Russian Tort habitat?

Ezra Lee Buck

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Hey y'all. Currently, my Russian tort is in a 100 gal tank, but I just bought a bigger shelf that I'm going to turn into a Tortoise table (it's a wooden 5 ft by 3 ft build your own thing). I've seen a bunch of tortoise tables online, and I was wondering why many people have a section with substrate and a section without, and if I should include it in my enclosure.
 

Tim Carlisle

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I have a portion of mine that is a soil mix for growing grasses. They love to graze. If you have male and female torts and plan to breed them, then you'll need a spot for her to lay her eggs. Aside from that, variety is the spice of life and the different textures make the terrarium a bit more appealing IMHO.
 

lismar79

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For my Russian I used a mix of Coco coir and Fir bark. It's up to your individual preference and your environmental situations. I needed something that held moisture more which is why I have a thick layer of Coco coir with the fir bark on top. Bigger is better for these guys they need a lot of room to Rome. I would not consider adding a male to my 6 by 4 foot table with my female. Too small for not to be bullied all the time.
 

Ezra Lee Buck

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Spokane, Washington
I have a portion of mine that is a soil mix for growing grasses. They love to graze. If you have male and female torts and plan to breed them, then you'll need a spot for her to lay her eggs. Aside from that, variety is the spice of life and the different textures make the terrarium a bit more appealing IMHO.
Thank you! I have a small section in my tank with succulents and air plants in it, and some timothy hay in her basking spot. I also have an old mat from a gecko that I can put in! Thank you!
 

Cheryl Hills

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I don’t think mats are a good idea. There feet can get caught in it. I have peat moss throughout my enclosed. Then I put site barriers and larger stones for them to climb on.
 

Tom

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Hey y'all. Currently, my Russian tort is in a 100 gal tank, but I just bought a bigger shelf that I'm going to turn into a Tortoise table (it's a wooden 5 ft by 3 ft build your own thing). I've seen a bunch of tortoise tables online, and I was wondering why many people have a section with substrate and a section without, and if I should include it in my enclosure.
The whole enclosure should have damp substrate. There is no reason to mix substrates, but it won't hurt anything if you choose from the few safe types.

This species doesn't eat grass or grass hay, so the timothy hay serves no purpose and is likely to mold.
 

Ezra Lee Buck

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Spokane, Washington
The whole enclosure should have damp substrate. There is no reason to mix substrates, but it won't hurt anything if you choose from the few safe types.

This species doesn't eat grass or grass hay, so the timothy hay serves no purpose and is likely to mold.
Ok! I'll take it out. I saw a russian table with a section with hay but if he doesn't eat it there's no point.
 

Oogway the russian tort

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for substrate I use a mix of topsoil and cypress mulch and don't forget to add sight barriers so they feel like the enclosure is actually bigger and is less stress full for ur tort
 

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