Hi all...
My name is Gary and I am new to the world of Tortoises..
I have recently acquired a lovely little Russian tortoise called 'Theo'.. Although, I have some concerns about him and would like some experienced opinions..
So my set up is..
A tortoise table, measuring 77 cm x 42 cm x 12 cm
The substrate is as follows:
3/4 of the table - A mix of 1 bag of soil and 1-2 bag of sand, both bought from pets at home
1/4 of the table - tortoise grass like pellets bought from a reptile store..
An Arcadia d3 mini uv basking lamp (mercury combination one) with ceramic holder.. 27cm from substrate at one end of the table..
and then water dish, food dish, soaking dish and half a coconut to rest under.. I also have some calcium powder and tortoise food pellets, little pink ones (different to the substrate pellets mentioned earlier) and I have just ordered some cuttlefish bone..
So, here's the basics..
I bought my tortoise online and was told that he came with the table and necessary lighting etc.. However, after travelling a very long way to get him, I find out that there is no lamp and only a red (normal house looking bulb), also I was not given a choice as to what tortoise I could have, I was simply handed him, so he could be the runt of the litter for all I know, needless to say, I still love him..
But, I got him on a Friday, and because of the lighting situation, it was too late to get one, so I used the red bulb that came with him in a normal bedside lamp until the pet store was open...
So I went to the pet store, got the bulb and ceramic holder, went home to install it and the filament in the bulb was broken.. I had to wait til Monday when the new deliveries had arrived as I had purchased the last one.. Therefore, Theo was without uv light for at least 4 days and I don't know what conditions he was living in before hand...
During these four days, he didn't eat and was hardly moving..
When I got the uv light, I installed it and he basked under it for maybe 6 hours, but it was around 11 at night, so considering the cycles, I wanted to turn it off in order to leave it on for a full 12 hours the next day.. After his 6 hour bask I fed him water cress and he maybe had 5-6 strands and that was it..
Also during these four days the only time he excreted urine or faeces was when I was bathing him..
So yesterday, I left the uv light on from 11am til 11 pm and he was under it all day.. And after I turned it off, I fed him lettuce which he ate maybe a leaf and a half (lettuce leaf so quite big) and some cabbage and a little bit of water cress..
So his eating has improved under the uv lamp from what I can tell..
But the thing is, I'm worried he's not eating as much as he should be.. I am sprinkling calcium powder on all of his food and his poo seemed normal and wet looking, I didn't notice any worms in it, but to be fair, I learned about the potential for worms after I had cleaned it so didn't know to check.. I did clean it straight away as he did it while I was watching him..
When he urinated, the white metabolites seemed soft and liquid-like. However, a minute later he wee'd again and this time the white metabolites were hard and almost like one pellet of white poo.. So I researched this and it said he could be dehydrated, I have bathed him every other day.. This poo and wee I'm speaking of happened after his initial 6 hour bask under the uv lamp..
So as he wasn't eating on his own, I did more research and decided that now that I had a full enough set up with the uv light, I would start to weigh and measure him to keep notes..
He is LxWxH (including head, not just his shell) - 70mm x 50mm x 25mm
And according to the McIntyre ratio thing he should weigh 49/50g.. However, Theo only weighs 39.8/39.9g.. So he is 10g underweight..
Now when I bought him I was told he was around 3 months old.. Although he is 7cm long so I think he is closer to a year old.. But I'm thinking, a tortoise this young surely shouldn't be 10g underweight..
The thing is, I have spent a lot of money on him, and at this particular time cannot afford to have a vet look at him.. I was under the impression he would be vet assessed already.. And now I'm concerned..
Is it a case of him seriously lacking UVB and therefore not wanting to eat etc, or do you think he could be sick etc.
His eating has improved slightly since the uv has come but again it's only been a day and a half.. So I can't really tell, and he doesn't seem as active as other Russians I watch online, he won't walk around his table but will walk around when I put him in the garden or on the floor..
Please help me with whatever advice you can.. I have read care sheets and am not looking for them specifically but more personal opinions..
Also, he seems to prefer the pellet like substrate for burrowing and he doesn't seem to be interested in the soil/sand mix, although I read that that's the 'preferred' substrate.. All he seems to do is burrow, despite it being close to summer..
From what I can tell, he's eyes seem normal, his nose is not runny and his tongue seems a clear pink.
Although, he seems to do this thing with his arms where it looks as though he is wiping his eyes or blocking his eyes.. At first I thought the light might be too bright for him, but the light is 27cm away from the substrate..
The thing is, he doesn't seem to actively seek out the food or water I leave for him, but he seems to know where the food is when I am feeding him.. He doesn't walk in circles but I'm worried about his eyesight because of this arm movement.. Is he trying to protect his eyes? Or is he just moving sand/soil from his face...
I know this is extremely long and probably full of unnecessary information.. With questions all over the place? And not structured.. But I have written this on my phone as my laptop isn't working.. Please forgive the full stops and grammar etc.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.. Thank you for your time and patience..
I can post pictures of the set up and Theo if that helps...
Again, the vet is not an ideal option atm due to funds but I will definitely be booking a visit when I can afford to.. But until then, is there anyway I can tell whether he is sick or has parasites or anything like that.. Or is it due to the lighting and other factors etc.
Again sorry it's long, I have just tried to include everything..
