My year old tortoise

[Nae_xx]

Hi, im relatively new of taking care of my one year old tortoise id like to know what substrate and plants would be best for his enclosure he/she loves to dig and hide but hes also very active and very eager to come out of his enclosure. I currently have a dirt like substance as my substrate but i dont think that thats the best fit😭 its too dry all the time. My tortoise also hates soaking? Is that a weird trait i feel like he/she gets stressed he he has to soak the water temp is always warm to me. He has quite a big enclosure but prefers to sleep out in a corner or under his “logs/bark” im trying to make him or her as happy as possible Any advice would help🙏🏽

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello and welcome to the forum!🐢💚

The substrate looks to be some kind of top soil will small grit pieces which can definitely become a problem, they can swallow those small pieces, which can lead to blockages, so you’re right that it needs switching.
If wanting to keep with the ‘dirt’ route, the safest option is coco coir, it comes in dry blocks, add the amount of water it tells you on the packet, make sure it’s all nice and damp and firmly packed down by hand, leaving it ‘fluffy’ will have it dry out faster which you don’t want.

As yours is still only a yearling, they need higher humidity(80+) which can only be maintained in a closed chamber set up.

Don’t worry if they appear stressed during a soak, lots of tortoises get fussy during, it’s actually not a bad thing, it gets them moving and is good exercise, which also helps them poop during. For one as young as yours, daily half hour soaks is best🙂

What kind of heating/lighting are you using?

Hopefully you’ll find this thread below useful to go through, I cover set up, correct equipment, levels etc and there’s a good link for the diet side of things😊

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

Any further questions on anything please do ask away, they’ll always be someone to help advise🥰

 

[Nae_xx]

Hello and welcome to the forum!🐢💚

The substrate looks to be some kind of top soil will small grit pieces which can definitely become a problem, they can swallow those small pieces, which can lead to blockages, so you’re right that it needs switching.
If wanting to keep with the ‘dirt’ route, the safest option is coco coir, it comes in dry blocks, add the amount of water it tells you on the packet, make sure it’s all nice and damp and firmly packed down by hand, leaving it ‘fluffy’ will have it dry out faster which you don’t want.

As yours is still only a yearling, they need higher humidity(80+) which can only be maintained in a closed chamber set up.

Don’t worry if they appear stressed during a soak, lots of tortoises get fussy during, it’s actually not a bad thing, it gets them moving and is good exercise, which also helps them poop during. For one as young as yours, daily half hour soaks is best🙂

What kind of heating/lighting are you using?

Hopefully you’ll find this thread below useful to go through, I cover set up, correct equipment, levels etc and there’s a good link for the diet side of things😊

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

Any further questions on anything please do ask away, they’ll always be someone to help advise🥰

Hello and welcome to the forum!🐢💚

The substrate looks to be some kind of top soil will small grit pieces which can definitely become a problem, they can swallow those small pieces, which can lead to blockages, so you’re right that it needs switching.
If wanting to keep with the ‘dirt’ route, the safest option is coco coir, it comes in dry blocks, add the amount of water it tells you on the packet, make sure it’s all nice and damp and firmly packed down by hand, leaving it ‘fluffy’ will have it dry out faster which you don’t want.

As yours is still only a yearling, they need higher humidity(80+) which can only be maintained in a closed chamber set up.

Don’t worry if they appear stressed during a soak, lots of tortoises get fussy during, it’s actually not a bad thing, it gets them moving and is good exercise, which also helps them poop during. For one as young as yours, daily half hour soaks is best🙂

What kind of heating/lighting are you using?

Hopefully you’ll find this thread below useful to go through, I cover set up, correct equipment, levels etc and there’s a good link for the diet side of things😊

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

Any further questions on anything please do ask away, they’ll always be someone to help advise🥰

Thank you so☺️ much im using a basking spot lamp the rounded one in its enclosure I’ve ensured that theres Secure objects and bark that he/she can climb on to get closer to the lamp if needed and theres a big shaded area too. For a tortoise this young would you recommend an orchid substrate

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Thank you so☺️ much im using a basking spot lamp the rounded one in its enclosure I’ve ensured that theres Secure objects and bark that he/she can climb on to get closer to the lamp if needed and theres a big shaded area too. For a tortoise this young would you recommend an orchid substrate

No problem at all!
It looks to be a basking floodlight which is fine, just make sure directly under that bulb is getting to the desired basking temperature, which is 95-100f, the rest of the enclosure should be ranging 75-80 during the day👍 a good way to check all this is with a temperature gun, it comes in handy when finding the right height for your basking light, and of course always have some digital monitors running🙂

Tort will also need a UV light, the two reliable brands to go for are zoo med and Arcadia. As you’re in the uk, I’d go with the Arcadia, best on the market, just type in ‘Arcadia proT5 kit 12%’ and it’ll come up, the 24watt will do you. It needs mounting 18-20 inches from top of the tortoises shell, I got over different examples on how to mount it in that link above😁

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Also substrate wise, some say they prefer just the coir, some prefer a layer of orchid bark on top, some use just the bark, it’s down to preference🙂if your guy likes digging in the dirt, they’ll probably like the coir😊

 

[Nae_xx]

No problem at all!
It looks to be a basking floodlight which is fine, just make sure directly under that bulb is getting to the desired basking temperature, which is 95-100f, the rest of the enclosure should be ranging 75-80 during the day👍 a good way to check all this is with a temperature gun, it comes in handy when finding the right height for your basking light, and of course always have some digital monitors running🙂

Tort will also need a UV light, the two reliable brands to go for are zoo med and Arcadia. As you’re in the uk, I’d go with the Arcadia, best on the market, just type in ‘Arcadia proT5 kit 12%’ and it’ll come up, the 24watt will do you. It needs mounting 18-20 inches from top of the tortoises shell, I got over different examples on how to mount it in that link above😁

Thank you so much ill get that uv light.