Prospective Tortoise Owner from NY!

[Marisaur]

Hi! I don't have a tortoise yet, but I recently decided that I can do a good job caring for an adult Russian tortoise in my apartment. I've been scouring the internet for weeks. I'll be taking the plunge probably in two weeks or so as an early birthday present, but I look forward to learning from and sharing with you!

Edit: Reading other's intros I realized I can actually post some starter questions here? I posted this on reddit too, but it can't hurt to get more input!

- How would you do UVB/heating lamps in a 4x2 open tub like this?

- Can tortoises see color? Or does color bother them? The decorating scheme I had in mind for my tortoise is kinda garish, for example I'm looking at this for a hide. Would my tortoise hate me?

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome!

 

[jsheffield]

Welcome to TFO!

Jamie

 

[Blackdog1714]

Go cheaper and splurge on th electronics- get a rubbermaid 55 gallon tub or a walmart christmas under bed box. With the lids it makes doing a closed chamber way easier.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hi

 

[Ben02]

Hi and welcome. I have one of those hides but it is not painted, your tortoise may try to bite the bright colours as it looks like a nice flower. That shouldn’t cause to many problems though. It’s also important that you choose the right substrate as some can be dangerous and cause blockages in the colon. As you are getting a Russian I would choose coco coir as they love to dig. I’m not sure about the lamp on the 55 gallon though.

Ben

 

[Blackdog1714]

Each end is a CHE the middle is a 6000K LED Light for plants. I have an 18" T8 UVB mounted inside the tub. I use Coco Coir and it is 4 inch deep. The warm side has a basking side of 100 and the food side is about 83 degrees with 90% humidity.

 

[Marisaur]

Thanks guys! And thanks for the advice!

@Ben02 the color is just for my own aesthetic, I could totally just get the plain version if it becomes a problem. Does your tortoise like it? I wasn’t sure how much light a hide should let through, since that kind would let more in between the rods than the half log or hollowed rock kind.

@Blackdog1714 wow, how long do you keep that closed or open? I had intended to let mine be open topped, with a gradient from 95-65 because I’d read that somewhere

 

[Ben02]

Thanks guys! And thanks for the advice!

@Ben02 the color is just for my own aesthetic, I could totally just get the plain version if it becomes a problem. Does your tortoise like it? I wasn’t sure how much light a hide should let through, since that kind would let more in between the rods than the half log or hollowed rock kind.

@Blackdog1714 wow, how long do you keep that closed or open? I had intended to let mine be open topped, with a gradient from 95-65 because I’d read that somewhere

When I first got my tortoises, they would only sleep under the hide. Even if your tortoise does bite at it he will get bored after a while and stop

 

[Chasen]

Hi! I don't have a tortoise yet, but I recently decided that I can do a good job caring for an adult Russian tortoise in my apartment. I've been scouring the internet for weeks. I'll be taking the plunge probably in two weeks or so as an early birthday present, but I look forward to learning from and sharing with you!

Edit: Reading other's intros I realized I can actually post some starter questions here? I posted this on reddit too, but it can't hurt to get more input!

- How would you do UVB/heating lamps in a 4x2 open tub like this?

- Can tortoises see color? Or does color bother them? The decorating scheme I had in mind for my tortoise is kinda garish, for example I'm looking at this for a hide. Would my tortoise hate me?

Welcome to the forum. You've come to the right place for knowledgeable advice from the folks that have experience. I don't necessarily consider myself in that league, but I have read a lot of their responses to others inquiries. With that said, I'm curious if you are getting a hatchling or an adult? If you are getting an adult, I believe you can forgo the closed chamber and go with open top. If I'm wrong, others will correct me. If you are getting a hatchling and going with the stock tank you linked to, why not get the 75 gal one? It's minutely bigger, but it's square and would be much easier to build a lid for. Just my 2 cents. Good luck with whichever direction you go and enjoy your new tort.

 

[Marisaur]

Welcome to the forum. You've come to the right place for knowledgeable advice from the folks that have experience. I don't necessarily consider myself in that league, but I have read a lot of their responses to others inquiries. With that said, I'm curious if you are getting a hatchling or an adult? If you are getting an adult, I believe you can forgo the closed chamber and go with open top. If I'm wrong, others will correct me. If you are getting a hatchling and going with the stock tank you linked to, why not get the 75 gal one? It's minutely bigger, but it's square and would be much easier to build a lid for. Just my 2 cents. Good luck with whichever direction you go and enjoy your new tort.

I honestly did know there was a 75 gallon! I’ll be looking around, I know the more space the better but I definitely can’t fit more than like 100gal in my home. 60-80 gals would have been a sweet spot but most of those containers are so TALL with the same floor space.

I want to get an adult, mostly because I don’t know that I’m seasoned enough to control humidity like they need. I never had a reptile before.

And thank you!

 

[RussianNinja]

View attachment 265242
Each end is a CHE the middle is a 6000K LED Light for plants. I have an 18" T8 UVB mounted inside the tub. I use Coco Coir and it is 4 inch deep. The warm side has a basking side of 100 and the food side is about 83 degrees with 90% humidity.

Just out of curiosity what kind of tortoises do you have?

 

[Nookole]

Hello! Nice to meet you! I'm in the same boat. I'm preparing for my future Hermann! What makes you want to buy that tub instead of a basic,cheap tub from lowes?