My name is Gary and I am new to the world of Tortoises..
I have recently acquired a lovely little Russian tortoise called 'Theo'.. Although, I have some concerns about him and would like some experienced opinions..
So my set up is..
A tortoise table, measuring 77 cm x 42 cm x 12 cm
The substrate is as follows:
3/4 of the table - A mix of 1 bag of soil and 1-2 bag of sand, both bought from pets at home
1/4 of the table - tortoise grass like pellets bought from a reptile store..
An Arcadia d3 mini uv basking lamp (mercury combination one) with ceramic holder.. 27cm from substrate at one end of the table..
and then water dish, food dish, soaking dish and half a coconut to rest under.. I also have some calcium powder and tortoise food pellets, little pink ones (different to the substrate pellets mentioned earlier) and I have just ordered some cuttlefish bone..
So, here's the basics..
I bought my tortoise online and was told that he came with the table and necessary lighting etc.. However, after travelling a very long way to get him, I find out that there is no lamp and only a red (normal house looking bulb), also I was not given a choice as to what tortoise I could have, I was simply handed him, so he could be the runt of the litter for all I know, needless to say, I still love him..
But, I got him on a Friday, and because of the lighting situation, it was too late to get one, so I used the red bulb that came with him in a normal bedside lamp until the pet store was open...
So I went to the pet store, got the bulb and ceramic holder, went home to install it and the filament in the bulb was broken.. I had to wait til Monday when the new deliveries had arrived as I had purchased the last one.. Therefore, Theo was without uv light for at least 4 days and I don't know what conditions he was living in before hand...
During these four days, he didn't eat and was hardly moving..
When I got the uv light, I installed it and he basked under it for maybe 6 hours, but it was around 11 at night, so considering the cycles, I wanted to turn it off in order to leave it on for a full 12 hours the next day.. After his 6 hour bask I fed him water cress and he maybe had 5-6 strands and that was it..
Also during these four days the only time he excreted urine or faeces was when I was bathing him..
So yesterday, I left the uv light on from 11am til 11 pm and he was under it all day.. And after I turned it off, I fed him lettuce which he ate maybe a leaf and a half (lettuce leaf so quite big) and some cabbage and a little bit of water cress..
So his eating has improved under the uv lamp from what I can tell..
But the thing is, I'm worried he's not eating as much as he should be.. I am sprinkling calcium powder on all of his food and his poo seemed normal and wet looking, I didn't notice any worms in it, but to be fair, I learned about the potential for worms after I had cleaned it so didn't know to check.. I did clean it straight away as he did it while I was watching him..
When he urinated, the white metabolites seemed soft and liquid-like. However, a minute later he wee'd again and this time the white metabolites were hard and almost like one pellet of white poo.. So I researched this and it said he could be dehydrated, I have bathed him every other day.. This poo and wee I'm speaking of happened after his initial 6 hour bask under the uv lamp..
So as he wasn't eating on his own, I did more research and decided that now that I had a full enough set up with the uv light, I would start to weigh and measure him to keep notes..
He is LxWxH (including head, not just his shell) - 70mm x 50mm x 25mm
And according to the McIntyre ratio thing he should weigh 49/50g.. However, Theo only weighs 39.8/39.9g.. So he is 10g underweight..
Now when I bought him I was told he was around 3 months old.. Although he is 7cm long so I think he is closer to a year old.. But I'm thinking, a tortoise this young surely shouldn't be 10g underweight..
The thing is, I have spent a lot of money on him, and at this particular time cannot afford to have a vet look at him.. I was under the impression he would be vet assessed already.. And now I'm concerned..
Is it a case of him seriously lacking UVB and therefore not wanting to eat etc, or do you think he could be sick etc.
His eating has improved slightly since the uv has come but again it's only been a day and a half.. So I can't really tell, and he doesn't seem as active as other Russians I watch online, he won't walk around his table but will walk around when I put him in the garden or on the floor..
Please help me with whatever advice you can.. I have read care sheets and am not looking for them specifically but more personal opinions..
Also, he seems to prefer the pellet like substrate for burrowing and he doesn't seem to be interested in the soil/sand mix, although I read that that's the 'preferred' substrate.. All he seems to do is burrow, despite it being close to summer..
From what I can tell, he's eyes seem normal, his nose is not runny and his tongue seems a clear pink.
Although, he seems to do this thing with his arms where it looks as though he is wiping his eyes or blocking his eyes.. At first I thought the light might be too bright for him, but the light is 27cm away from the substrate..
The thing is, he doesn't seem to actively seek out the food or water I leave for him, but he seems to know where the food is when I am feeding him.. He doesn't walk in circles but I'm worried about his eyesight because of this arm movement.. Is he trying to protect his eyes? Or is he just moving sand/soil from his face...
I know this is extremely long and probably full of unnecessary information.. With questions all over the place? And not structured.. But I have written this on my phone as my laptop isn't working.. Please forgive the full stops and grammar etc.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.. Thank you for your time and patience..
I can post pictures of the set up and Theo if that helps...
Again, the vet is not an ideal option atm due to funds but I will definitely be booking a visit when I can afford to.. But until then, is there anyway I can tell whether he is sick or has parasites or anything like that.. Or is it due to the lighting and other factors etc.
Again sorry it's long, I have just tried to include everything..