Looking for some help with new tortoise

[Stephenxiii]

We have just came into parenthood of this wee guy.
We had gotten it from a pet store that was closing down.
We asked what would happen if nobody had taken it by the end of the day and they said it would be destroyed so we made an impulse and took him
Totally inexperienced.

We have had him since Wednesday seems to be setting in well but seems to sleep loads and eats but not much

So we’re looking for help on
rough age
Sex
Species
Dietary Guidelines
Is our make up enclosure okay
The bulb is 100w and is 12” from substrate
Currently feeding on curly kale, rocket, leafy greens, blackberries and bell peppers, water cress we also bought dried plants and have a calcium block.

We also have a big garden that we will put an outside enclosure in

Any help would be appreciated as we went in blind

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello and welcome!
Thank you for stepping in for this little guy It's a Russian tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii). Probably a male (I can't see a tail clearly, but it looks long enough). Your tortoise is probably around 5-7 years old (age when they reach sexual maturity), but there is really no way to tell tortoise age.

A few quick notes on husbandry:
1. Don't feed him fruit, this species isn't good at processing sugars and this may cause problems with his gut flora.
2. He needs to be well hydrated - always a water dish (large enough to get into) should be available. Clay saucers (used under plant pots) - are the best ones. Also, soaking him in warm water will be beneficial (most likely he was kept dry for his whole life).
3. Sandy substrate with limestone pieces in it is a bad choice for tortoises. See if you can get orchid bark or coco coir (coco peat) from your local garden center.

Please ask any questions, we will help to set up evetything.

This link will be your guide to the world of tortoise keeping:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/info-for-new-people-please-read-this-first.202363/ (and temperate species care sheet at the bottom).

 

[TammyJ]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Those pet shop people know how to make a deal, don't they? Anyway you got yourself a nice little Russian tortoise. You came to the right place for help!

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Welcome to the forum!

It looks like a male that might still have some growing to do but not much.

I would stop feeding bell peppers and black berries. Otherwise the current feeding is fine. You should look into some tortoise safe weeds to provide a larger variety in the future and some pellets like mazuri to supplement fiber when feeding grocery store greens.

The make up enclousure is too small, so you will need to upgrade in the future. What kind is that bulb? Is it a combo bulb or only for heat? If it is a combo bulb, I would take it out and get separeta heating and UVB. If it is just for heat, you should get a separate UVB light to provide UVB on colder days.

Also, a outdoor enclosure is a great idea!

We are here for all your questions! ☺️

 

[Stephenxiii]

Welcome to the forum!

It looks like a male that might still have some growing to do but not much.

I would stop feeding bell peppers and black berries. Otherwise the current feeding is fine. You should look into some tortoise safe weeds to provide a larger variety in the future and some pellets like mazuri to supplement fiber when feeding grocery store greens.

The make up enclousure is too small, so you will need to upgrade in the future. What kind is that bulb? Is it a combo bulb or only for heat? If it is a combo bulb, I would take it out and get separeta heating and UVB. If it is just for heat, you should get a separate UVB light to provide UVB on colder days.

Also, a outdoor enclosure is a great idea!

We are here for all your questions! ☺️

This is the bulb we got

 

[Tim Carlisle]

This is the bulb we got

Do you have a UVB bulb as well? If so, what type are you using?

 

[Stephenxiii]

I don’t i thought that done it too
Looking at the box it says uva I’m guessing that’s the wrong kind

Is there a bulb that does both

 

[Tim Carlisle]

I don’t i thought that done it too
Looking at the box it says uva I’m guessing that’s the wrong kind

Is there a bulb that does both

Some bulbs do both, but we don't generally recommend them (mercury vapor and halogen bulbs). We do recommend the T5 HO florescent tube lights though. They don't produce basking heat, so that basking bulb you have will work nicely with it.

 

[Stephenxiii]

Some bulbs do both, but we don't generally recommend them (mercury vapor and halogen bulbs). We do recommend the T5 HO florescent tube lights though. They don't produce basking heat, so that basking bulb you have will work nicely with it.

And would the Florescent tube be okay near that basking bulb or would it be located somewhere else

 

[Tim Carlisle]

And would the Florescent tube be okay near that basking bulb or would it be located somewhere else

The basking bulb should be located adjacent to the T5 bulb. The UVB will help with vitamin D3 production which aids in calcium metabolism. The basking heat aids in the digestion process. Please look over that care sheet link that @Alex and the Redfoot referenced. It will explain everything you need for your new friend.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

And would the Florescent tube be okay near that basking bulb or would it be located somewhere else

Just in case, while it's summer you can postpone buying a UVB lamp. If you can quickly fence an area in your garden with some shade and sunny spots you can put him outside during the day and he will get enough UV (2-3 hours a week is usually enough). Also you may combine daily soakings with sunbathing (15-30 minutes, around 10-11AM on sunny days), but don't leave him without supervision so he doesn't get too cold or overheat.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello and welcome to the forum! Bless you for taking this guy in🥰you indeed have a Russian tortoise as the others have said😊

Hopefully this information below helps! I know it’s a lengthy response and a lot to go over, but it’s definitely worth getting your head around for your new guy to thrive in your care❤️

As adults they need a minimum of an 8x4 enclosure, roaming is vital to tortoise health, it aids digestion and strengthen their muscles.
As much as it’s encouraged to have tortoises in a safe outdoor enclosure, I understand being from the uk myself, that our climate makes it difficult to house outdoors full time, an outdoor enclosure is great for them to enjoy on summer days though! I would generally discourage free roaming outside of a safe enclosure.

