Looking to get a Russian Tort have some questions on age to get and where

[detort]

Hi, I'm new to the forum and joined because my 12 year old wants a tortoise. We have decided on a Russian because of the smaller size. I have read the care guide on here and so much other information that my head is spinning. I want to make sure I have everything in place before getting one and make sure we know exactly what it will take to care for it properly. I have only one question on set up, what kind of light fixture is best? I saw the clamp one isn't good, so wondering what type I should get. My main question though is since this is for my 12 year old should I just get a wc adult from the local pet store or would it be better to pay more and get one from a breeder that is an adult or younger? Any help with this is greatly appreciated.

 

[SweetGreekTorts]

I use the fluorescent Arcadia UVB light, with a separate UVA bulb for basking.

And I recommend buying a captive-bred over a wild-caught. If you buy a wild-caught one, another will be pulled from the wild to take its place at the store. Also, the wild-caught torts are often sick and loaded with parasites, so by the time you get it healthy with vet bills, you will have paid what you would have (or more) for a much healthier captive-bred from a reputable breeder.

 

[detort]

I use the fluorescent Arcadia UVB light, with a separate UVA bulb for basking.

And I recommend buying a captive-bred over a wild-caught. If you buy a wild-caught one, another will be pulled from the wild to take its place at the store. Also, the wild-caught torts are often sick and loaded with parasites, so by the time you get it healthy with vet bills, you will have paid what you would have (or more) for a much healthier captive-bred from a reputable breeder.
[/Q

I use the fluorescent Arcadia UVB light, with a separate UVA bulb for basking.

And I recommend buying a captive-bred over a wild-caught. If you buy a wild-caught one, another will be pulled from the wild to take its place at the store. Also, the wild-caught torts are often sick and loaded with parasites, so by the time you get it healthy with vet bills, you will have paid what you would have (or more) for a much healthier captive-bred from a reputable breeder.

Thank you so much for this info. What kind of lamp do you put the basking bulb in?

 

[Tom]

Hi, I'm new to the forum and joined because my 12 year old wants a tortoise. We have decided on a Russian because of the smaller size. I have read the care guide on here and so much other information that my head is spinning. I want to make sure I have everything in place before getting one and make sure we know exactly what it will take to care for it properly. I have only one question on set up, what kind of light fixture is best? I saw the clamp one isn't good, so wondering what type I should get. My main question though is since this is for my 12 year old should I just get a wc adult from the local pet store or would it be better to pay more and get one from a breeder that is an adult or younger? Any help with this is greatly appreciated.

Hello and welcome. The clamp fixtures with the ceramic bases are exactly what you want to use. Just don't use the clamp. Instead, hang the fixture from over head so you can adjust the height up or down to get the correct basking temperature under it.

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.
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. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT.
3. 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 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. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html

Not sure which care sheet you saw, but this is the most current and correct care info;

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

Buy directly from a breeder. Don't buy from a pet store or re-seller. I highly recommend @Carol S