Poss a tort owner soon!

[Barry46]

Hi iv always wanted a tortoise and have recently been asked if id like to rescue one ... Its a young horsefield tortoise, and been told it has to go into a tank for a few years as its so young! Just wanted to ask you guys (the experts) abit of advice as i dont want to offer the poor tortoise a home if i cant provide and care for it properly! So here are my questions
I have a very large ex snake tank which i was going to adjust to suit the tortoise but have read a "tortoise table" would be better?

How much work do they require? We are looking at starting a family this year so dont want a high maintenance pet with a new born (although i do understand regular cleaning is needed etc)

Is there anything special i should get/prepare ready for the tortoise?

How big do they get and for winter do i need anything special iv heard people saying boxes of newspaper in a cuboard to leaving them outside to hide...

Is it true they are good diggers? If so i think i will also need to tortoise proof the garden!!!

We have turtles at the mo and both me and my girlfriend have had dogs but this is a new animal to us both and we want to have the tortoise skipping about with happiness so id be soooo thankful for any help you lot could give me

Thankyou Barry!!!!

 

[dmarcus]

Hello and welcome to the forum...

I don't have a russian but depending on the size of the tortoise and the tank then it would be easy to set up a nice indoor enclosure. You will also need a place outside so that it can get some sun which is very good for them to have. Russians are very good escape artist and yes they are very good diggers so you would need to escape proof your garden.

 

[Jacob]

welcome to the forum, Russians are good first tortoises, they dont give huge and they can withstand temperature changes well.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Barry:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

If you build a nice, safe and secure outdoor pen for the tortoise, there's no reason he can't live out there year round. You just have to be careful that the place he chooses to hibernate through the winter stays dry.

If the tortoise is about 4" in a straight line from front to back, he is big enough to go outside.

If he's smaller than that, then a very large aquarium would be ok. I like fine grade orchid bark for substrate, but cypress mulch is good too. There's also coco coir (Bed-A-Beast) that comes in a compressed brick that you soak to get it to break apart. You could even use clean garden soil. The tank needs to have at least 4" so he can dig down. He'll also need a couple hiding places, a waterer and a piece of rough rock or cement to feed him on. Some plants around the aquarium are always nice and offer more hiding places for the tortoise. Then there's the light. A Mercury Vapor Bulb (MVB) works best because it offers heat and UVB all in one bulb. You might also need a fixture for night time heat. But you won't need any of these things if you just build a safe outdoor pen for him.

 

[CLMoss]

Welcome!

 

[wellington]

Hello and WELCOME

 

[Laura]

Mine was in a tank at first... he did fine.. I then built a place for him outside in a kiddie pool.. Now he has a 4x8 area... and lives outside year round. Russians are great little guys and you cant go wrong.. just be sure its escape proof, they can climb and do burrow...

 

[Barry46]

Thanks for the replys everyone and thanks for the welcome messages

Our garden is big enough for him to have his own patch outside so if he is big enough then i like that idea!!

Im sure your see me on here alot more as bound to be some good (but prob mostly stupid) questions as time goes by...

Just fingers crossed the little tortoise comes my way!!!!!!

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

Hi iv always wanted a tortoise and have recently been asked if id like to rescue one ... Its a young horsefield tortoise, and been told it has to go into a tank for a few years as its so young! Just wanted to ask you guys (the experts) abit of advice as i dont want to offer the poor tortoise a home if i cant provide and care for it properly! So here are my questions
I have a very large ex snake tank which i was going to adjust to suit the tortoise but have read a "tortoise table" would be better?

For inside use, a snake cage could work...put up a pic and dimensions. OTOH, tortoises do better living outside, in a safe enclosure, during the warm months

How much work do they require? We are looking at starting a family this year so dont want a high maintenance pet with a new born (although i do understand regular cleaning is needed etc)

About as much time as it takes to pick up poop out of the cage, clean and refill the waterdish and put of it's food...maybe 15 minutes a day for a solitary tortoise.

Is there anything special i should get/prepare ready for the tortoise?

How big do they get and for winter do i need anything special iv heard people saying boxes of newspaper in a cuboard to leaving them outside to hide...

6-8" and don't hibernate yours until you've had it a few years, if ever...hibernation/brumation is NOT required, and is a very easy way to kill your pet, if you don't know what you're doing! In 38 years of tort-keeping, none of mine have ever been hibernated/brumated, and all are perfectly healthy.

Plan an outside enclosure of at least 6' X 3' X 2'...but larger is even better...one idea I've seen done is built the enclosure, flip it over upside down, cover the bottom w/ 1/2" "hardware cloth" (heavy screen made of steel, actually), then flip it back the right way and cover the bottom w/ at least 6" of dirt (so build it 2-1/2' tall)...he/she can dig but can't escape!

Is it true they are good diggers? If so i think i will also need to tortoise proof the garden!!!

Indeed they are...very handy at escaping, too, so you'll need to outsmart them by making the enclosure escape-proof, as above!

We have turtles at the mo and both me and my girlfriend have had dogs but this is a new animal to us both and we want to have the tortoise skipping about with happiness so id be soooo thankful for any help you lot could give me

Thankyou Barry!!!!

You've come to the right place and we're all here to help you to give that Russian tort the best possible home!

 

[Barry46]

Thanks Terry, its always nice to know you got a good source of information to hand... I have the perfect area at the end of the garden for a outside home that is about 8x8 so he can have that whole area.... Just fingers crossed he is still avaliable now

 

[HorsefieldFriend]

Hello,

Please dont put him in a tank or viv. It restricts thier air and the glass often upsets them. A tort table is perfect, especially for a young horsefield. They are very engergetic, inquisitive and a bit naughty, so ensure that you also give him an outdoor run he can play in aswell but keep an eye, mine have a naughy habbit of trying any way possible to explore outside the run! They are brilliant pets if you look after them right, kind and loyal. Get a good table, thetortoiseshop.com does a reasonable starter kit, make sure you have both a spot light and a uv light, bathe him in warm water every other evening and feed him correctly - no iceburg! And you will have a friend for life. Good luck and i hope he is very happy!