Care advice for these guys is painfully behind, fb pages, YouTube, pet stores, they’re all repeating the same outdated advice, this forum is made of people who have spent years finding the best ways to care for them that actually result in healthy tortoise, so hope to see you stick around😁

I’m going to include some information below on an example of an appropriate indoor set up, it includes the correct levels and equipment etc, including the appropriate indoor uv

Basking light should be an incandescent floodlight(example attached) on a 12 hour timer.

Basking temperature directly under the floodlight should be 95-100f. The rest of the enclosure should be ranging 75-80 during the day.

You may also wish to add ambient lighting on the same timer, providing shady areas with hides and safe plants.

Then CHE/CHE’s(ceramic heat emitters) always on a thermostat, for night heat if your house drops below 60’s at night. Set the thermostat for a night temperature place the probe in their cooler end, plug the che into it and the thermostat into the mains, it’ll be plugged in 24/7 but will only turn on when the temperature drops. We’re a cold climate so you may need these.

Indoor Uv should be a t5 fluorescent tube, avoid the compact and coil uv bulbs, they don’t give out enough uv and can hurt the tortoises eyes. The uv can be on a 4 hour timer from noon. I’ve attached examples of the two brands to go for and some examples of how to mount them. I’d personally go with the Arcadia because it comes with the reflector fitting needed to mount it.

With lighting always avoid anything labelled halogen or mercury vapour.

For substrates, either coco coir, dampened and packed down by hand as a base, with a layer of orchid(fir not pine) bark or forest floor on top, or just the orchid bark/forest floor. Never use anything with sand mixed in, no top soils and no kinds of moss. The problem with top soil is unless you’ve composted it yourself, you don’t know what kind of plants have gone into it, it could be something toxic. Sand can irritate the eyes and be an impaction risk, moss is an impaction risk too.

You want to aim to have the bottom layer of substrate damp, to do this pour lukewarm water into the corners, not loads but enough to dampen the entire bottom layer. To stop that top layer getting a little too dry/dusty, mix the substrate now n then. Check your monitors and substrate to do the pours as and when needed.

I’d personally recommend you make your own base to go as big as you possibly can for the space you have. The closer you can get to an 8x4 size the better.

When making your base, just make sure the material is safe, some use flower beds, or take a large bookcase, take out the shelves and lie flat, or just make their own, for all these options I’d line with cheap pond liner to protect the base, making sure the liner goes up the sides too and make sure those sides are deep enough! They can be professional escape artists😂

I’ve also included examples of stands people make/buy to hang their lighting, use a temperature gun to determine how high the basking bulb needs to be, the uv I suggested needs to be mounted 18-20 inches from the substrate. Dome fittings work well in projecting the heat down, just don’t solely rely on the clamp fittings those come with.

For a water dish a shallow terracotta saucer is considered safest, they have grip in the event your tortoise flips themselves, most pet store options are a known hazard.

I’d also always recommend getting your hands on a temp gun, they’re SO handy when setting up a new environment or for checking your monitors are correct🙂

Also you may find this link below useful for some food ideas! you can buy seeds online and plant in organic soil(free of chemicals) in a planter the tortoises don’t have access to, and forage from them as they grow😊there’s lots of plants in the wildflower section that grow great in our uk climate! As others have said, no fruits, and I’d stop the pepper too👍

The Tortoise Table - Home

The Tortoise Table plant database and resource site for Tortoise owners

www.thetortoisetable.org.uk

Any further questions, please ask away and feel free to run any new purchases by here, could save you some time and money🥰

 

[Stephenxiii]

Thanks for all the advice, will the wee guy be okay in this current set up for a week or two while I get all the bits and bobs required for a bigger and better home.

Do you recommend anywhere in the UK that I can buy the substrate from?

And I seen someone above said mines look between 5/7 year old how can you tell & is there a size guideline for determining roughly how old they are

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Thanks for all the advice, will the wee guy be okay in this current set up for a week or two while I get all the bits and bobs required for a bigger and better home.

Do you recommend anywhere in the UK that I can buy the substrate from?

And I seen someone above said mines look between 5/7 year old how can you tell & is there a size guideline for determining roughly how old they are

No problem at all! Always happy to help! Yes the current set up will be fine for a few weeks whilst you get sorted, there are a few things that could do with changing sooner though, the substrate looks to be some sort of top soil? I’m seeing small gravel pieces which are an impaction risk.
If you’re able to get next day delivery on Amazon, I’d recommend you get this coco coir:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07FW653X2/?tag=

Follow the instructions on how to activate it, and when putting into the enclosure firmly pack it down by hand. Make sure it’s kept relatively damp, you don’t want it getting dusty.
You could add some orchid bark on top to help keep it damp underneath(still do little pours when needed) you can get decent sized bags with the habistat and pro rep brand here in the uk. Or go with forest floor.

Another thing I’d change as soon as you can is the bulb to a floodlight like the example I provided, I’d get a temp gun(again next day delivery on Amazon would be handy lol) to get the basking temp right, then scan the parameter of the enclosure to make sure it’s warm enough, if it isn’t(this goes for night time too) I’d get yourself the ceramic bulb I mentioned👍some natural daily uv would be good until you can get the appropriate uv, put them in a safe secure run with shade options though🙂

I’d also switch the water bowl to a terracotta as soon as you can🙂

Age wise, ultimately there’s no way to know for certain exactly how old your guy is without a hatch date, however judging by the tail, they’re already appearing male(a better photo would confirm this) once they start appearing male or female, they’ve at least roughly reached the age of sexual maturity(5+) Russians don’t get very big but yours doesn’t appear quite fully grown yet, hence Alex has given an estimate of 5-7years, it’s a good educated guess and probably the best we’ll have, but ultimately there’s lots of factors that can effect a tortoises growth rates too, so again, any age estimate is always a guess at best, hope that clears things up😊