New to torts. Got a russian!

[RussianRookie]

My stepmom works at a barber shop and they have a 120g aquarium with a couple small torts in it. i dont like their living conditions so im kinda glad she brought him home. they have the torts on carefresh bedding with no lighting. is that ok? ive been doing a bit of research but i do still have a couple questions.

1
If I were to use cypress bedding, could i mix it with some playsand? i figured that would be cool since they are from arid regions right?

2
i have a desk lamp with what i assume is a full spectrum incandescent bulb in it. it puts out a good amount of heat and he loves basking in it. but is a full spectrum lamp going to provide any UV? i say that because i thought full spectrum lighting was made to mimic sunlight or natural light.

right now hes in a small sterilite container with no substrate, a half log and two bowls for food and water. weve only had him a couple days so we havent quite figured out what were going to house him in. i plan on either buying a poly utility tub from Home Depot or making one.

Thanks in advance for any helpful input i can get

 

[tortoisenerd]

I would not use any sand as it is likely to do more harm than good, and the cyprus definitely doesn't need anything mixed in (some people like to mix the play sand with coconut coir to make it better for burrowing). Please get a UVB bulb. You need a special one. Full spectrum mimics the way natural light looks, but not the UVB reptiles need to make D3. Also supplement a pure calcium powder every day for a hatchling, every other day for a juvenille, or a few days a week for an adult (no D3). The Mercury Vapor Bulbs are the best. A 100 Watt T-Rex runs about $40-$50, although they have a new model for $25 now since it just came out. You need a wide and deep dome fixture with a ceramic socket for those, with a lamp stand to adjust the height. The bulb face must be parallel to the substrate. The other bulbs don't produce nearly as much UVB. This is assuming that the tort doesn't get outside at least an hour a day about 4+ days a week. A tort will thrive outside if you have the weather and a chemical-free yard (they can be sensitive to pesticides and fertlizers). If you have chemicals on your yard, consider adding nothing, and after 6 months the tort can graze on it. You can even plant seeds for weeds and grow all your own food!

I like to use a slate tile (about $2 at a home improvement store) for food as most "bowls" they have trouble with due to the lip. This wears down the beak and nails. Is the water dish big enough for the tort to soak? I also recommend a vet checkup with fecal test for parasites. Assuming this is an adult Russian, all the plastic tubs are either too small or too short of sides (you want very deep substrate for a Russian--like twice as deep as the tort is long, and the are escape artists, so standing on the log on its hind legs it still shouldn't be able to reach the top). The only plastic tubs that I think can work (are big enough) are the xmas tree ones, and its the wrong time of year. I think a tort table (open top wood box) is a great way to go, or else some sort of trough or other farm container, whether it is plastic or metal. How big do those poly tubs come (including height)? I haven't seen one that gives 10 sq ft of space, the minimum I'd want to see (ideally more). Waterland tubs, the land type, are pretty cool, but I think its still too much water space (haven't seen one with all the stuff in it, just empty).

Hopefully the torts haven't been there long, as without UVB either from a bulb or the sun, after a few months they could have severe problems. Can you show photos of the tort? Also, we'd love enclosure pictures. Carefresh bedding isn't great either. Good choice to try the cyprus.

 

[RussianRookie]

i only have a crappy pic from my camcorder but ill post it

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And to the encloasure, ill just build one now that i know it has to be deep. is there any bulb that can run cheap? my dad doesnt even want the tortoise in his house(like he barks or something ) and he doesnt think they need light so soething that doesnt cost a fortune to run and would i have to have it on all day or could i put it on a timer?

 

[dmmj]

If your dad is that oppossed to it it might be a better choice to find a rescue org. and give them to them, I do not encourage disobeying parental figures. just some words of advice. I have 3 russians and I enjoy them very much.

 

[Weloveourtortoise]

Unfortunately they do need a uv light, basking light, heat, substarte and a good sized enclosure to move around in. Here is a link to a great source of information and care sheet for russians http://russiantortoise.org/ if you are not going to be able to care for him, then he is better with someone who may.

 

[RussianRookie]

were not giving him away. and im not saying hes going to live in an improper enclosure. well be building one for him. and once i switch to CFLs in my aquarium, ill use the 24" T-8 fixture i have and put a UV bulb in it. i will most likely be using the cypress mulch. also, should i have timothy hay in a corner for him to burrow in?

