Myrtle says hello

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TortoiseLuv0131

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Please welcome my RT Myrtle!
P4210001_zps54969f4b.jpg


We live in a ZooMed Tortoise House...
P6050003_zps51861fc8.jpg


...This is our living room (it's a little messy right now hehe)...
P6050004_zps64053d65.jpg

FOOD!!!
P4030004_zps8a5594a2.jpg


...And our bedroom.
P6050005_zps507892b7.jpg


Every day we go outside to run for 30 minutes...
P3150035_zpsfa09f391.jpg


...And then we go into our ZooMed Tortoise Run for another 2 hours, if the weather is fine.
P3140014_zps1084937c.jpg


And then...we go back to our house...goodnight...
P4230022_zps9c736b75.jpg
 

theelectraco

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Cute oil Russian you have there. I see you def made a nice effort with your new tortoise. However, both enclosures are too small, especially the outdoor pen. If you are going to house your new Russian in the zoo med house (which is much too small for a Russian, and I would connect a second one so he has more room) his outdoor enclosure needs to be much bigger. In the wild, Russians roam freely and travel far....your outdoor pen for him should be a minimum of 5x10 feet. You can place that zoo med pen inside it so he has a hidey house, but he needs a larger roaming area with lots of plants and obstacles. The outdoor pen doesn't need to be elaborate, a couple 1x12s screwed together with caps in the corners and a few plants and pots on their sides will do.


0.1.0 Dachshund
0.0.1 Redfoot
1.0.0 Greek
0.0.1 Crested Gecko
 

TortoiseLuv0131

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theelectraco said:
Cute oil Russian you have there. I see you def made a nice effort with your new tortoise. However, both enclosures are too small, especially the outdoor pen. If you are going to house your new Russian in the zoo med house (which is much too small for a Russian, and I would connect a second one so he has more room) his outdoor enclosure needs to be much bigger. In the wild, Russians roam freely and travel far....your outdoor pen for him should be a minimum of 5x10 feet. You can place that zoo med pen inside it so he has a hidey house, but he needs a larger roaming area with lots of plants and obstacles. The outdoor pen doesn't need to be elaborate, a couple 1x12s screwed together with caps in the corners and a few plants and pots on their sides will do.


0.1.0 Dachshund
0.0.1 Redfoot
1.0.0 Greek
0.0.1 Crested Gecko

I know that that's a little small for my Russian :(. We've been moving around with her for years, so I couldn't build a large outdoor enclosure. The fact that she gets to run free for 30-60 minutes does help her get exercise, but someday I would like to build her a large outside enclosure, when we get to our permanent house, and house her outside. Thanks for your concern.


jeffstort said:
Cool he looks just like my russian

mctlong said:
What a beautiful Russian!!! One of the most gorgeous I've seen.

Thank you both so much! :D jeffstort, I'd love to see a pic of your tort someday ;)
 

theelectraco

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ImageUploadedByTortForum1370448680.081279.jpg

This pic will give you a little insight on what you can build without it being permanent. If you use screws this could even be disassembled and could move with you. Something like this does not cost a lot of money and is really the bare minimum for a Russian IMO.


0.1.0 Dachshund
0.0.1 Redfoot
1.0.0 Greek
0.0.1 Crested Gecko
 
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TortoiseLuv0131

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I talked to my Dad yesterday and he said that we can definitely make a cage like the pic you posted above! (We built a 12' sq. hamster cage together :D.) He has to get settled in his new job first, though, so it will probably be about 6 weeks before Myrtle can move into her new house.


theelectraco said:
This pic will give you a little insight on what you can build without it being permanent. If you use screws this could even be disassembled and could move with you. Something like this does not cost a lot of money and is really the bare minimum for a Russian IMO.


