New owner

[sheilae04]

I am planning on purchasing my first russian tortoise for a classroom pet. We borrowed one for three weeks and took very good care of it, doing lots of research, so now we're ready. I know I will need to bring the tortoise home when there is a break or I cannot come in on a weekend. I've looked at the zoo med wooden tortoise house as a possibility. Are there other recommendations for an enclosure that is portable?

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello

This will cost less and give the tort more space .

 

[Lyn W]

I am planning on purchasing my first russian tortoise for a classroom pet. We borrowed one for three weeks and took very good care of it, doing lots of research, so now we're ready. I know I will need to bring the tortoise home when there is a break or I cannot come in on a weekend. I've looked at the zoo med wooden tortoise house as a possibility. Are there other recommendations for an enclosure that is portable?

Hi Sheila and welcome to the best forum for up to date information. You're very wise to do your research first - there's more to torts than meets the eye! Just a couple of things to consider before you take the plunge, torts don't like change and apparently it can be quite stressful for them, so moving them around a lot isn't ideal. Also what are the night temps in your classroom during the week? In my school in the UK the heat is turned off at night and it gets cold very quickly, so depending on which country you are in and your overnight temps you may have to provide night heat I wouldn't be allowed to do that in my classroom as it would be a fire hazard, so maybe check that, because if they get too cold they can have respiratory infections which can mean expensive visits to the vets.

 

[sheilae04]

I've thought of that, and am allowed to keep the lamp on at night. I'm in Wisconsin, so yes, it does get cold. Also, I'm considering keeping it home in the winter and taking it into school in the spring. We have a nice courtyard outside my classroom for it to exercise in the warmer months.

 

[Lyn W]

I've thought of that, and am allowed to keep the lamp on at night. I'm in Wisconsin, so yes, it does get cold. Also, I'm considering keeping it home in the winter and taking it into school in the spring. We have a nice courtyard outside my classroom for it to exercise in the warmer months.

Yes that may be better to save it getting chilled in transit. I have a leopard tort which needs higher temps than a Russian but in the chilly UK for night heat I use a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) this just gives heat because torts need darkness to sleep. The CHE is run through a thermostat with a temp probe so that it switches on and off as needed and keeps the temps even. I use a mercury vapour bulb (MVB) in the day - this gives heat, light and essential uvb in one bulb. (Avoid any coil or long thin loop cfl type as these can damage torts eyes)The MVB and CHE are in ceramic bulb holders with wide domes. It's a lot of expense to lay out in addition to the enclosure but worth getting it right to make sure your tort stays healthy.

I don't know what the zoomed table is like but have a look at the Enclosures thread for ideas - he bigger the better! I don't know if you have found it while researching but there is also a great caresheet under Species Specific which will tell you all about diet, temps humidity, substrate etc.. I also found Beginners Mistakes very useful to avoid making the same mistakes as others - the link is below. Good luck.

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome to the Forum!

 

[sheilae04]

Wow, thank you for all the info!

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome.

This is a good idea if you can sort out some of the care details.

First is the size of the enclosure. Those ZooMed houses are way too small and you won't be able to keep the substrate damp. Russians need room to roam and I recommend 4x8 feet as a minimum enclosure size. Since that would not be practical to move, you'd need one at home and one in the classroom, and you could then ferry him back and forth as needed.

Next is the heating. You'd need to use a CHE or two to keep the night temps up. Tortoise need it dark at night, so leaving the heat lamps on 24/7 would not be good. You'd also have a big problem if the bulb burned out at 5pm on a cold night. Also, many schools shut the power off to the classrooms at night. Are you sure the power stays on all night and in the off season too?

Here is the care info for russians:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Please come back with any questions.

 

[Speedy-1]

Hi and welcome Sheila !

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello, Sheila, and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum.

 

[Leonardo Dicaprio]

Hi and welcome to the forum!