Russian Tortoise Shell Ok?

[Jsander09]

We just recently got Pickles for Christmas. He’s a Russian Tortoise. Im concerned about his shell. I was soaking him twice a week. Last week I started soaking him for 20-30mins a everyday, misting his enclosure, he has a cuddle bone in his home, added calcium powder to his food, and zoo med grassland pellets. We currently feed him romaine lettuce, kale, endive, parsley, cilantro, spring greens, radicchio, arugula. Really whatever greens we can find at the store we live in Indiana and it’s winter right now. Temp in his enclosure is between 75-100 degrees. He also has a UVB bulb and we also place him in front of our windows for some sunshine too. We have thermometers to and watch them. He’s very active, curious, and friendly. I just want to make sure I’m doing everything and his shell is ok. Any suggestions or tips would be very appreciated.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Hey and welcome to the forum!

His shell looks a bit dry. How is the humidity in the enclosure?

What heat bulbs and UVB bulbs are you using specifically? Some bulbs can have a drying effect on the shell.

 

[Jsander09]

I use Aqua culture basking bulb incandescent 100watt, hugger zoo UVB fluorescent light. I don’t have a humidity system but have a thermometer that says 40%. I’ve been misting and wetting substrate its coconut substrate. If I need humidity system how can I do that?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I use Aqua culture basking bulb incandescent 100watt, hugger zoo UVB fluorescent light. I don’t have a humidity system but have a thermometer that says 40%. I’ve been misting and wetting substrate its coconut substrate. If I need humidity system how can I do that?

Do you have a photo of them by any chance? Or packaging photos? Particularly that uvb one, doesn’t look like this does it?


40% is fine for an adult Russian, always avoid humidifiers and misters directly into an enclosure, they can cause respiratory problems

Don’t suppose you have a photo of your full set up?

 

[Jsander09]

Do you have a photo of them by any chance? Or packaging photos? Particularly that uvb one, doesn’t look like this does it?
View attachment 386203

40% is fine for an adult Russian, always avoid humidifiers and misters directly into an enclosure, they can cause respiratory problems

Don’t suppose you have a photo of your full set up?

That is the uvb light I have.

This is the basking bulb I have.

Aqua Culture Basking Bulb for Reptiles 100 Watt - Walmart.com

Buy Aqua Culture Basking Bulb for Reptiles 100 Watt at Walmart.com

www.walmart.com

This is his tank, it's really small I know. We have another enclosure that I place right in front of our big windows so he gets natural sunlight. It's nothing fancy and gives him room to roam its 49.2 X 24.8 X 16.5. I'll try to send a picture of that enclosure tomorrow. The plan is to definitely get him a bigger enclosure. I do always make sure he has water and have been trying to dampen the coco substrate.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

That is the uvb light I have.

This is the basking bulb I have.

Aqua Culture Basking Bulb for Reptiles 100 Watt - Walmart.com

Buy Aqua Culture Basking Bulb for Reptiles 100 Watt at Walmart.com

www.walmart.com

This is his tank, it's really small I know. We have another enclosure that I place right in front of our big windows so he gets natural sunlight. It's nothing fancy and gives him room to roam its 49.2 X 24.8 X 16.5. I'll try to send a picture of that enclosure tomorrow. The plan is to definitely get him a bigger enclosure. I do always make sure he has water and have been trying to dampen the coco substrate.

View attachment 386315

Thanks for the further information! I think we’ve found your issue, those coil bulbs(uvb) are very desiccating and can actually be quite dangerous, they’ve been know to cause serious eye burns.

As you know already sizing does need addressing, even the bigger one isn’t big enough for an adult I’m afraid,

I think you’ll find this thread helpful, this covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc, stores often sell the wrong stuff so double check here), correct levels(double check these too), sizing(you can get away with smaller indoors if you can build a larger outdoor space when weather permits), 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

This includes lots of inspiration for an adult set up both indoors and out! The indoor bit has some good ideas to tackle indoor space whilst still providing the needed roaming room! Check comments too, I’m always adding to it. I know the recommended adult size is intimidating to some, especially if you’ve been lead into thinking he’ll be fine in a smaller set up(very common) but tortoises long term health really does rely on lots of roaming room. If you’re unable to go that big, please go as big as you can! This usually involves some minimal diy as it can be tricky finding ready made the right size

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

Lastly, this one here is probably most important to go over and keep 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

Really hope this all helps! I know it’s a lot to go over sorrybut take all the time you need! They’ll always be folks to help with any further questions! We can break things down bit by bit

 

[EppsDynasty]

Coconut Oil .... Give him a good rub down of "Unrefined Cold Pressed" Coconut Oil to help Re-hydrate the Keratin Shell. 30 minutes later give him a good wipe down with a soft cloth to remove excess oil, this is crucial to prevent the oil from plugging the shell.

To help Humidity cover the top (except where the light fixture is) with something. He is going to try and get out of that enclosure constantly, needs to be quite bigger to allow him to room to explore. If you keep him in that he will start to be stressed out and then it's a down hill situation.

 

[Jsander09]

Thank you so much, this is all very helpful. I’ll see about making his inside closure bigger and we did plan on building an outdoor enclosure this summer that should hopefully help him be able to roam more too. Did you think the basking light was bad too or just the uvb? Your thoughts on using coconut oil?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Thank you so much, this is all very helpful. I’ll see about making his inside closure bigger and we did plan on building an outdoor enclosure this summer that should hopefully help him be able to roam more too. Did you think the basking light was bad too or just the uvb? Your thoughts on using coconut oil?

I believe the basking light is ok

Yeah you can definitely give the oil a try! Just be sure you get it all off after around 30 minutes

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Your thoughts on using coconut oil?

I would do it after soaking and make sure to buff it out well.

 

[Jsander09]

I believe the basking light is ok

Yeah you can definitely give the oil a try! Just be sure you get it all off after around 30 minutes

Thank you so much and all the extra links were really helpful. I appreciate you taking the time to reply. Do you think this could work as an enclosure if I bought two and put them together?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CZDDL741?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Thank you so much and all the extra links were really helpful. I appreciate you taking the time to reply. Do you think this could work as an enclosure if I bought two and put them together?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CZDDL741?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

I’m afraid the specific product doesn’t come up for me because of location, don’t suppose you have screenshot with dimensions?

 

[TheTortoiseKing]

 

[TheTortoiseKing]

I'm not sure how water tight the base of that is

 

[Jsander09]

I'm not sure how water tight the base of that is

To hold the substrate well you mean or for the substrate to stay moist?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

View attachment 386327

I'm not sure how water tight the base of that is

Dimensions would fall a little below minimum, but if 4x4 or 8x2 is as big as you can go, that’ll be a huge improvement!

Being water tight wouldn’t be an issue as you could just line it with cheap pond lining off Amazon and peg it at the top, my main concern is how stable it is, I’ve seen folks use similar bases with greenhouses on top for babies, but I don’t know how something like that would hold up against an adult over time. I’d maybe see if there’s a sturdier option out there

 

[COmtnLady]

Thank you so much and all the extra links were really helpful. I appreciate you taking the time to reply. Do you think this could work as an enclosure if I bought two and put them together?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CZDDL741?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

That enclosure is FAR TOO FLIMSY. It is essentially some screen panels with plastic uprights. It won't stand up to a tortoise exploring up the sides. Even if you can line it with something water-proof to keep the substrate damp and humidity up, the weight of the lining alone will overwhelm the uprights. That enclosure is intended for bunnies and hamsters. Its just a lightweight temporary thing for occasional visits outside for small rodents.