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Im curious if you have a baby or adult
Ty ty! I will filter out the white specs. Noted on the overheating. With how deep the sun terrain hide is, I though it may be ok, but if spends time in sun, which it does, I didn’t think about the temp rising, so thank you. I also put plastic oc the hide and covered it up to 1) insulate better and 2) prevent water during rain. I will def add another water source, and plan on misting the hides. Should I make a pseudo door over the main hide?Over all, a good effort. Here are some points to ponder:
1. I see little white flecks in the soil near the left hand hide area. If that is perlite, you need to remove it right away. Perlite will be eaten and it can slowly kill them over time. Perlite is a common additive in store bought soil.
2. The walls are too low and a Russian will climb right out of that. I see you capped the corners and that is great, but I think you also need a "lip" around the whole thing too. Or taller walls.
3. If it stays dappled shade like that all day, you are probably fine. If part of the day sees full sun, those hides are likely to overheat. You need some deep shade in that case. Check the hide temperatures with a digital thermometer that records the highs and lows. Only your thermometer can tell you if those hides are sufficient or not. We can only guess.
4. Dehydration and dogs are the top two killers of Russians. I would add another, larger terra cotta saucer, so that there are two of them, and I would soak frequently too.
5. I'm not going to say this area is too small. It is adequate, but more space would be mo betta', as the parlance goes...
6. I would like to see a temperature controlled insulated shelter attached to this pen. That will allow you to ease into and out of brumation, even when the weather is not cooperating in fall or spring.
Now for your requested rating... Minor improvements can be made, but as I said previously, this is a good effort. I give you an 8 out of 10.
In this first thread, I show and describe how to do the type of shelter I am talking about, and there is much more helpful info here for you too. The second thread will explain a lot, and give you even more helpful info. Questions are welcome, and so are YOU!
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...
Info For New People. Please Read This First.
Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...
You can see him/her in the first pic, on the right! But here he/she is basking!hello and welcome! I don’t suppose we could get a photo of the tortoise?
I don't think removing thousands of perlite pieces will work. I think you have to shovel al of the tout and replace it with something that doesn't have perlite. Seriously... They all eat it, and it breaks down and lines their GI tract and doesn't pass. I learned this through very expensive necropsies of babies that were incubated on perlite. Its bad stuff, and the color and texture attracts them and makes them want to eat it for some reason.
they usually have the vinyl flaps which work well, might take tort a little getting used to, if it’s for night, I’d add a door you can lock. Doesn’t necessarily need to be as big as the photo examples but they’re just to give you an idea if needed down the line
I was thinking it’s just in some areas. Is the recommendation removing all the soil?
All the perlite infused soil needs to be removed, yes. ASAP. Soil that doesn't have perlite may or may not be safe, but I don't recommend any store bought soil in a tortoise enclosure. There are sometimes dangerous things in those bags. The people making soil do not intend for small animals to be living on it and in it.
You may never see him drink. That is why you keep up the soaks. Russians are prone to dehydrating themselves and this can form bladder stones which often kill them.
Thank you very much! Looks like I have a heft weekend project. The enclosure is pretty large, 3’x12’. is there a soil recommendation I can get in bulk of bags? Thanks again
Soil shouldn't be used. There is no way to know what is in those bags.
