Caseyaceae
New Member
Of course we’d love to. Unfortunately, we live in an apartment so we’re doing the best we can with the research we haveYou could even let your tortoise live outside in the summer (with protection, of course)
Of course we’d love to. Unfortunately, we live in an apartment so we’re doing the best we can with the research we haveYou could even let your tortoise live outside in the summer (with protection, of course)
Omg ! Thank you so much! This is a huge help. I didn’t realize those issues with the enclosure. So glad I was able to get such speedy input from great expertsThere is a lot that needs to change with your enclosure. It looks like you’ve been given a lot of outdated information. Your tortoise actually requires a much larger enclosure. Something closer to 4ft x 8ft and if you can go even bigger, that would be preferable. In the wild tortoises walk miles in a day to help aid in the digestion of their food. It also helps keep muscle tone in their legs, keeps their nails trim, amongst other things. The CHE being so close to the aspen (aspen isn’t recommended for tortoise substrate) is a fire waiting to happen. Clamp lamps will all fail eventually. We’ve seen it many times on the forum, killing tortoises and causing fires. It would be best to find another way to secure the fixture asap. As for the height on the CHE, you really need to let your thermometer be your guide. Use digital thermometers in place of the little dial ones. They’re known to be wildly inaccurate. For the UV, the height you need it at will depend on what bulb you’re using. If it’s a T5 HO (10.0 or 12%) then you’ll want to have it closer to 16-18” above ground level.
Here is an excellent care sheet that will explain more about the requirements for your tortoise. If you have any specific questions or are unclear about anything after you read it, don’t hesitate to ask.
The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise
I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...tortoiseforum.org
No not shedding but growing. I thought like you when Sally appeared that way. The line grows bigger and the fills in with shell She must be having a growing spirtHello,
we have an adopted Russian tortoise, from a previous owner, who is 1.75 years old. For a while it looks like her shell was shedding. Something about her shell seemed off as I was looking at it. If anyone can tell me if this looks like it’s shedding or something else (hopefully not shell rot, etc) that would be great.
Her temps are 90-95 in the basking, 75 in the cool, 75 at night with humidity between 40-50. She has aspen, forest floor and coco fiber for her substrate.
Any info would be great. Thanks
You shouldn't tell people that, it's not true. soaking is great but from my experience but the Russian Tortoise is just growingThis species does not shed scutes unless they have been seriously damaged full-thickness down to the bone.
How big is s/he? Does s/he fit in the palm of your hand? Or fill your hand? Put a ruler down against a wall, then set her on the ruler and look straight down...how long is s/he from back-to-front of the shell only?
S/he's being kept far too dry if s/he's only a juvenile (and you probably won't know the sex for some time yet). The bumpy appearance of the carapace? That is from being too dry and hot while basking.
But the cracked appearance is quite concerning - has s/he fallen or been dropped or stepped on? If there is no history of physical trauma, then the habitat features are the cause. (Blazing hot CHE too close to the surface burning through the keratin; no dampness in the substrate to create humidity at the surface and keep the growing keratin from hardening too fast.)
CHEs are meant to give environmental warmth, not basking heat. You need an incandescent flood bulb that mimics the sun's light for safe basking.
Follow @Krista S 's info.
Which is exactly what?... from my experience...
Diane: the new growth is cracked and very dry. This is environmental. Something is or has in the past burned the new growth.You shouldn't tell people that, it's not true. soaking is great but from my experience but the Russian Tortoise is just growing
This is Sally and she had a bigger line around her shell but it filled in and she grew, she still has a line to grow some moreHello,
we have an adopted Russian tortoise, from a previous owner, who is 1.75 years old. For a while it looks like her shell was shedding. Something about her shell seemed off as I was looking at it. If anyone can tell me if this looks like it’s shedding or something else (hopefully not shell rot, etc) that would be great.
Her temps are 90-95 in the basking, 75 in the cool, 75 at night with humidity between 40-50. She has aspen, forest floor and coco fiber for her substrate.
Any info would be great. Thanks