Hello,
After finding this forum about 2 months ago, I unfortunately realised for years I had been misinformed about my adult Russian Tommy's care which I feel incredibly guilty about. However, with thanks to this forum & the amazing help from everyone (especially @Tom!), I'm hoping Tommy will be much healthier & happier as I have since made many changes. I've attached some photos of his new 8x3ft vivarium that I've only just put him in today and of Tommy himself, & would be really grateful for some opinions/advice on his new enclosure & general care.
- I tried 60W opal golfball incandescents but 3 blew within 48 hours so currently he has an Arcadia 50W Floodlight in a 12inch dome giving a basking spot of 96F on the left hand side with a slate underneath. I have ordered some more incandescents but they're quite difficult to find so may have to stick with the Arcadia if they keep breaking. Near the middle, there's a 100W CHE in a wire cage (set on an Inkbird thermostat to turn on below 68F during the daytime & 63F at nightime, with the probe on the cool side), & a 4FT 40W LED tube (6000K & 4800LM) set on a 12 hour timer with the basking bulb. For UV, there's an Arcadia ProT5 Kit 12% 54W towards the right side on timer for 4 hours midday. I don't have a UV meter currently but there's 3 Inkbird thermometers/hygrometers in the enclosure (& I have a temperature gun) which read 73F & 72% on the warm side & 73F & 83% on the cool side: I'm not sure why there isn't a temperature gradient. He has a humid hide (95%) on the warm side & a log hide on the cold side. I would appreciate some recommendations on decor & plants if anyone has any as I know it's pretty bare!
- He currently eats a mix of Florette crispy salad (frisée, lamb's lettuce & radicchio), chicory, red & green leaf lettuce, romaine, kale & rocket but I’ve just got some cactus pads & ZooMed Grassland, & am currently trying to order some dried leaves and seeds. He has Calcidust twice weekly & access to a cuttlefish but I've also just bought some Reptivite with D3 & MinerAll Indoor to give him both once weekly.
- I changed his water bowl from a reptile one & have since noticed him peeing a lot more, & he poops regularly. Since then, he has really liquidy or toothpaste-like urates (never gritty) more often. Is this okay?
- There's 2-3 inches of damp fine grade orchid bark. I think he unfortunately has some pyramiding from his previously dry conditions & his shell looks quite dry. I soak him twice weekly for about 20-40 minutes but should I spray his shell too? I'm also not sure if his beak & nails need trimming.
- I also noticed him occasionally making this sneeze-like sound a few weeks ago in his old enclosure which I thought may have been to do with the wood shavings that he had before as he shows no other signs of an RI like bubbles, loss of appetite or lethargy. However, he has also just done it a few times now after being in his new place for a few hours as well as made a slight whistling sound for the first time which he wasn’t doing this morning during his soak. I’m not sure if it could be from the from the old substrate being in his system still or if the bark is not damp enough, or if it was dust from the cuttlefish he’d just been eating. I will keep an eye on him but should I be concerned? I haven't been able to catch it on camera but it's identical to this:
Sorry for the long post! Thanks so much in advance
After finding this forum about 2 months ago, I unfortunately realised for years I had been misinformed about my adult Russian Tommy's care which I feel incredibly guilty about. However, with thanks to this forum & the amazing help from everyone (especially @Tom!), I'm hoping Tommy will be much healthier & happier as I have since made many changes. I've attached some photos of his new 8x3ft vivarium that I've only just put him in today and of Tommy himself, & would be really grateful for some opinions/advice on his new enclosure & general care.
- I tried 60W opal golfball incandescents but 3 blew within 48 hours so currently he has an Arcadia 50W Floodlight in a 12inch dome giving a basking spot of 96F on the left hand side with a slate underneath. I have ordered some more incandescents but they're quite difficult to find so may have to stick with the Arcadia if they keep breaking. Near the middle, there's a 100W CHE in a wire cage (set on an Inkbird thermostat to turn on below 68F during the daytime & 63F at nightime, with the probe on the cool side), & a 4FT 40W LED tube (6000K & 4800LM) set on a 12 hour timer with the basking bulb. For UV, there's an Arcadia ProT5 Kit 12% 54W towards the right side on timer for 4 hours midday. I don't have a UV meter currently but there's 3 Inkbird thermometers/hygrometers in the enclosure (& I have a temperature gun) which read 73F & 72% on the warm side & 73F & 83% on the cool side: I'm not sure why there isn't a temperature gradient. He has a humid hide (95%) on the warm side & a log hide on the cold side. I would appreciate some recommendations on decor & plants if anyone has any as I know it's pretty bare!
- He currently eats a mix of Florette crispy salad (frisée, lamb's lettuce & radicchio), chicory, red & green leaf lettuce, romaine, kale & rocket but I’ve just got some cactus pads & ZooMed Grassland, & am currently trying to order some dried leaves and seeds. He has Calcidust twice weekly & access to a cuttlefish but I've also just bought some Reptivite with D3 & MinerAll Indoor to give him both once weekly.
- I changed his water bowl from a reptile one & have since noticed him peeing a lot more, & he poops regularly. Since then, he has really liquidy or toothpaste-like urates (never gritty) more often. Is this okay?
- There's 2-3 inches of damp fine grade orchid bark. I think he unfortunately has some pyramiding from his previously dry conditions & his shell looks quite dry. I soak him twice weekly for about 20-40 minutes but should I spray his shell too? I'm also not sure if his beak & nails need trimming.
- I also noticed him occasionally making this sneeze-like sound a few weeks ago in his old enclosure which I thought may have been to do with the wood shavings that he had before as he shows no other signs of an RI like bubbles, loss of appetite or lethargy. However, he has also just done it a few times now after being in his new place for a few hours as well as made a slight whistling sound for the first time which he wasn’t doing this morning during his soak. I’m not sure if it could be from the from the old substrate being in his system still or if the bark is not damp enough, or if it was dust from the cuttlefish he’d just been eating. I will keep an eye on him but should I be concerned? I haven't been able to catch it on camera but it's identical to this:
Sorry for the long post! Thanks so much in advance