Hello!

[Gus-Mum]

Hi everyone.

I am a first time tortoise Mum to my 2 year old Horsefield Tortoise - Augustus aka Gus.
I’ve been doing lots of research before getting Gus and look forward to learning more about him through watching him and being a part of this forum.
My fiancé built his table from scratch which is 4ftx2ft which Gus seems to be enjoying exploring and loves his little hut/bedroom.

I’m looking forward to reading through all of the threads that are on the forum to gain as much knowledge and advice as I can to ensure Gus a happy and healthy life

Georgina x

 

[SuIcata]

Welcome to the forum [emoji16]

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Georgina and welcome to the Forum!

Your enclosure is a good size for your new little man, but I'm a bit worried about his health. His eyes are squinty and not open as big as they should be. They should be bright little black buttons. I'm wondering if the light is bothering him. What brand/type light is it?

Another thing is the stuff you're feeding him. Have you actually seen him eat those pellets? Your new little baby should be eating dark, leafy greens, weeds and plants. And, if you want, you can mix in some SOAKED (to soften) pellets.

The substrate with white specks in it might encourage him to eat the substrate. This would not be good, as it might cause impaction

And lastly, He should be living in a slightly moist/humid environment. In the wild very young tortoises stay hidden, or in burrows under the ground, where it is a bit damp or humid. The humidity helps them to grow smooth shells.

We have a good care sheet for young Russian tortoises here:

https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/b...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hi Georgina

 

[Ray--Opo]

Welcome love the ramp.

 

[Gus-Mum]

Hi Georgina and welcome to the Forum!

Your enclosure is a good size for your new little man, but I'm a bit worried about his health. His eyes are squinty and not open as big as they should be. They should be bright little black buttons. I'm wondering if the light is bothering him. What brand/type light is it?

Another thing is the stuff you're feeding him. Have you actually seen him eat those pellets? Your new little baby should be eating dark, leafy greens, weeds and plants. And, if you want, you can mix in some SOAKED (to soften) pellets.

The substrate with white specks in it might encourage him to eat the substrate. This would not be good, as it might cause impaction

And lastly, He should be living in a slightly moist/humid environment. In the wild very young tortoises stay hidden, or in burrows under the ground, where it is a bit damp or humid. The humidity helps them to grow smooth shells.

We have a good care sheet for young Russian tortoises here:

https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/b...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/

Hi Yvonne

Thankyou for your reply. His eyes are normally very bright and wide open I think I had taken the photo as he had finished putting his head into the water.
He wasn’t anywhere near his light at this point as I was bathing him in warm water. He was seen by a specialist reptile vet yesterday morning for an initial registration check up and they said he’s doing great and said sometimes they can’t get a little stressed moving to a new environment but that he seems settled in himself.

Those pellets are just there as we were told to get and to keep them in the enclosure, I have attached a photo of the feed bits I have so far and I am also growing my own currently to provide him with fresh leaves to graze too, using a kit that I ordered from the tortoise shop.

In his little house he has a soil substrate which I have dampened down and then he has hay ontop of that. We also have a heat pad on the roof of the house to keep the temp warm as my house isn’t the warmest over night.

Thankyou so much for your tips & I’ll check out the care sheet too

Georgina

 

[Gus-Mum]

Hi Georgina and welcome to the Forum!

Your enclosure is a good size for your new little man, but I'm a bit worried about his health. His eyes are squinty and not open as big as they should be. They should be bright little black buttons. I'm wondering if the light is bothering him. What brand/type light is it?

Another thing is the stuff you're feeding him. Have you actually seen him eat those pellets? Your new little baby should be eating dark, leafy greens, weeds and plants. And, if you want, you can mix in some SOAKED (to soften) pellets.

The substrate with white specks in it might encourage him to eat the substrate. This would not be good, as it might cause impaction

And lastly, He should be living in a slightly moist/humid environment. In the wild very young tortoises stay hidden, or in burrows under the ground, where it is a bit damp or humid. The humidity helps them to grow smooth shells.

We have a good care sheet for young Russian tortoises here:

https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/b...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/

In the other photo at the top of his ramp he was actually sleeping there and I woke him up by taking a photo hence the squint eye, bless him.

 

[Gus-Mum]

Hi Georgina and welcome to the Forum!

Your enclosure is a good size for your new little man, but I'm a bit worried about his health. His eyes are squinty and not open as big as they should be. They should be bright little black buttons. I'm wondering if the light is bothering him. What brand/type light is it?

Another thing is the stuff you're feeding him. Have you actually seen him eat those pellets? Your new little baby should be eating dark, leafy greens, weeds and plants. And, if you want, you can mix in some SOAKED (to soften) pellets.

The substrate with white specks in it might encourage him to eat the substrate. This would not be good, as it might cause impaction

And lastly, He should be living in a slightly moist/humid environment. In the wild very young tortoises stay hidden, or in burrows under the ground, where it is a bit damp or humid. The humidity helps them to grow smooth shells.

We have a good care sheet for young Russian tortoises here:

https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/b...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/

 

[Cheryl Hills]

The hay is a very bad idea. It will not hold moister and will mold in the enclosure. Try out some fine grade fir bark on top of the soil, much better.

 

[Gus-Mum]

The hay is a very bad idea. It will not hold moister and will mold in the enclosure. Try out some fine grade fir bark on top of the soil, much better.

Oh really? It’s so hard as we’ve been told different things by different people. I’ll have a look into the bark, Thankyou so much

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Oh really? It’s so hard as we’ve been told different things by different people. I’ll have a look into the bark, Thankyou so much

Who are these people that are telling you different things ? What torts do they raise ? How long have they been raising torts ? I’ve been raising my torts for 19 years now . I’ve been with the TFO for 4-5 years . So just about everything your told on here you can take to the bank . And your very welcome to go back through our history and read more . So please we have great people here and the best info. Have a great day ![emoji217]

 

[Chasen]

Oh really? It’s so hard as we’ve been told different things by different people. I’ll have a look into the bark, Thankyou so much

Welcome, you have come to the right place. I have learned after being on this forum that 100% of the accurate information needed will be found here. There are experienced keepers here that have tried and true husbandry practices and if you follow their advice, you and your Gus will be healthy and happy.

 

[Chasen]

Hi Yvonne

Thankyou for your reply. His eyes are normally very bright and wide open I think I had taken the photo as he had finished putting his head into the water.
He wasn’t anywhere near his light at this point as I was bathing him in warm water. He was seen by a specialist reptile vet yesterday morning for an initial registration check up and they said he’s doing great and said sometimes they can’t get a little stressed moving to a new environment but that he seems settled in himself.

Those pellets are just there as we were told to get and to keep them in the enclosure, I have attached a photo of the feed bits I have so far and I am also growing my own currently to provide him with fresh leaves to graze too, using a kit that I ordered from the tortoise shop.

In his little house he has a soil substrate which I have dampened down and then he has hay ontop of that. We also have a heat pad on the roof of the house to keep the temp warm as my house isn’t the warmest over night.

Thankyou so much for your tips & I’ll check out the care sheet too

Georgina

What Yvonne is referring to is certain lighting used (even recommended by pet shops) can cause eye damage to torts.