How to give my tortoise her best life

[denisepoot]

Hi!
I have a Russian tortoise and i've had her for about half a year. Lately, ive been feeling I'm not doing the best with "raising" her, so I need help. She lives in a tank, which i think is around 70 gallons (?) and has an an advanced heating and lighting situation because thats what the person at the reptile store advised me to do. It also has a water bowl, rocks, and a little cave thing (obviously). The person at the reptile store said tanks are ok for tortoises, but now other people are saying that tanks are bad, so now i'm not sure. Many people here say that tortoises should fully live outside, but I live in the Pacific Northwest, and its cold and rainy most of the year, so i can really only take her out during summer and some of spring. I have a pen that i will use in the summer to let her hang outside safely. For the rest of the year, I take her in safe places around the house but she rarely seems super into it. She also spends almost all of her time in her cage burrowed, which worries me. She eats normally though, and always gets up in the morning to eat her food. So, I guess i'm just wondering if the situation that I have now is enough? What do i do to give her the best life in the situation that I have? Help is very much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Tom]

Hi!
I have a Russian tortoise and i've had her for about half a year. Lately, ive been feeling I'm not doing the best with "raising" her, so I need help. She lives in a tank, which i think is around 70 gallons (?) and has an an advanced heating and lighting situation because thats what the person at the reptile store advised me to do. It also has a water bowl, rocks, and a little cave thing (obviously). The person at the reptile store said tanks are ok for tortoises, but now other people are saying that tanks are bad, so now i'm not sure. Many people here say that tortoises should fully live outside, but I live in the Pacific Northwest, and its cold and rainy most of the year, so i can really only take her out during summer and some of spring. I have a pen that i will use in the summer to let her hang outside safely. For the rest of the year, I take her in safe places around the house but she rarely seems super into it. She also spends almost all of her time in her cage burrowed, which worries me. She eats normally though, and always gets up in the morning to eat her food. So, I guess i'm just wondering if the situation that I have now is enough? What do i do to give her the best life in the situation that I have? Help is very much appreciated. Thanks!

Many people run into these problems. There is so much bad info circulating around on tortoise care... How do you know who to listen to? Pet stores are usually terrible sources of tortoise care info and usually sell people the wrong products.

Tanks are great for starting babies, but they are too small for adults.

You'll have to post a picture of the enclosure for us to give an opinion.

Indoors in a large enclosure most of the year, and outdoors when the weather is good works fine. Just make sure the indoor set up is large and correct.

What substrate are you using? Is it damp? What type of UV bulb have you got? Is it a cfl type?

Here is the current and correct care info. Read this and then come back with all your questions:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Ray--Opo]

Welcome, like Tom said. We really need to see your enclosure to help you out. The correct lighting is important. Staying burrowed all the time there might be a heating problem or the lights could be bothering the eyes.

 

[denisepoot]

Welcome, like Tom said. We really need to see your enclosure to help you out. The correct lighting is important. Staying burrowed all the time there might be a heating problem or the lights could be bothering the eyes.

 

[denisepoot]

Many people run into these problems. There is so much bad info circulating around on tortoise care... How do you know who to listen to? Pet stores are usually terrible sources of tortoise care info and usually sell people the wrong products.

Tanks are great for starting babies, but they are too small for adults.

You'll have to post a picture of the enclosure for us to give an opinion.

Indoors in a large enclosure most of the year, and outdoors when the weather is good works fine. Just make sure the indoor set up is large and correct.

What substrate are you using? Is it damp? What type of UV bulb have you got? Is it a cfl type?

Here is the current and correct care info. Read this and then come back with all your questions:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

Here is her enclosure.. it does feel pretty small, which is my main concern and why I’m writing this. Her substrate is wood chips, it’s not damp. Again, that’s what the person at the reptile store said, but I guess I wasn’t supposed to trust her completely. For heat/lighting, there’s a heat mat under, a uv strip lamp, and day and night lamps that I flip. I’ve wondered if there’s a problem with the temperature in her cage before because she spends so much time burrowed but she blinks and eats fine and I think that’s a good sign? Idk, what do you guys think? Im sorry, i swear I did research but people had different answers and different situations and it just was hard to find what to do for my specific situation. If the tank is too small, what is my next step?

 

[Tom]

Here is her enclosure.. it does feel pretty small, which is my main concern and why I’m writing this. Her substrate is wood chips, it’s not damp. Again, that’s what the person at the reptile store said, but I guess I wasn’t supposed to trust her completely. For heat/lighting, there’s a heat mat under, a uv strip lamp, and day and night lamps that I flip. I’ve wondered if there’s a problem with the temperature in her cage before because she spends so much time burrowed but she blinks and eats fine and I think that’s a good sign? Idk, what do you guys think? Im sorry, i swear I did research but people had different answers and different situations and it just was hard to find what to do for my specific situation. If the tank is too small, what is my next step?

You've got the right substrate, you just need more of it and it needs to e dampened. Dump a gallon of water in there. How much water to dump and how often varies tremendously which each enclosure. Go by feel. Ideally the bottom layers will be damp and the upper layers will remain dry-ish while wicking up moisture from underneath and keeping some moderate humidity. Dry dusty substrate and low humidity can cause the eye problems you are having.

Get rid of that water bowl. They are a flipping/drowning hazard. Replace that and the food bowl with cheap terra cotta saucers from the hardware store and sink them into the substrate.

About enclosure sze: Buy or build a bigger one. Simple as that.

Read the care sheet for all the correct info and here is a heating and lighting break down:
There are four elements to heating and lighting:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night.
3. Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.

Questions are welcome!

 

[Ray--Opo]

Tom has covered it well. Read the caresheets. This forum has all the updated information. If you stay with this forum you wont get confused by other sites and info.

 

[denisepoot]

You've got the right substrate, you just need more of it and it needs to e dampened. Dump a gallon of water in there. How much water to dump and how often varies tremendously which each enclosure. Go by feel. Ideally the bottom layers will be damp and the upper layers will remain dry-ish while wicking up moisture from underneath and keeping some moderate humidity. Dry dusty substrate and low humidity can cause the eye problems you are having.

Get rid of that water bowl. They are a flipping/drowning hazard. Replace that and the food bowl with cheap terra cotta saucers from the hardware store and sink them into the substrate.

About enclosure sze: Buy or build a bigger one. Simple as that.

Read the care sheet for all the correct info and here is a heating and lighting break down:
There are four elements to heating and lighting:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night.
3. Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.

Questions are welcome!

OK! thank you so much for your input! Final question: In a climate where she cannot be outside very often, how do i keep her happy? How much time does she need outside her cage? what do you recommend i do with her when shes outside her cage other than just let her run around and explore? When its hot outside, ill make sure she has a great habitat outside, but I can't do that year round

 

[Ray--Opo]

Reading the caresheets you will find a indoor Russian will need at least a 4' x 8' enclosure. The bigger the better, then there will be no need to let your tort run around the house. Which is not recommended for tortoises.

 

[Tom]

OK! thank you so much for your input! Final question: In a climate where she cannot be outside very often, how do i keep her happy? How much time does she need outside her cage? what do you recommend i do with her when shes outside her cage other than just let her run around and explore? When its hot outside, ill make sure she has a great habitat outside, but I can't do that year round

Make her happy with a large indoor enclosure that has sight barriers and decor, and an even larger outdoor enclosure with even more "stuff" in it for when the weather is warm enough.

Your tortoise should never be loose in the house. Its not safe and can't be made safe.