Rasputin, the Sulcata Tortoise

[ra94131]

Just wanted to post a few pictures of my new little guy. The enclosure in the picture has a single heat lamp, but he now has a CHE and a MVB in ceramic fixtures. (I built a stand out of 1" PVC to hang them straight down. Cost me $5 instead of the $20 I would have spent for each on the stands built for that purpose. Maybe $10 including the chains used to hang them.) I live in Texas, so he should be able to get outside for the vast majority of the year but I prefer to hedge my bets just in case. So far he has been very active and eats like a champion, so all is good to this point. Pretty humid in there, especially in his "hide."

Some additional information available in my "intro" post: Hello from Texas! (DFW Area)

 

[cwharris911]

Nice, that place looks like more fun than St Petersburg on a cold December day for little Rasputin.

 

[ra94131]

A quick update on Rasputin. He seems to be growing quite well, but being relatively new to tortoises I don't have much for comparison.

Aside from the minor pyramiding present when I purchased him at 1-2 months old, the new growth all seems to be pretty smooth. He's somewhere between 4 and 5 months old now. I don't have a weight, but he feels very solid and is approximately 3.5 inches in length. I'm still hoping he turns out to be a "guy" because Rasputin just isn't a very feminine name...

He gets at least one 20 minute soak per day and relatively frequent misting. Outside of his humid hide (which is always 80F and 80%+) the humidity ranges between 50%-75% and the temperature ranges between 75F (cool) and 105F (basking). He gets a random assortment of Mazuri, greens, and cactus every other day and grass/hay on off days and is eating very well. I've left him for 2-3 days a couple times when I was out of town and he's responded very well, although I try to avoid this. All seems to be going well.

I'll be putting together his outdoor garden enclosure in the next month or two to get it ready for springtime, when I'm hoping to get him outside on a near-fulltime basis and completely fulltime as soon as I am comfortable.

Here's a few pictures from this evening. Please let me know if you have any questions/concerns about this little guy and his care.

 

[jtrux]

While i'll agree with you that there is a slight raise to the scutes, I think that you won't notice it in a year or so. You're doing a fine job, and i'm sure he will grow smoooooth.

 

[lovelyrosepetal]

Rasputin is looking fabulous! You are doing such a good job with "him". Adorable!

 

[cwharris911]

Your tortoise looks great, but what is in the fancy case behind the last picture of his underside?

 

[mainey34]

You are doing good. He looks great....

 

[Baoh]

Good job with him.

Your little male is going to end up having those very curly/curved marginals, by the way. I think it looks pretty cool, but none of mine have those.

 

[Tom]

He's looking good. Nice job.

 

[l0velesly]

Nice even growth!

 

[ra94131]

A quick update, just to show some current pictures of his enclosure. I know some will criticize the open top, but I'm fortunate to live in an area with decent humidity. The lowest humidity gets in my house is around 50% and the room he is in is normally closer to 60%, so with daily spraying and a thick layer of moist coco coir I haven't had any problems. Inside the humid hide is always 85%+ and I use a heat rope to keep it around 82.5F.

And one bonus picture of Ivan, so he doesn't get jealous...

---

You can also take a look at the outdoor enclosure that I'm working on for Rasputin's future home, once he puts on some more size and the temperatures warm up a bit.

Outdoor Enclosure for Rasputin, the Sulcata Tortoise

 

[Baoh]

Worry not of criticism. The result is what matters and your result looks good.

 

[ra94131]

Just a couple new pictures. Rasputin is doing well and is definitely growing. Temperatures have finally gotten more stable so he has been able to get some very welcome outdoor time.

Not much progress on the backyard enclosure, but the next few weekends may see some new work done.
Outdoor Enclosure for Rasputin, the Sulcata Tortoise


And now just a couple pictures of Ivan outdoors (although he doesn't appreciate it near as much as Rasputin). I'm thinking he'll be shedding soon, although his eyes haven't gone "blue" yet.

 

[Melly-n-shorty]

I think you have done a fine job with him he is looking good, and your snake is very pretty!

 

[cemmons12]

Nice looking crew you have there bub. I use to have 3 snakes, but I miss my Red Tail Boa the most. She would lay with me on the floor, and follow me around the house like a dog! She was so different, nobody that came over could believe how she acted. And when I took her outside she would hold on for dear life, she hated being in the grass, so funny. I miss her..

 

[KingInCulver]

rasputin looks great, thanks for sharing pictures.

 

[looneybug]

Sorry I know this is late I just stumbled upon this thread.
I saw the post about you hoping he's a boy. Anyways if your little dude ends up being a girl you could call it rasputini

 

[ra94131]

So, I updated (expanded) Rasputin's indoor enclosure and moved him to the garage; this should last him until (and beyond) his move outdoors permanently. We're also planning on getting the initial landscaping done in his outdoor garden this weekend, so I'll update the enclosure post sometime next week if I have time.

The overall design is similar to many I have seen on this forum: two large plastic bins connected with a smaller plastic bin. I have left on side covered as a humid environment and his smaller humid hide is inside, along with a small water dish and plenty of dirt to dig around in. It is heated by a (unnecessarily large, but I had it laying around) RHP and a small heat rope underneath the humid hide. These are running off of a HerpStat ND (that I also had laying around). The larger side uses a PVC frame to hang the PowerSun MVB (in the larger dome) and some additional lighting to keep things bright and help the plants grow. (Most of the seed is just sprouting, so it isn't quite visible.) He has a large basking rock under the MVB, a large water dish, and a large rock I use for easy feeding. I did have to add a clamp lamp in the middle that is pointed into the covered tub. Before that I think he was having a hard time differentiating day/night and would stay in his humid hide all day and then gorge himself right after his soak as if he had no idea the food had been available all day, but with the new light he's back on his old schedule.

Here's a few pictures from the expanded enclosure:

Closer view of the "open" side:

"Bridge" and Rasputin's "alarm clock" lamp:

Closer view of the "closed" side:

The electronics box: (Kind of a mess, but at least I got it consolidated.)

The tools of the trade:

Despite the unreasonable amount of cords, the setup isn't too bad on electricity usage. It's worst if the evening is really cold (30s-40s) and the RHP has to kick in pretty frequently. Because it is so over-sized for the enclosure though, it gets things in order pretty quickly. I keep everything on timers to avoid leaving anything on too long (and to make sure Rasputin wakes up, even if I decide to enjoy my sleep a little too long on a Saturday morning).

I'll try to post some new pictures of Rasputin in the near future, but I decided to let him sleep while I photographed his new home. Hopefully he'll get some good time outdoors this weekend...

 

[EllieN]

Nice set up. Lucky Rasputin!

 

[Urtle]

You made a nice looking enclosure. Good idea with the humid hide, it looks very comfy. She must spend alot of time in there sleeping