Hows my setup?

[ashtinian]

Heyhey new to the game and had been researching for awhile and decided to bite the bullet. This is Fester.

I have a dual lamp setup, a white uva lamp and a red uvb lamp. Before anybody panics, the lamps are suspended and the red lamp is high up enough that it isn't very bright. I use a heating mat only during the night.

I have a fogger that I run once a day to make sure the humidity is just right.

I have a 1 inch thick layer of substrate with coconut Fibre. Before anybody gets upset at it not bring thick enough, I have seen him burrow and he has never reached the bottom of the tank.

I have a mix of vitamin powder supplement, dry tortoise feed, and green pepper/carrot. I have an water bowl set out for him too.

My main issue is his lack of eating or drinking. I've had him for 3 full days and he has done nothing but wander, sleep, dig, and climb on a hollow log to bask . Should I be worried? And how can I make my setup better?

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, a
nd welcome!

You may think we're picking on you and not answering your question about poor appetite, etc., BUT these things are happening because your husbandry is not right.

First off, the lights. There is no such thing as a RED UVB light, which means your tortoise isn't getting the necessary UVB. This makes a VERY huge difference in his appetite.We have found that the best UVB light is the tube type T5 fluorescent bulb.

Next is relocation stress. It takes a new to you tortoise a week.or more to settle in.

Another thing is wide open spaces. Little tortoises are prey and as such they need cover to feel safe.

Chances are good your new little Russian is wild caught so it may take him longer to acclimate to being a captive tortoise.

The last thing that jumps out at me is your light fixture. I.prefer to have single fixtures so I can place them apart in the enclosure. Also, he doesn't need a UVA light.

 

[Ink]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[wellington]

I can't tell from the pic. Adult or hatchling?
Ditch the fogger can make them sick.
The temps need to be in a range of 75-80 with a basking of 95-100.
Tube flourescent for uvb
Flood incandescent for basking
Ceramic heat emitter for night heat and added day heat if needed.
Heat mats should only be used for adults and only with a heat source above it.
If he's not drinking then soak him in warm water daily until he does start to drink. If it's a hatching continue the daily soaks for about a year. If an adult, you can cut back to a few times a month after he has started to eat and drink
Give him time to settle in, get temps, lighting and heating corr ct
Hatchlings should be in a closed chamber with 80% humidity.
Adults need a 4x8 foot enclosure with 30-50% humidity

 

[Tom]

Heyhey new to the game and had been researching for awhile and decided to bite the bullet. This is Fester.

I have a dual lamp setup, a white uva lamp and a red uvb lamp. Before anybody panics, the lamps are suspended and the red lamp is high up enough that it isn't very bright. I use a heating mat only during the night.

I have a fogger that I run once a day to make sure the humidity is just right.

I have a 1 inch thick layer of substrate with coconut Fibre. Before anybody gets upset at it not bring thick enough, I have seen him burrow and he has never reached the bottom of the tank.

I have a mix of vitamin powder supplement, dry tortoise feed, and green pepper/carrot. I have an water bowl set out for him too.

My main issue is his lack of eating or drinking. I've had him for 3 full days and he has done nothing but wander, sleep, dig, and climb on a hollow log to bask . Should I be worried? And how can I make my setup better?

Hello and welcome.

We need to start with some more info first. What species are we talking about and what size?

Now take a deep breath... We are your friends. You are NOT being attacked or insulted here. We are just trying to help. Ready? Here goes...

Most of the care info found out in the world from almost every source is all wrong. People like yourself try very hard, spend lots of money, and spend hours trying to learn what to do, but the info they/you find is all wrong. We will help you sort through all of this, but let me mention a few things that are not right:
1. Foggers should never be used blowing directly into a tortoise enclosure.
2. Those dual light fixtures are not a good way to go.
3. Red lamps, or any other color should never be used over tortoises. Just regular white bulbs.
4. Those little cfl type UV bulbs are ineffective and some of them burn reptile eyes. Those should never be used either, and that might be why he's not eating.
5. Heat mats should never be used under tortoises in indoor set ups.
6. Substrate needs to be 3-4 inches thick. This is not for burrowing. It is for humidity, while maintaining a dry-ish surface.

Okay. I hope that wasn't too painful. Here is the current and correct care info. We all wish you had found this first, but its not too late to fix things:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

Questions are welcome.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Heyhey new to the game and had been researching for awhile and decided to bite the bullet. This is Fester.

I have a dual lamp setup, a white uva lamp and a red uvb lamp. Before anybody panics, the lamps are suspended and the red lamp is high up enough that it isn't very bright. I use a heating mat only during the night.

I have a fogger that I run once a day to make sure the humidity is just right.

