New Tortoise help!

[vadas]

Hi guys!

like I mentioned in my last post I have rescued a tortoise named Ellie. I've gotreb confirmation she is 7 years old
I brought her home today
The main reason I'm posting right now is because I need help. I don't think her previous owner knew what was best for her

The enclosure she has is definitely too small I don't think she was given a proper diet and she definitely was not socialized adequately
I was told verbatim that she is a antisocial tortoise but within 5 minutes of interacting with her she was cuddling

Anyway....
I am attaching some pictures of enclosures that I was looking at based on what I've read is a good enclosure for them
I plan on keeping her indoors with outside time just because of the climate in my area

so are any of these ok? if not PLEASE send recommendations (preferably not too expensiveass I am unfortunately not very rich) oh and any kind of recommendation for outdoor enclosures I would really appreciate I don't know if there's like a specific one I should be looking for or not


also because of that what she can eat outside is kind of limited
I have a clover lawn and I do have dandelions that just naturally grow and our yard is completely pesticide free
so the other thing I need help with is diet
I've read a mix of greens and flowers of specific types are good for them
also cuttle bone. can I just like go to a pet store and buy and you know them? what I know some say that they're for birds but like can I just use any of them and put it in the enclosure? (I know you still have to supplement calcium like once or twice a week sprinkled over their food as well)

and I saw some people saying that simple terracotta dishes like the ones that sit under pots are good for their water dishes
is that correct? and to have two
cuz I live near a bunch of flowers / gardening stores where I can buy those
because The guy I'd rescued her from firmly believed that she did not need a water dish
like are these ok?

any other tips would be lovely
before you comment something like "You should have had all of this done before you brought her home" in an ideal world I'd agree. but unfortunately that was not an option. I had to bring her home now and I did not have time to set up everything before I brought her home

 

[COmtnLady]

Welcome to the Forum!

DO NOT waste your money on that type of enclosure. It won't hold humidity or temperature so is useless for hatchlings and juveniles, and is too small for an adult (which Ellie will be within two years at the most).

The terra cotta dishes work great! Make sure they are at least a couple inches bigger in diameter than Ellie is long. That way she can easily walk through or turn around in when she's inside it. Sink it down into the substrate so its not like having to scale a wall to get into.


Read through these two before you buy an enclosure. It will help, and ask a ton of questions - we want to help you help your tortoise thrive!

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...

tortoiseforum.org

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

Enclosure inspiration

Howdy folks! Hope everyone is well! As you all know, I’m a big fan of making threads that cater more towards visual learners like myself, I’ve really been wanting to create a thread full of adult enclosure inspiration for a while now, I’ve managed to find some great references over time! I do...

tortoiseforum.org

Then these might help, too -

Housing young Russian/Herman

Hello there! In this thread, I’m going to include some information on an effective way to tackle a starter set up/a way you can build a bigger size once your baby is an adult. I know it looks a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered, I’m happy to break down any information...

tortoiseforum.org

Housing adult Russian and Hermans indoors

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information an example of an appropriate indoor set up for an older Herman/russian. As much as it’s encouraged to have tortoises in a safe outdoor enclosure, I understand being from the uk myself, that some climates make it difficult to...

tortoiseforum.org

good diet for russian???

dose anyone know a good diet for a Russian tort

tortoiseforum.org

Russian Tortoise Diet

This site is dedicated to providing exchange of ideas and information to create a better understanding of the care and breeding of the Russian Tortoise. (Testudo horsfieldii, horsfield, Agrionemys, Steppe)

russiantortoise.net

.Tell us about how you came to have Ellie.


.

 

[vadas]

Welcome to the Forum!

DO NOT waste your money on that type of enclosure. It won't hold humidity or temperature so is useless for hatchlings and juveniles, and is too small for an adult (which Ellie will be within two years at the most).

