Russian tortoise care advice 🐢

[Cristín]

Hi fellow tortoise lovers 😊 I was hoping i could get some advice/constructive criticism about my russian tortoise Simon. I'm learning all the time but I just want to have everything just right for him so please let me know what I'm doing wrong or what I can do better would really appreciate it!
He's currently living in a 4ft x 3 ft table with a substrate of 50/50 playsand and Liam soil.. He has a basking lamp at one end and the other end is room temp. He has a little wooden hut he can hide in and rocks to climb on which he loves to do. His favourite food is dandelions but they're dying off now because I live in Ireland so he's been eating radicchio endive kale and escarole. Are these ok? He gets his food dusted with calcium and he has a cuttlebone in his enclosure incase he wants a nibble. He used to go outside everyday for a hours upon hours but now it's way too cold so now when he's restless I just let him explore my room, is this ok? He gets bathed 3 times a week. When I got him he had a really bad limp because the pet shop kept him in a little glass tank on saw dust and a heat pad poor Simon and she fed him, horror of horrors iceberg lettice tomato and cabbage everyday.
I want to be a really good tortoise owner so I would really love if anyone has any thoughts on my care or any tips 👍 thanks. cristine, 16, Ireland 🐢

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Oops I mean Loam soil

 

[stinax182]

Re: RE: Russian tortoise care advice

hey there! what a cute tortoise! he's very lucky to have been rescued by you! it sounds like you're doing very well, honestly. though there are a couple things,

many members on here do not use any sand in the substrate because if consumed it can cause impaction, which is bad. you could replace it or add more soil to dilute the sand. tortoises do tend to eat some substrate on their food or in their water.

if you haven't already, you should invest in a temperature gun. easy way to have correct temps throughout the enclosure.
http://m.ebay.com/itm/130979214461?nav=SEARCH&sbk=1
under his basking light should be 100°f gradually dropping down to 70°f on a cooler side. at night your tortoise benefits from a drop to 65°f so you shouldn't need added night heat.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-80698.html
that is a great caresheet for Russian tortoises. the foods you're feeding are good but you wanna mix it up. buy something different on the list every week. variety is key veggies are a weekly treat and fruit is a monthly treat, if you must. your tort could get diarrhea from these.

and it's not usually a good idea to let your tort roam the house. they tend to ingest things they shouldn't like hair which can cause problems. they also don't walk so well on smooth surfaces and never put them on carpet, ha! they don't understand where they are and it might stress him out. he's use to dirt and being warm. if you must, make sure the area is clean and 100% safe from other animals and children.

bathing him is great. 20 mins 3 times a week is good, just make sure the water stays warm

 

[Cristín]

Ok thank you so much I'll definitely invest in a temperature gun.. That List is great Simon will be having lots of new foods! Oh I never knew that about carpet and stuff thanks so much I really appreciate that 😊x