0.1.0 Dachshund
0.0.1 Redfoot
1.0.0 Greek
0.0.1 Crested Gecko

I'm just a bit confused...is this pic of the indoor cage or outdoor cage? I'd like to make one that I can put inside OR outside. Is your idea that I could make something like that picture for the outdoor pen and then use the ZooMed Tortoise House for her inside cage?
Also...what is a cheap but good quality bedding? The bedding I'm using right now is a bit expensive, and my mom is flipping out at the idea of 5x10' of it. LOL...:p


I'm sorry...more questions. Will I need additional UVB lamps & heat lamps with that large of an enclosure? I could buy 1 or 2 more UVB lamps and 1 more heat lamp to make 2 basking spots and a pretty full spectrum of UVB throughout the whole cage.
 

theelectraco

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The pic I posted you should use for your outdoor enclosure. For substrate you can use dirt, top soil, or cypress mulch....you can buy big bags for cheap at Home Depot or lowes.


0.1.0 Dachshund
0.0.1 Redfoot
1.0.0 Greek
0.0.1 Crested Gecko
 

TortoiseLuv0131

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And another...(sorry!) The average humidity is 73 degrees where I live - 70-80 percent during the day, around 50+ percent at night. It is quite warm year round. Could I put Myrtle outside in that enclosure 24/7, especially during the summer?


theelectraco said:
The pic I posted you should use for your outdoor enclosure. For substrate you can use dirt, top soil, or cypress mulch....you can buy big bags for cheap at Home Depot or lowes.


0.1.0 Dachshund
0.0.1 Redfoot
1.0.0 Greek
0.0.1 Crested Gecko

Thank you! I am thinking of using a mix of sand and coconut fiber. Do you think this will work?
 

theelectraco

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TortoiseLuv0131 said:
And another...(sorry!) The average humidity is 73 degrees where I live - 70-80 percent during the day, around 50+ percent at night. It is quite warm year round. Could I put Myrtle outside in that enclosure 24/7, especially during the summer?


theelectraco said:
The pic I posted you should use for your outdoor enclosure. For substrate you can use dirt, top soil, or cypress mulch....you can buy big bags for cheap at Home Depot or lowes.


0.1.0 Dachshund
0.0.1 Redfoot
1.0.0 Greek
0.0.1 Crested Gecko

Thank you! I am thinking of using a mix of sand and coconut fiber. Do you think this will work?



I would avoid the sand since it has a risk to impact. Hat exactly are you summer temps where you live?


0.1.0 Dachshund
0.0.1 Redfoot
1.0.0 Greek
0.0.1 Crested Gecko
 

TortoiseLuv0131

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It's about 50 degrees (average high 63, average low 39) in winter, and can get up to 93 degrees in summer (especially July/August - average high 93, average low 73).
 

theelectraco

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Those temps sound good to me for the summer, I am no expert tho. Also, for winter you would have to be prepared for hibernation if you do decide to house outdoors.


0.1.0 Dachshund
0.0.1 Redfoot
1.0.0 Greek
0.0.1 Crested Gecko
 

TortoiseLuv0131

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Yeah...I've only had Myrtle for 1 year and haven't hibernated her yet. I'm not sure I'm comfortable doing that yet. I would probably house her indoors for the 4-5 months that it really gets cold. That would also cut down on her UVB/heat lamp costs :)
Thanks so much for all your help! I really appreciate it. Myrtle thanks you too!
 

james1974

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Re: RE: Myrtle says hello

TortoiseLuv0131 said:
Please welcome my RT Myrtle!
P4210001_zps54969f4b.jpg


We live in a ZooMed Tortoise House...
P6050003_zps51861fc8.jpg


...This is our living room (it's a little messy right now hehe)...
P6050004_zps64053d65.jpg

FOOD!!!
P4030004_zps8a5594a2.jpg


...And our bedroom.
P6050005_zps507892b7.jpg


Every day we go outside to run for 30 minutes...
P3150035_zpsfa09f391.jpg


...And then we go into our ZooMed Tortoise Run for another 2 hours, if the weather is fine.
P3140014_zps1084937c.jpg


And then...we go back to our house...goodnight...
P4230022_zps9c736b75.jpg

Awesome looking Russian Tortoise and welcome.:) She has a great color and pattern.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using TortForum mobile app
 
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