The terra cotta dishes work great! Make sure they are at least a couple inches bigger in diameter than Ellie is long. That way she can easily walk through or turn around in when she's inside it. Sink it down into the substrate so its not like having to scale a wall to get into.


Read through these two before you buy an enclosure. It will help, and ask a ton of questions - we want to help you help your tortoise thrive!

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...

tortoiseforum.org

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

Enclosure inspiration

Howdy folks! Hope everyone is well! As you all know, I’m a big fan of making threads that cater more towards visual learners like myself, I’ve really been wanting to create a thread full of adult enclosure inspiration for a while now, I’ve managed to find some great references over time! I do...

tortoiseforum.org

Then these might help, too -

Housing young Russian/Herman

Hello there! In this thread, I’m going to include some information on an effective way to tackle a starter set up/a way you can build a bigger size once your baby is an adult. I know it looks a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered, I’m happy to break down any information...

tortoiseforum.org

Housing adult Russian and Hermans indoors

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information an example of an appropriate indoor set up for an older Herman/russian. As much as it’s encouraged to have tortoises in a safe outdoor enclosure, I understand being from the uk myself, that some climates make it difficult to...

tortoiseforum.org

good diet for russian???

dose anyone know a good diet for a Russian tort

tortoiseforum.org

Russian Tortoise Diet

This site is dedicated to providing exchange of ideas and information to create a better understanding of the care and breeding of the Russian Tortoise. (Testudo horsfieldii, horsfield, Agrionemys, Steppe)

russiantortoise.net

.Tell us about how you came to have Ellie.


.

firstly thank you so much
One of my brother's good friend's mothers reached out to my mother (Good Lord I know that's a mouthful)
and asked if we would be willing to take in a tortoise. because my family has a long history of owning animals including reptiles and thought that we could be a good fit
apparently he just can't take care of her properly anymore and has been looking to rehome her
I gladly stepped up and said I would take care of her because I love animals and I was excited
so I got in contact with him went over to his house picked her up and brought her home with me
I know it sounds like a rash decision, and it probably was. but we really didn't have a choice
we had to make a decision fast. we have the ability to take care of her so we didn't hesitate to
I'm excited to grow with her

 

[Tom]

firstly thank you so much
One of my brother's good friend's mothers reached out to my mother (Good Lord I know that's a mouthful)
and asked if we would be willing to take in a tortoise. because my family has a long history of owning animals including reptiles and thought that we could be a good fit
apparently he just can't take care of her properly anymore and has been looking to rehome her
I gladly stepped up and said I would take care of her because I love animals and I was excited
so I got in contact with him went over to his house picked her up and brought her home with me
I know it sounds like a rash decision, and it probably was. but we really didn't have a choice
we had to make a decision fast. we have the ability to take care of her so we didn't hesitate to
I'm excited to grow with her

What you did there was awesome, and the fact that you are here trying to learn is even more awesome. We will help you every step of the way.

Read the links from the CO mtn. lady. Almost all of your questions will be answered there. Toward the end of the first link is another link to click on for a temperate species care sheet. That will answer most of your housing, heating, outdoor housing, and feeding question. Please feel free to ask as many questions as you want. We are all here to talk tortoises.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

firstly thank you so much
One of my brother's good friend's mothers reached out to my mother (Good Lord I know that's a mouthful)
and asked if we would be willing to take in a tortoise. because my family has a long history of owning animals including reptiles and thought that we could be a good fit
apparently he just can't take care of her properly anymore and has been looking to rehome her
I gladly stepped up and said I would take care of her because I love animals and I was excited
so I got in contact with him went over to his house picked her up and brought her home with me
I know it sounds like a rash decision, and it probably was. but we really didn't have a choice
we had to make a decision fast. we have the ability to take care of her so we didn't hesitate to
I'm excited to grow with her

Ellie is so lucky to have found you! I look forward to follow your journey with her, I hope those links can help you out, always feel free to ask more questions! It’s such a great community here with all the most up to date information