Post Free-Roaming Care

[newbiertortoisemom]

Hi! I let my russian tortoise free roam in the backyard while I watched him, but quickly took him back inside due to him trying to dig under the fence and eat some weeds. I immediately put him back inside his cage because I did not want him to become even more distressed from a bath (another new environment), but now I am worried that I should have washed him before bringing him inside his cage. Should I wash him now or be on the lookout for any signs or parasites or disease? Also, do you guys recommend letting him outside? If I bring him out again, I’ll definitely make sure to have a closed off area for him.

 

[wellington]

In Florida he should be living outside 24/7 when it's not your cold winter weather. You need to build him an escape proof enclosure. Laying fencing on the ground and putting the barrier fence on top of the edges of the ground fence will prevent digging.
Include a warm/heated hide for those colder days and nights. Lock him in the hide at night and out during the day.
He does not need to get washed just because he was outside.

 

[newbiertortoisemom]

In Florida he should be living outside 24/7 when it's not your cold winter weather. You need to build him an escape proof enclosure. Laying fencing on the ground and putting the barrier fence on top of the edges of the ground fence will prevent digging.
Include a warm/heated hide for those colder days and nights. Lock him in the hide at night and out during the day.
He does not need to get washed just because he was outside.

Thank you!

 

[TammyJ]

Welcome to the forum and please post some pictures of your tortoise!

 

[Ink]

Welcome to the forum, please beware of fire ants.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello! As wellington mentioned, he ideally needs to be living outdoors in your climate, in a nice secure outdoor enclosure

This thread includes some inspiration for an adult set up, both indoors and out, I think it’ll hopefully give you some ideas

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

Seeing as you currently have a indoor set up, do feel free to go over this one too, I’d use it to check your bulbs are the right type, it covers correct equipment(uvb, basking bulb, lighting etc), levels, sizing, appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything and a really handy diet link to check out!

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

Lastly, probably the most important, this one is also really good to familiarise yourself with and have on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

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

Hope they help! Welcome to the forum!!

 

[COmtnLady]

Welcome to the Forum!

The most up-to-date info is here, along with very knowledgeable long-term keepers. Read all the care sheets and ask questions, we love to help.

I always do a soak when I bring my tortoise in from outside, just in case there was something that would be better to not have on her.

Where I live it can get down to thirty or forty degrees colder than she does well in overnight, even in the summer... sometimes even in the daytime in the summer, Plus, it is really dry here. So she is a mostly indoor tortoise. Your weather is much more tort-friendly!

Almost everyone has some of the same concerns when starting out, so there are fair few care sheets available here. Take a little while and read these, then ask away.

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 and welcome! Can you share a link to a paper/article/iNaturalist observation/etc where such baby redfoots behaviour in the wild is documented? I know about their "gaze following" behaviour and that they can "swarm" the food source (e.g. carrion) but haven't seen reports of "caring about...

tortoiseforum.org

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

or

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

We're glad you are here and will do our best to help your tortoise thrive.

.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Welcome to the forum!