Need some advice about my testudo tortoise

[Nova75167]

I recently got a testudo 3 days ago. I have her in a 75 gallon tank, i have coco coir for the bedding, a hide out, water and food bowls. I have a 150 watt 3 in one heat lamp and a red heat lamp for night time, also a small heat pad under the tank. I have the heat lamps on one side of the tank only.The temperature gauge says 90 and the humidty is saying 30. I have sprayed water in there and no change yet. What can I do to get the correct humidity in there. Also I have not seen her eat yet. I am assuming that it is because she is stressed. She has dipped herself in her water bowl a few times though.
So what can I do about the humidity and how can i get her to eat?

Thank you in advance.

 

[Sara G.]

Do you have any pics of the enclosure?

Also, what sort of light is the basking light? You said 3 in one so I'm presuming you're talking about an MVB, right?
I would get rid of the red lamp. They can bother torts who are trying to sleep. And instead get a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) and hook it up to a thermostat.
I think I'd move the CHE to the other side of the tank though and have it set around 82*F or so.

Your tort is probably still getting used to things which is why it's not eating quite yet.
What are the temps in the tank?
Basking temp.
Ambient temp.
Cool side temp.
Etc.

 

[Sara G.]

Also for boosting humidity I would dump in some water directly into the substrate and mix it up good with your hands.
You want damp/moist but not wet. Wet can cause problems.
Adding plants and covering the top of your tank will also help keep your humidity up.

 

[Yvonne G]

What kind of Testudo is it? I've moved you to the russian section temporarily until I find out for sure where this belongs.

 

[Nova75167]

I am not exactly sure. I could post a picture when I get home this afternoon if that would help.

 

[Nova75167]

Do you have any pics of the enclosure?

Also, what sort of light is the basking light? You said 3 in one so I'm presuming you're talking about an MVB, right?
I would get rid of the red lamp. They can bother torts who are trying to sleep. And instead get a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) and hook it up to a thermostat.
I think I'd move the CHE to the other side of the tank though and have it set around 82*F or so.

Your tort is probably still getting used to things which is why it's not eating quite yet.
What are the temps in the tank?
Basking temp.
Ambient temp.
Cool side temp.
Etc.

Ok, so I may need more help than I thought. I have a thermometer and humidity gauge on the warm side, do I need another on the cool side? I am starting to feel a little lost lol. I can post a picture of the enclosure this afternoon when I get home. I am going to try wetting the subtrate more when I get home too.

 

[Tom]

Here is some care info that might help explain some things. Care for most Testudo is similar, so this should help you regardless of species.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

 

[Yvonne G]

I am not exactly sure. I could post a picture when I get home this afternoon if that would help.

Yes, please.

 

[Nova75167]

Yes, please.

 

[Nova75167]

Yes, please.

Ok, so I may need more help than I thought. I have a thermometer and humidity gauge on the warm side, do I need another on the cool side? I am starting to feel a little lost lol. I can post a picture of the enclosure this afternoon when I get home. I am going to try wetting the subtrate more when I get home too.

 

[Nova75167]

Ok, so I may need more help than I thought. I have a thermometer and humidity gauge on the warm side, do I need another on the cool side? I am starting to feel a little lost lol. I can post a picture of the enclosure this afternoon when I get home. I am going to try wetting the subtrate more when I get home too.

I sprayed the substrate and covered the top, that seemed to help, I am going to get a CHE and get rid of the red light, the temp will go from 90 during day time and 75 at night. She finally ate when I put some spring mix in her food bowl, she apparently didnt like the pellets I bought lol.

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

You have a russian tortoise (I do too!)
Please read the links to the care sheets in Tom's post. They will answer most of your questions and of course you can ask us to clarify anything.
You lights are on those lamp clamps. These clamps have been known to fail (it never happened to mine though i didnt use them long enough to find out) and cause damage to tortoises or even start fires.
Another thing is, your water dish is not ideal. The sides are high and it may be difficult for your tortoise to get out of and cause him to flip over and drown. A terracotta plant saucer sunken to substrate level is more ideal due to the slanted sides, it is easier for your tortoise to climb in and out of.

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

And a che is not necessary to raise the night temps unless it gets very cold in your home. Russians can withstand pretty low temps if they can warm up the next day

 

[Nova75167]

Thank you for the advice! I will have to switch my lighting up. Also can I use the reptile bark as a substrate? Or keep the coco substrate?

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

Thank you for the advice! I will have to switch my lighting up. Also can I use the reptile bark as a substrate? Or keep the coco substrate?

I believe reptile bark from the pet store is fir bark (it should say it on the bag) that as substrate is fine. Coco coir substrate is fine also. Theyre pretty good with holding moisture to help with humidity. And as you've already realized, a closed top helps trap humidity.

 

[JoesMum]

I would make the substrate much deeper too.

How big is that tank? It looks very small for a Russian - 4'x8' is about the minimum for a tort of that size

 

[Nova75167]

Its a 75 gallon tank. We are moving in a few months so I plan make a bigger enclosure when we get there.

 

[JoesMum]

The volume of water that it holds is not important - floor area is. A higher volume tank can just mean it's deeper and not that it gives a tort enough space

 

[Nova75167]

It was the largest space I had for her at the moment. She will get a larger enclosure soon.

 

[Crzt4torts]

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Beautiful tortoise