Kelly Jeffery-Grant
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Please help, is my tortoise inflamed & Drinking, eating enough
- Thread starter Kelly Jeffery-Grant
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Kelly Jeffery-Grant
New Member
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- Jun 7, 2015
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Also how do we get the humidity right? Our setup is in a large Guinea pig cage not a tortoise table as heard bad reviews on these?
Can you post some pics of your enclosure that will help with any humidity answers or questions
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What are you feeding ?
Kelly Jeffery-Grant
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Cage has no way to hold the humidity in , and do away with the sawdust , and the foam dish before he eats it . In place of sawdust use soil , in place of foam dish use the bottom of a planter ( dish ) . What are the temps in the cage ( sorry in a cage there is no way to sableize the heat ) just a few ideas . Have a great tort day !
Please read the following to help you sort out your tort's home and diet.
Russians are active torts, they need space - as much as possible, but generally a minimum of 4'×8' is recommended. A cage makes it impossible to maintain humidity levels which will result in your tort's shell pyramidding. The wood chips should be replaced with coco coir which can be kept moist. Please would you post pictures of your lighting and tell us the 4 important temperatures? ( Warm side, cool side, directly under the basking lamp and overnight minimum )
I see strawberries in the cage. Your tort's diet should be mostly leafy greens. Fruit, including bell peppers and tomato, and carrot is high in sugars which they find hard to digest; much as torts have a sweet tooth, sweet things can make them very sick indeed and should only be fed in small amounts very occasionally. Look up the weeds that you have growing around you for free, and the plants you can buy in the grocery store in the Tortoise Table Plant Database to see what's suitable to feed http://thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plant_database_14.asp?v=desktop. The Tortoise Table's Plant Booklet is also a useful resource http://thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plant_booklet_8595_40.asp?v=desktop
A flat slate or stone is good for putting food on as it will help to file your tort's beak as he feeds. A terracotta plant saucer sunk into the substrate is good for water. The kind of dish you have is great for other reptiles, but hard for a tort to use.
Beginner Mistakes http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
Russian Tortoise Care Sheet: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
I'm sorry if this sems like a lot to handle, but we are trying to get the best possible start for your pet who will hopefully be with you for 50 years or more goven the correct care.
Russians are active torts, they need space - as much as possible, but generally a minimum of 4'×8' is recommended. A cage makes it impossible to maintain humidity levels which will result in your tort's shell pyramidding. The wood chips should be replaced with coco coir which can be kept moist. Please would you post pictures of your lighting and tell us the 4 important temperatures? ( Warm side, cool side, directly under the basking lamp and overnight minimum )
I see strawberries in the cage. Your tort's diet should be mostly leafy greens. Fruit, including bell peppers and tomato, and carrot is high in sugars which they find hard to digest; much as torts have a sweet tooth, sweet things can make them very sick indeed and should only be fed in small amounts very occasionally. Look up the weeds that you have growing around you for free, and the plants you can buy in the grocery store in the Tortoise Table Plant Database to see what's suitable to feed http://thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plant_database_14.asp?v=desktop. The Tortoise Table's Plant Booklet is also a useful resource http://thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plant_booklet_8595_40.asp?v=desktop
A flat slate or stone is good for putting food on as it will help to file your tort's beak as he feeds. A terracotta plant saucer sunk into the substrate is good for water. The kind of dish you have is great for other reptiles, but hard for a tort to use.
Beginner Mistakes http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
Russian Tortoise Care Sheet: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
I'm sorry if this sems like a lot to handle, but we are trying to get the best possible start for your pet who will hopefully be with you for 50 years or more goven the correct care.
Kelly Jeffery-Grant
New Member
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2015
- Messages
- 14
Thank you for your replies there is some great info there.
I'm confused on the cage as in other forums they have said the tort table do not circulate enough air.
Can you please post pics of your set up so I can see?
The lighting I have a basking light but need to purchase the fluesant set up for the calcium. Can anyone post links to where to buy and best to start with ?
I'm confused on the cage as in other forums they have said the tort table do not circulate enough air.
Can you please post pics of your set up so I can see?
The lighting I have a basking light but need to purchase the fluesant set up for the calcium. Can anyone post links to where to buy and best to start with ?
My set up is useless to you sadly as my tort lives outdoors 24/7. I will call on @Tom to step in here though due to global time zones he may not be around until later.
An aquarium gives little air circulation, however a tortoise table can be part covered with plex glass to raise humidity levels. If you look through our enclosures forum you will see plenty of examples.
If a tort grows in a very dry environment, it will pyramid. Unfortunately, there is a lot of very outdated information available on the internet which recommends raising very dry; we are doing our best to correct this.
An aquarium gives little air circulation, however a tortoise table can be part covered with plex glass to raise humidity levels. If you look through our enclosures forum you will see plenty of examples.
If a tort grows in a very dry environment, it will pyramid. Unfortunately, there is a lot of very outdated information available on the internet which recommends raising very dry; we are doing our best to correct this.
For daytime you need UVB to give you the calcium uptake your tort needs. This can be a tube UVB but never a compact UVB. The latter causes eye problems in torts.
You also need a basking lamp to provide the basking heat that your tort needs to digest its food.
The alternative to those 2 is to buy a single MVB bulb which provides both UVB and basking in one lamp.
At night you will need a CHE (Ceramic Heat Emitter) to provide heat without light.
You also need a basking lamp to provide the basking heat that your tort needs to digest its food.
The alternative to those 2 is to buy a single MVB bulb which provides both UVB and basking in one lamp.
At night you will need a CHE (Ceramic Heat Emitter) to provide heat without light.
