Setting up for a Russian Tortoise - Constructive comments welcome

[wellington]

@Tom @wellington

What is the average temperature of a Russian tortoise shell outside of the basking area. Sandra's is 84 degrees.

Just checking if my overall temps are okay. The range is 75 to 80 degrees plus or minus over the entire enclosure with 95 to 100 degrees in basking area.

That's all good

 

[David Steere]

@Tom @wellington

Sorry for being a pain!

The reason I ask is since I had Sandy each morning Sandy would be out from digging in for the night at 7am. For the last couple of days I had to find Sandy who was still buried and perform the daily soak from 7am to 7:30am. Trying to keep a schedule. Was the weekend so I slept in and check on Sandy at 8am and Sandy was still buried.

Sandy is above ground for the rest of the day. Roams around the entire enclosure, eats, but stays in a particular spots for hours. Just sits there. Just sits there but is alert. When I open the plastic she turns and looks. Hopefully it is not with annoyance.

I still can not help placing Sandy by her food bowl. Mostly so I can spend some time watching Sandy up close and petting her head. Do they like their head petted or does that stress out a tortoise. Sandy extends head was out sometimes.

I guess my question is should I not dig Sandy out and wait for Sandy to surface or is it okay to dig Sandy out. Is this causing stress for Sandy? Overall is this normal for a tortoise?

 

[wellington]

In my opinion, dig her out if that makes you more comfortable about her well being
Each tortoise is different when it comes to stress. I don't believe, like many do, that they are under stress when handled, petted, etc, unless there are signs. Signs like pulling in and hissing. To me an extended neck when petted is not stress. If she doesn't seem to care you are digging her up, then dig her up. Even one hiss, but then popping her head and legs out, to me isn't stress.
All my tortoises either come walking to me and/or like being petted. I have always handled mine a lot and touched legs, head, etc, so if they ever needed medical care, they would be used to being handled and touched.

 

[_The_Beast_]

I dig mine out on the regular as my little hatchling will try to stay in bed until 9am some days and I need bath time complete before I go to work lol.

 

[David Steere]

Sandy's new spot to chill. On a rock.

 

[_The_Beast_]

So sweet! 🥰 Thank you for sharing

 

[David Steere]

Sandy settling in for the night.

 

[David Steere]

Sandy is hard to find now. Before Sandy would only be in one quadrant of the enclosure. Now Sandy is all over the place.
Parted the grass to get a picture.

 

[David Steere]

Sandy enjoying the basking light.

 

[David Steere]

Monthly Checking for month of July, 2024. Sandy gained 40 grams.

• Weight: 160 grams
• Length: 3 1/2" +/-

 

[_The_Beast_]

Amazing! Great job Sandy 🥰 I still can't get over how cute the little Batman signal markings are

 

[David Steere]

@Tom @wellington @Alex and the Redfoot @SinLA

Sandy eating Aloe plant.

 

[David Steere]

@Tom @wellington @Alex and the Redfoot @SinLA

Sandy enjoying food.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

@Tom @wellington @Alex and the Redfoot @SinLA

Sandy eating Aloe plant.

Wow! My redfoot avoids aloe like poison

 

[wellington]

@Tom @wellington @Alex and the Redfoot @SinLA

Sandy enjoying food.

Looking great.

 

[David Steere]

Sandy chilling...

 

[Tom]

Sandy is looking great. How are you getting on? Are you having a happy tortoise keeping experience?

 

[David Steere]

@Tom

Having Sandy has been one of the GREATEST experiences of my life. As everyone knows my wife Sandra passed away a week before Christmas last year. Sandy the tortoise has filled the void perfectly.

Sandy is the first pet, minus dogs and cats, that I know I am doing a great job ( thanks to this forum) and not a hack job. Had fish, reptiles previously but they always died due to my neglect.

Every morning I get at 6:30am and at 7:00am I soak Sandy for 30 minutes and spend some time with her. God I enjoy waking up every day to see Sandy. I make sure Sandra's enclosure is clean and has new food and water. I work from home and never go anywhere except for yard work and other things on our property so I check on Sandy every couple of hours.

I will find Sandy. Getting hard to do because there is so many hiding places in the indoor enclosure and place Sandy by the food and hand feed Sandy and talk to Sandy. I pet Sandy's head and shell. Sandy does not seem to mind it.

The rest of the time Sandy has the rest of the day to do anything Sandy wants to.

Like everyone knows Sandy's enclosure is 48"x72". I plan this winter to do the following and will get advise from the forum before doing so.

1. Add a hide box addition off the 48"x72" enclosure to free up space within the enclose itself.
2. Add an additional 48"x48" wing for extra space to roam.
3. Put large size Spider plant, Christmas Cactus that hangs low so Sandy has places to hide and eat.
4. I really look forward to the 1rst of the month for the length and weight of Sandy and report back to the forum. Makes me really feel good that Sandy is getting bigger.
5. Can not wait until I know if Sandy is a boy or girl. Hoping boy because I would rather not have Sandy have to deal with laying eggs and complications that could come with that.

So Sandy's final enclosure will be 48"x120" plus the hide.

Also growing food to put under the indoor grow lights to get through win winter.



Thanks to you and everyone else on this wonderful forum you have filled a huge void with something incredibly special! I am deep in your debt.