new to tortoises but need lots of help!

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ethelbreath

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Hi! I'm Allison from texas, I'm a twenty year old mother of a two year old little girl. I have a beagle, a chi mix, a guinea pig, a ferret, and now I'm going to have 6 russian tortoises and 1 red foot tortoise. AHH! I'm very overwhelmed but this is a job for me. I am getting paid to give them proper care and then they will be entertainment for fun "turtle races". I swear I'm doing everything I can to keep them safe and healthy. I work at a petstore also so I've had some experience with the russians.

So far what I've got going for them. Is 2 5' diameter kiddie pools for the 6 russians. that is roughly 20 sq feet per pool. They are going to be between 3 and 4 inches when I get them. I also have a smaller kiddie pool for the red foot. I've got 8 thermometers for various temp control. two hygrometers, can expand more later. I got overhead fluorescent light fixtures at walmart and got the uvb exoterra 5.0 bulbs for 8 bucks where i work. I've got two to span between the three kiddie pools. What other kind of bulbs would work well with the uvb 5.0 in the hood, can I use a basic bulb for this? got the reptisafe and several water dishes and food dishes. The water dish for the red foot is much deeper than the ones for the russians. I still need to get substrate, Any suggestions for keeping the cost relatively low? I think i'm going to go with cypress mulch and play sand mixture.

I'm going to set up and outdoor enclosure for daytime with chicken wire in an already fenced back yard. I've got some naturalistic transformer covers that look like rocks for shelter and I'm gonna stuff those full of cypress mulch.

They are shipping over night tonight and will be here tomorrow am. Does any one have suggestions for how I should handle them when they get here? Should i soak them and feed? I've got a parasite meal i picked up at work that is suppose to rid them of parasites. Does any one know anything about this?

I'm also going to have a binder with their charts, I'll keep track of how much they are eating, activity levels, personality, and more. I'll post pictures soon.

I'm also thinking of having the habitats on a live web cam, but that's later.

I would love any suggestions for proper care and maintenance, I really want to do this right so please let me know what I can change and do better. And let me know if I'm on the right track!
Thanks!
Allison
 

ethelbreath

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They will live with me and they are going to "race" every sunday night. I think if they owner loses interest I'll have to rehome most because there is no way I can handle the care of 7 tortoises in addition to my other pets!

I've been to that turtletary site, it's very confusing and not very user friendly!
 

ethelbreath

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it's mostly to get a younger crowd in. they are giving out tickets at the door with numbers and whoevers tortoise wins gets like comped drinks. http://www.brennanspub-la.com/ <- this bar has been doing it for years and a lot of people love it.
The difference is that it will just be the seven and not a whole bunch of people bringing shelled critters to a bar.
 

ethelbreath

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Yeah I know, I still have some issues with it as well. I want this to be a positive experience for every one involved though. So that's why I came here seeking help from experienced people. I really want to provide a good home for them, and have happy healthy torties. thanks
 

micki

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welcome to the forum.
 

Jacqui

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Can everybody see the night all the tortoises decide to just stay holed up in the shells? :p My Russians tend to be the early to bed early to rise types. ;)

So the six Russians and the redfoot race together? Will the public get to handle/touch them?

Be aware when working on the outside enclosure that Russians can be very good climbers. You must atleast have lips to keep them from climbing out. Will you have tops on the outside enclosures? Also chicken wire isn't the sturdiest of wires to be using. I personally will only use it on my upper walls/tops and only because I don't have to worry about predator issues (knocks on wooden head:rolleyes:). If using wire at the bottom, I go with a much smaller and stronger mesh wire.

I use the bed-a-beast coir/sand combo myself with areas of cypress too. If you spot clean it regularly (like daily:D) you can use it for quite awhile.

Yes, do soak them as soon as they come. Offering food right away after soaking is the way to do it, too. :D

As to the parasite stuff your talking about, I have never myself used it. I am leary of worming without knowing if there is even a need to do so.

Welcome!
 

ethelbreath

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thanks for the tips jacqui. I'm not ready for anyone other than myself to be handling them yet! I really don't want to freak them out too much! scary enough that they have to race!

I just got them yesterday and they are so darling! most are good eaters! and no ticks! I can already tell each has a different personality and I could sit and watch them for hours if i didn't have pesky responsibilities!
has any one else noticed that most hold their tails to the right? I noticed this only when i saw that one holds his to the left. southpawed tortoise? :)

i did soak and feed after they got here. I'm going to wait on the outdoor enclosure because it is so hot in texas right now I'd hate for anything to go wrong! I had them out for a brief 10 minutes in a doggie playpen, i had and i had three escapees! so I'm going to be extra careful when i decide how i'm going to do the outdoor.

Jacqui said:
Can everybody see the night all the tortoises decide to just stay holed up in the shells? :p My Russians tend to be the early to bed early to rise types. ;)

So the six Russians and the redfoot race together? Will the public get to handle/touch them?

Be aware when working on the outside enclosure that Russians can be very good climbers. You must atleast have lips to keep them from climbing out. Will you have tops on the outside enclosures? Also chicken wire isn't the sturdiest of wires to be us:cool:ing. I personally will only use it on my upper walls/tops and only because I don't have to worry about predator issues (knocks on wooden head:rolleyes:). If using wire at the bottom, I go with a much smaller and stronger mesh wire.

I use the bed-a-beast coir/sand combo myself with areas of cypress too. If you spot clean it regularly (like daily:D) you can use it for quite awhile.

Yes, do soak them as soon as they come. Offering food right away after soaking is the way to do it, too. :D

As to the parasite stuff your talking about, I have never myself used it. I am leary of worming without knowing if there is even a need to do so.

Welcome!
 
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