Newbie in the UK

[SharronT]

Hi I have joined today because I am taking on a 2 year old Horsefield Tortoise. He has been poorly looked after I've not owned a tortoise before but had bearded dragons and chameleons in the past. I am 37 years young! And always wanted a Tortoise. I am a little confused as the forum care sheet for the Russian shows pictures of glass enclosures which I was led to believe was a huge no no. My little guy will have an indoor table and outside enclosure. I am in the Uk

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome. Glass enclosures for babies are not a bad habitat as we now know that a higher humidity is need for good smooth growth and aquariums are good for helping to hold it in. For any tort around 2-3 years they are not good because they are just way too small.

 

[SharronT]

I thought it was to do with the Tortoise not liking the glass as it confuses them. Thank you for your reply ☺

 

[Yvonne G]

Some tortoise try to walk through the glass and get stressed when they can't, but some don't. All you have to do is wrap the lower half of the aquarium with paper. Problem solved. It would be VERY expensive to buy a large enough glass enclosure for an adult Russian tortoise. They need quite a lot of room for such a small species.

Welcome to the Forum!

 

[SharronT]

Thank you. I wasn't going to have a glass enclosure anyway. I have just so much reading there are so many conflicting ideas and advice!! It's a minefield !

 

[Rue]

It is very confusing when you start reading...and then you have to adapt the advice to fit your own situation the best you can as well, so it's definitely a challenge! Congrats on your new family member!

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello Sharron

 

[Pearly]

Welcome from Texas. I couldn't be happier with glass tank for my babies. It was easy to cover and keep warm and humid inside with is crucial for little baby-torts. It just has to be big enough for them. And no, mine never tried to walk through the glass. I think it may have to do with what's inside the tank. If all there is, is food serving rock, water dish and half log... yeah, they may go stir crazy in "the barren land". I believe in live plants. And lots of them! Different colors (torts can see in color!), shapes, sizes... Put sight barriers and little interest in their landscape. I think it makes a big difference

 

[Speedy-1]

Hi and welcome Sharron !

 

[popeye tortoise]

Hello and welcome from Pa

 

[SharronT]

Thank you for all your welcoming comments!

 

[Stuart]

Hiya Sharon, there's lots of owners on here from UK give them heat light and love and you will get years of enjoyment. Make sure plenty UVB we don't get much of the natural stuff.

 

[SharronT]

Thank you for your reply. What heat /light do you use? I'm browsing the Internet at the moment!

 

[NDevon]

Hiya Sharon, there's lots of owners on here from UK give them heat light and love and you will get years of enjoyment.

Who, us or the tortoises?

Welcome Sharron, I'm another from the UK. There is a lot of conflicting information, some of it is because there is always several ways to do the same thing, other times it's because what works in one part of the world doesn't work in another. The nice thing about this site is you won't get lectured and told off like some other sites out there, people do know what works and will offer advice but they want to help, not preach. Don't be afraid to ask tons of questions even if you think it's a silly one, I've asked soooo much since I arrived and I've learnt tons from the people here.

Enjoy your tortoise

 

[SharronT]

Thank you there are a lot of conflicting stories and ideas online. Glad there is somewhere to turn to.

 

[Stuart]

I use Arcadia and a heat mat in wee hamish's bedroom, remember the calci dust on their food and don't be frightened to feed tomatoes strawberry but as a treat not a staple. Wee Hamish loves dandelion so can't wait for them to start growing. And I bath him almost every night he loves a bath and pees and poos always in bath. Btw get a kids toothbrush and rub him gently with it to clean him. He will love it.

 

[SharronT]

Great advice and information thank you. I've owned chameleons so used to calcium etc

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and a warm welcome from Wales.
I use an Arcadia mercury vapour bulb (mvb) which gives heat, light and uvb in one bulb. The Mini D3 version is 80w and £39 from Pets at Home; I use it on a ceramic holder with a wide dome to direct heat downwards, that cost about £25 in The Range. It is very easy to use and you can adjust temps by raising or lowering. (The clamps have been known to fail and can be a fire hazard so hanging is the safer option.) The only down side is that mvbs can be easily broken if knocked when hot and when switched off they don't come back on straight away.
At night I use a ceramic heat emitter (CHE) which just gives heat as torts need darkness to sleep. I run this through a thermostat so that it switches on and off as needed. I also bought those from The Range costing £21 and £35 respectively. That is also in a wide dome holder. About £150 total initial cost.
Coil or long thin cfl type bulbs are not recommended as they have been known to damage torts eyes so very risky.
A very useful if not essential thing to have is a digital temp gun so that you can spot check the 4 areas easily. You will also need a digital temp/humidity gauge - preferable with a probe. The dial types sold by pet stores are not very accurate. I bought mine from Amazon about £15 for both.

 

[SharronT]

Thank you Lyn

I have gone for the arcading bulb you have with a large dome. I have digital temp and humidity devices.
I shall look into a CHE Thank you for all your good advice. I want it to be perfect before I collect Bob!