I have a 1 inch thick layer of substrate with coconut Fibre. Before anybody gets upset at it not bring thick enough, I have seen him burrow and he has never reached the bottom of the tank.

I have a mix of vitamin powder supplement, dry tortoise feed, and green pepper/carrot. I have an water bowl set out for him too.

My main issue is his lack of eating or drinking. I've had him for 3 full days and he has done nothing but wander, sleep, dig, and climb on a hollow log to bask . Should I be worried? And how can I make my setup better?

Hello and welcome!

I’m afraid to say you’ve researched a lot of typical outdated and incorrect care information.

Good news is you’re here now to help make the needed changes!

First up, lighting needs fixing asap! No kind of red lights are appropriate. And you need to check the basking light is a floodlight not a spot bulb.

For uv you need a t5 tube fluorescent bulb.

Heat mats aren’t a good choice if you’re using it underneath, CHE(ceramic heat emitters) are what’s recommended for night time heat.

No peppers, no carrots.

Please give this thread below a careful read, it goes over the correct equipment(lighting&heating, including the right uv!), levels, appropriately maintaining humidity, sizing, there’s a really helpful diet link too! Stick to leafy greens and safe weeds!

Housing adult Russian and Hermans indoors

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information an example of an appropriate indoor set up for an older Herman/russian. As much as it’s encouraged to have tortoises in a safe outdoor enclosure, I understand being from the uk myself, that some climates make it difficult to...

tortoiseforum.org

If a baby, read this one instead:

Housing young Russian/Herman

Hello there! In this thread, I’m going to include some information on an effective way to tackle a starter set up/a way you can build a bigger size once your baby is an adult. I know it looks a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered, I’m happy to break down any information...

tortoiseforum.org

I think this one would be really good for you to go over too! It explains some of the above points more in depth, and will help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I also highly encourage double checking purchases on here before buying!

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

please give them a read and come back with any further questions!

 

[ashtinian]

Hi, a
nd welcome!

You may think we're picking on you and not answering your question about poor appetite, etc., BUT these things are happening because your husbandry is not right.

First off, the lights. There is no such thing as a RED UVB light, which means your tortoise isn't getting the necessary UVB. This makes a VERY huge difference in his appetite.We have found that the best UVB light is the tube type T5 fluorescent bulb.

Next is relocation stress. It takes a new to you tortoise a week.or more to settle in.

Another thing is wide open spaces. Little tortoises are prey and as such they need cover to feel safe.

Chances are good your new little Russian is wild caught so it may take him longer to acclimate to being a captive tortoise.

The last thing that jumps out at me is your light fixture. I.prefer to have single fixtures so I can place them apart in the enclosure. Also, he doesn't need a UVA light.

thank you very much! Just talked to my brother, he bought me the wrong bulb. I will look into the lighting situation immediately.

And you are dead on with him needing cover! he just went and hid under a log right after making this post!

 

[ashtinian]

I can't tell from the pic. Adult or hatchling?
Ditch the fogger can make them sick.
The temps need to be in a range of 75-80 with a basking of 95-100.
Tube flourescent for uvb
Flood incandescent for basking
Ceramic heat emitter for night heat and added day heat if needed.
Heat mats should only be used for adults and only with a heat source above it.
If he's not drinking then soak him in warm water daily until he does start to drink. If it's a hatching continue the daily soaks for about a year. If an adult, you can cut back to a few times a month after he has started to eat and drink
Give him time to settle in, get temps, lighting and heating corr ct
Hatchlings should be in a closed chamber with 80% humidity.
Adults need a 4x8 foot enclosure with 30-50% humidity

my tortoise is roughly a year old, is this considered an adult?

 

[wellington]

my tortoise is roughly a year old, is this considered an adult?

No, if only a year, than I would get him in a closed chamber.
However, if you bought him from a pet store then he is a lot older than a year and is likely Wild Caught and more like 8-10 years give or take. They lie about their ages
If it's from a breeder, than it's likely correct.

 

[ashtinian]

No, if only a year, than I would get him in a closed chamber.
However, if you bought him from a pet store then he is a lot older than a year and is likely Wild Caught and more like 8-10 years give or take. They lie about their ages
If it's from a breeder, than it's likely correct.

It was a store

 

[wellington]

It was a store

Then he's not a year old. Post a good full pic of him and we can confirm.

 

[ashtinian]

he is currently sleeping, should I still pull him out, or wait till tomorrow when he wakes up

 

[ashtinian]

Then he's not a year old. Post a good full pic of him and we can confirm.

Then he's not a year old. Post a good full pic of him and we can confirm.

Found this pic after digging a little