 

[ChiKat]

I use Timothy Hay in my Russian's enclosure and he loves to burrow under it. It can get very messy though- he tracks it all over! I wouldn't use it if he didn't love it so much.

 

[Stephanie Logan]

Good luck with your adorable little torty bundle.

You have gotten some good advice and links--use them well and soon to make your Ruski warm and happy and safe!

Welcome to the forum.

 

[RussianRookie]

I have a question regarding the UV bulbs. should i get a 2.0, 5.0 or 10.0 bulb? im not too sure how much he needs. also, i have reptivite and i was wondering how often to give that to him.

 

[RussianRookie]

Just got back from Lowes. picked up a 50gal tote and some Organic Pathway Bark. They didn't have the cypress mulch, which kinda sucked, but i settled for this. he seems to like it.

Im currently charging my camera batteries so i should have pics up in a bit.

 

[RussianRookie]

Got the 50gal tote and Pathway Bark from Lowes. im going to make him a new hiding box since that half log is barely bigger than his shell.

Can anyone recommend anything else to put in there? plants? Ill be getting some hay too.

Munchin!

 

[RussianRookie]

Just a size comparison from what he was brought home in

 

[ChiKat]

Much better! I would go even bigger eventually, but for now it's a great improvement!
In the first picture it looks like your light is in the middle of your enclosure- I would move it to one end so you have a warm side and a cool side. You should also have a thermometer so you know what the temps are.

Definitely add some fake plants and more hides. If you break up the line of sight so he can't see from one end to the other, his enclosure will seem bigger to him.
Flat rocks or slate tiles are a good idea too so that he can walk across them to file down his nails.

I'll post a picture of my Russian's enclosure to give you some more ideas.

eta: Also, what are you feeding him? I hope the romaine/carrots in his dish aren't a regular part of his diet! Here's a great care sheet- there's a section on diet too.
http://www.russiantortoise.org/care_sheet.htm[hr]
Here's my little man's enclosure:

The red bin is from the dollar store and it works great as a hide!

 

[RussianRookie]

Much better! I would go even bigger eventually, but for now it's a great improvement!
In the first picture it looks like your light is in the middle of your enclosure- I would move it to one end so you have a warm side and a cool side. You should also have a thermometer so you know what the temps are.

I do realize he'll outgrow this but compare it to what he was in and this things a mansion! My light is now on the one end where the log is. thats where he likes to bask. the temp on top of the log is ~96F on the other end on the ground its ~72F and in the middle on the ground is ~80F

Definitely add some fake plants and more hides. If you break up the line of sight so he can't see from one end to the other, his enclosure will seem bigger to him.
Flat rocks or slate tiles are a good idea too so that he can walk across them to file down his nails.

I'll definitely look into getting some rocks. i use those plastic bins from dollar tree too. my rats love em. never thought about using them for the tort though.

as for plants, would i be able to pot some real plants? i liked the little ferns i saw at lowes and was wondering if he would eat those?

I'll post a picture of my Russian's enclosure to give you some more ideas.

eta: Also, what are you feeding him? I hope the romaine/carrots in his dish aren't a regular part of his diet!

The carrots arent, he LOVES them though. I just got back from Trader Joes and picked up a bag of Southern Greens Mix. It has Mustard Greens, Collard Greens, Turnip Greens and some Spinach. I didnt see too much spinach so i didnt bother taking any out. I also Picked up a bag of Just Romaine Leaves.

The red bin is from the dollar store and it works great as a hide!

 

[ChiKat]

You could plant some real plants! I don't have much expertise in that area so you might want to ask someone like terryo, who has a gorgeous enclosure full of live plants!
I know that Lowes and other hardware stores use a lot of pesticides/fertilizers on their plants so if you bought something you would need to rinse it and re-plant it and wait several months before you could safely feed it

Nelson loves carrot too- I gave him a little sample once Then again it seems that he'll eat anything!
I'll have to look for that Southern Greens mix the next time I go to Trader Joe's! It sounds great!

 

[RussianRookie]

Yeah the greens mix is pretty good. only 2.29 for a pretty good sized bag.

and im not looking for plants for him to eat. which is why asked if he'll eat the fern. i want them for hiding and to make the enclosure look better.

 

[RussianRookie]

Got a 18" 15W T-8 Fixture with a ReptiSun 5.0 UVB Bulb. Is that gonna be enough? I figure its still better than nothing.