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome.
Good idea to research first so you can make sure your setup is as suitable and safe as possible before you add the tort.
If you are considering an adult Russian I think you may need as big an enclosure as possible so I don't think 4 x 2 will be big enough.
If I remember rightly 4 x 8 is often recommended, but check the caresheet for Russians under Species specific - that will be a good guide.
The Enclosures thread will also give you lots of good ideas and the Beginners Mistakes will help you avoid problems encountered by others.
Torts are wandering creatures and need lots of space. Letting them wander around your home with all its potential hazards for exercise is not safe for them and once they have been out they sometimes don't settle in their enclosures and do all they can to get out again.

Yes they can see colour and red lights can confuse them. They love red foods so they could try to eat anything that looks red. They need darkness at night to sleep.

I hope you find all the information you need but there are plenty of experienced keepers here who can help and give you up to date information. Don't buy anything without checking here first - pet stores often don't give the right advice and they are there to make profit, whereas everyone here is here because they want torts to be as happy and healthy as possible and it could save you a lot of money.
Good luck!

 

[Marisaur]

Hello! Nice to meet you! I'm in the same boat. I'm preparing for my future Hermann! What makes you want to buy that tub instead of a basic,cheap tub from lowes?

I just can’t find bins big enough in stores! I’ve seen references to these tubs in the forums but the biggest I can find is about 3x2?

 

[Marisaur]

Hi and welcome.
Good idea to research first so you can make sure your setup is as suitable and safe as possible before you add the tort.
If you are considering an adult Russian I think you may need as big an enclosure as possible so I don't think 4 x 2 will be big enough.
If I remember rightly 4 x 8 is often recommended, but check the caresheet for Russians under Species specific - that will be a good guide.
The Enclosures thread will also give you lots of good ideas and the Beginners Mistakes will help you avoid problems encountered by others.
Torts are wandering creatures and need lots of space. Letting them wander around your home with all its potential hazards for exercise is not safe for them and once they have been out they sometimes don't settle in their enclosures and do all they can to get out again.

Yes they can see colour and red lights can confuse them. They love red foods so they could try to eat anything that looks red. They need darkness at night to sleep.

I hope you find all the information you need but there are plenty of experienced keepers here who can help and give you up to date information. Don't buy anything without checking here first - pet stores often don't give the right advice and they are there to make profit, whereas everyone here is here because they want torts to be as happy and healthy as possible and it could save you a lot of money.
Good luck!

Thank you! Enclosures are another place I’m getting a lot of conflicting info. In this thread alone I’m hearing plastic storage tubs from stores, which are certainly not 4x8. I also don’t intend to let it roam.

Part of the reason I haven’t gotten a tortoise yet is because of this. My apartment can accommodate maybe up to 4-5’ x 2-3’ of floor space, which by some care sheets is enough, but others it’s not?

 

[Chasen]

Thank you! Enclosures are another place I’m getting a lot of conflicting info. In this thread alone I’m hearing plastic storage tubs from stores, which are certainly not 4x8. I also don’t intend to let it roam.

Part of the reason I haven’t gotten a tortoise yet is because of this. My apartment can accommodate maybe up to 4-5’ x 2-3’ of floor space, which by some care sheets is enough, but others it’s not?

I think maybe the conflicting info is from those that don't know you want an adult Russian. If they think or assume that you are getting a hatchling they will recommend the totes that can be enclosed.

 

[Nookole]

I just can’t find bins big enough in stores! I’ve seen references to these tubs in the forums but the biggest I can find is about 3x2?

Have you gone to a home improvement/construction store like Lowes, Tractor Supply, Home Depot? I think the containers they're talking about are huge(lol) cement mixing tubs. I'm thinking something like this.

You just need to walk around and go shopping a little bit. It's hard for me to shop for things online when it needs to be a particular size, even if the measurements are plainly given.

Also, you could always go to lowes and have someone cut the boards there, and build your own, simple tortoise enclosure for your house. You'd just need a drill and some screws, really. I'm thinking about doing that when my little guy gets bigger. I'm trying to decide if I want wood at all though, cause I've seen a bunch of people on youtube use wood as a tortoise enclosure adn then the wood started to mold and house bugs. So. Ew. Lol. But I think if you finish it and put plastic down underneath the substrate, it should be okay.

Really though, I'm in the same boat as you. I need to pick my enclosure and substrate. The substrate is the hardest thing for me at the moment, cause I can't figure out what I should use. There's conflicting opinions EVERYWHERE. I just know I don't want to use JUST top soil, cause its so dirty. :/ I want to do something like repitbark or something of that nature.

 

[Nookole]

OH! I actually have a few of these bins. I got them for storage when I lived in college. You can get these in a bunch of different sizes, but mine is approximately the length of the width of a full sized bed, and they're fairly wide. You can get them at Walmart. You'd have to do something to build up the sides a bit once you put in the substrate (only on three sides if it's against a wall) but I'm seriously considering just outfitting one of these suckers. You don't need to buy the lid since you're getting an adult. I'm looking for cheap and easy solutions Also, this picture makes it look like they're very see through, but mine are opaque.

 

[Marisaur]

@Chasen oh I see. I may put a hold on my tortoise plans until I figure something out. Realistically this is gonna be an indoor tortoise, and I want to give it all I can. If I can’t meet the bare minimum I’ll find a way before taking the plunge.

@Nookole that cement tub is actually EXACTLY what I originally had in mind! I’m rethinking my enclosure plans but that might be a good start. I didn’t realize I can get pieces of wood cut for me, but I’m with you - I think I wanna go mostly plastic. If I can figure out how to DIY a double decker or something (maybe with those underbed things you linked or smaller cement tubs) to save apartment floor space without having my tortoise fall or flip over by accident...

I’m not handy in the slightest but I think I want a tortoise enough to give it a shot lol. Thank you so much guys