however. My boyfriend is in the navy, and so we move relatively frequently depending on his station.

SO, with that being said, I've had my tort for about 3 years now. I adopted him from a family that I used to nanny for; their son had lost interest in the little guy, and he basically stayed in a rather small terrarium void of interesting stuff. The mom gave him to me as a hope that I could provide for him a better life, and to relieve her from a pet that simply "took up space". Sad, but I fell in love with Raph as soon as I saw him , so I guess it's a bonus for the both of us. I'm still learning how to take care of him the best way I can, so that's why I joined!

Any suggestions from those that live in smaller, non-permanent abodes for me are greatly appreciated.
Cheers!

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome to the Forum!

My suggestion is to provide the biggest habitat for your Russian tortoise that you can fit in your condo. They require lots of space to roam, and get stressed when they are in a small container. If you have to, you can buy two large plastic tubs, cut out opposing ends, and put the two together. Or to fit in a corner of the room, cut out one end, then the side of the other one and make an "L". If your tortoise isn't going to be getting real sun, then be sure to provide a light that gives off UVB. This is very necessary in order to make the calcium he eats work inside his body, for strong bones and shell.

 

[Kathy Coles]

Taking him out for a walk is good. You won't get much exercise out of it but my stress level goes down when I take Zeb out for a walk. You just can't EVER take your eyes off of him.

 

[ApartmentTortoise]

Yvonne, that's what I'm thinking of doing. He currently is in his transport container (a large rubbermaid tub) that I find hard to control the temperature and humidity. In short, it's too small. I want to put him outside on the small porch we have to help with the humidity and temperature, but again, it's shaded and he would still not receive a lot of natural sunlight.

Kathy, I'm not sure I can comfortably take him outside. I don't have ground access where I live (we're on the second floor) and where I can go, people let their dogs off leash.

I believe Raph has some pyramiding on his shell from previous owners- you can see it in my profile picture. I'm trying my best to keep it from getting any worse, but lately he's been rather dry. He gets soaked once a week for about 15 minutes. He still eats very well, has clear eyes, and for the most part gets exercise roaming around his tub. I wish I could make him a yard enclosure, but I don't see that happening any time soon. So, for right now it's tubs on tables! Any suggestions for keeping humidity constant? We're working on finding a local vet with good reviews to take him for a checkup.

 

[Yvonne G]

I think he's past the humidity/baby stage. Just keep up the soaks and provide a slightly moist substrate. In my opinion, all these things work together to grow a smooth, healthy tortoise - humidity, diet, exercise and sunshine/heat. Your balcony should be just fine. They don't need direct sunlight in order to get the benefit of the UVB rays.

 

[dmmj]

Salutations
This is how the tortoise obsession starts welcome to the club. I agree I think he is past the crucial stage for humidity, won"t hurt tto keep it up though. A balcony should e enough room for him, russians are cute little buggers.

 

[pam]

Welcome Russians are awesome

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello and welcome to the TFO fromAZ


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[bouaboua]

Hello mad Welcome . Good to have your here!!!,,!

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome to TFO!