debbie5240
New Member
Hello! My name is Debbie, I am from Northern Virginia.
Recently, I decided to adopt a Russian tortoise from a local PetSmart. I have owned many, small aquatic turtles before but never a tortoise. I'll admit it was a pricier purchase than anticipated and I've already found a few things I need to correct.
PetSmart told me that a 10-gallon tank was sufficient for now but that I would have to upgrade eventually. My Russian Tortoise is about 4-5 inches currently and I thought a 10 gallon was a good fit too but I already see that it is actually too small. Should I upgrade to about a 40-gallon tank? They are pretty pricey in my opinion so if I should upgrade a tank size, I'll do the best I can to do so ASAP.
Secondly, I have a few questions about the lighting and the water in the tank.
I have a 13 Watt coiled (self-ballasted) bulb that I was told to use during the day as the UVB light. It produces this bright white light which makes me anxious that my tortoise may not be a fan...he hid in the corner of the tank under some fake plants for about 2 hours. Should I use some type of other light instead of this one? And am I supposed to use a basking light during the day as well? I keep reading about having two different temperature sides in the tank, although I'll find that hard to manage with a 10-gallon tank.
For the night time, I've been told to use a 50W infrared basking light. Is that alright or should I switch to something different? As soon as I put it on, my tortoise switched from hiding in the corner of the tank under the fake plants to hiding under the half log. A side question: Can my tortoise back out from underneath the log? Right now, I have it placed in the corner to provide as much space as I can for him to roam around. I feel like I should move it.
Lastly, I have a very shallow water dish for him to drink out of. I've read that I should pick him up and place him in the dish every morning for about 10 minutes to help with hydration. Just making sure that is correct? I've also been told, which I totally 100% agree with and didn't think otherwise, that I cannot use tap water. The conditioner I was told to buy is the API Stress Coat+ which is supposed to make the water safe. The instructions say that for every 10 gallons of water, I should use 5mL. Obviously, with that water dish, I am nowhere near the 10 gallons...but too be safe, I put 1 mL of water in it. Is that too much or too little? The scariest part for me is making sure that my tortoise has the safest water for it to drink.
Thank you so much for helping- I know I am asking a lot of questions! Right now, I am trying to create as much of an unstressful environment as I can for him. I understand that for a few weeks he may choose to hide rather than be out. As a bit of an anxious person, I get nervous when they choose to hide under things (although it is so normal) because, since tortoises are such hard creatures to read, I'll have to have a super special eye out for anything absurd...which is also tricky to differentiate!! For now, I'll try to ease myself and understand that hiding is a mode for him to get used to the environment. But when should I begin to get concerned when he hasn't eaten the food or drunken the water?
I'm trying to be the best owner I can for this tortoise so all the help is appreciated! Sorry in advance for all the questions!
Debora
Recently, I decided to adopt a Russian tortoise from a local PetSmart. I have owned many, small aquatic turtles before but never a tortoise. I'll admit it was a pricier purchase than anticipated and I've already found a few things I need to correct.
PetSmart told me that a 10-gallon tank was sufficient for now but that I would have to upgrade eventually. My Russian Tortoise is about 4-5 inches currently and I thought a 10 gallon was a good fit too but I already see that it is actually too small. Should I upgrade to about a 40-gallon tank? They are pretty pricey in my opinion so if I should upgrade a tank size, I'll do the best I can to do so ASAP.
Secondly, I have a few questions about the lighting and the water in the tank.
I have a 13 Watt coiled (self-ballasted) bulb that I was told to use during the day as the UVB light. It produces this bright white light which makes me anxious that my tortoise may not be a fan...he hid in the corner of the tank under some fake plants for about 2 hours. Should I use some type of other light instead of this one? And am I supposed to use a basking light during the day as well? I keep reading about having two different temperature sides in the tank, although I'll find that hard to manage with a 10-gallon tank.
For the night time, I've been told to use a 50W infrared basking light. Is that alright or should I switch to something different? As soon as I put it on, my tortoise switched from hiding in the corner of the tank under the fake plants to hiding under the half log. A side question: Can my tortoise back out from underneath the log? Right now, I have it placed in the corner to provide as much space as I can for him to roam around. I feel like I should move it.
Lastly, I have a very shallow water dish for him to drink out of. I've read that I should pick him up and place him in the dish every morning for about 10 minutes to help with hydration. Just making sure that is correct? I've also been told, which I totally 100% agree with and didn't think otherwise, that I cannot use tap water. The conditioner I was told to buy is the API Stress Coat+ which is supposed to make the water safe. The instructions say that for every 10 gallons of water, I should use 5mL. Obviously, with that water dish, I am nowhere near the 10 gallons...but too be safe, I put 1 mL of water in it. Is that too much or too little? The scariest part for me is making sure that my tortoise has the safest water for it to drink.
Thank you so much for helping- I know I am asking a lot of questions! Right now, I am trying to create as much of an unstressful environment as I can for him. I understand that for a few weeks he may choose to hide rather than be out. As a bit of an anxious person, I get nervous when they choose to hide under things (although it is so normal) because, since tortoises are such hard creatures to read, I'll have to have a super special eye out for anything absurd...which is also tricky to differentiate!! For now, I'll try to ease myself and understand that hiding is a mode for him to get used to the environment. But when should I begin to get concerned when he hasn't eaten the food or drunken the water?
I'm trying to be the best owner I can for this tortoise so all the help is appreciated! Sorry in advance for all the questions!
Debora