I have my Russian tortoise in plain soil and it seems to irritate his eyes, so I am thinking about switching to coco coir. Is there any difference between what I can get at a garden store and petco? At petco they have zoo med eco earth coconut fiber substrate, would that be better or indifferent? Or maybe a different substrate that works well for you?
Coco coir is too messy, but its not harmful. I prefer fine grade orchid bark. I buy it cheaply in bulk bags from garden centers. Home Depot or Lowes is not likely to have it, but some of them do. Its also called "fir bark".
He runs his eyes frequently, and they seem to be a little swollen. He hasn't opened them much since I got him. If I dont see an improvement I'll get him some ointment.
Have you made the changes to his lighting that were discussed in another thread the other day? Swollen eyes are more commonly caused by lighting problems than plain dirt. After all, that’s what they live on/in in the wild, not coconut husks.
Yes I have! His backing spot is at 85 degrees and I got him a uvb light. I soaked him with the warming light and it seemed to help
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Your basking needs to be 95 to 100.
Yes, well at petco his tank was only 70 so hes warmer than hes been the majority of his life. He seems to be doing okay and is pretty active so I'm not too worried about it. When I have the extra money I am thinking about investing in a ceramic heat lamp or a heating matt. He ate last night and is moving around his enclosure. He stays on the cooler half as well, so I dont think hes too cold. But I will get something for the extra heat, I want to see him thrive 
Please understand, we are only trying to help. Temps under 80 degrees is not good for this tort. 70 is way to low. If he is kept in temps to low, he could get a respiratory infection, and some don’t survive this. A heat mat is not recommended for a smalltort. They tend to get hot spots and can fry the tortoise. CHE, ceramic heat emmitors, are the best thing, or an rhp, radiant heat panel, but those are more expensive. The whole enclosure needs to be 80 and above with a basking spot of 95 to 100. Substrate needs to be moistened all over so he gets the humidity he needs. These are just some of the basic care it needs to keep him healthy.
He needs to be at 95. That is the temperature he needs to get active enough to digest his food properly.
I understand this is new to you but because you are so new to it, you need to take the advice of folks who have been at this a long time. Doing better than Petco is not enough, given their care is so horrible. He hasn’t been at seventy for the most of his life; he spent the majority of life in his home country, where getting to the right temperature is no problem. Russians are tough; they can survive some rough conditions for a period of time, that’s how he survived through being imported and dumped here. But now he needs to get to the right place to be healthy.
You’ve done so much to improve his life already! But he needs more to get and stay healthy.
I understand this is new to you but because you are so new to it, you need to take the advice of folks who have been at this a long time. Doing better than Petco is not enough, given their care is so horrible. He hasn’t been at seventy for the most of his life; he spent the majority of life in his home country, where getting to the right temperature is no problem. Russians are tough; they can survive some rough conditions for a period of time, that’s how he survived through being imported and dumped here. But now he needs to get to the right place to be healthy.
You’ve done so much to improve his life already! But he needs more to get and stay healthy.
Keep in mind that “rescuing” an animal from bad conditions and putting it in ones that still aren’t ideal is not rescuing it. It’s just taking it and putting it in conditions that are slightly better, but not adequate.
The mentality of “it’s not the worst, so it’s fine” isn’t exactly the mentality you want to have when you’re trying to let the animal thrive. Please get the proper temps.
The mentality of “it’s not the worst, so it’s fine” isn’t exactly the mentality you want to have when you’re trying to let the animal thrive. Please get the proper temps.
Yes I understand that. Sorry if I came of rude that was not my intention, I am new to this and am considering everyone's advice that's why I'm on here! I was not saying that I dont want to raise the temperatures more, I just dont have the money to get the added heat source at this time. I'm hoping my boyfriend will get this on Friday, as the tortoise was a birthday gift for him. If not he will have to wait for my next pay cycle. But he seems to be well, better than when I got him so I'm not worried about the urgency. As soon as I can (week and half tops) I'll get the added heatsource. As for the warming matt, thank you I did not know that! I do want what's best for the little guy. Also I dont believe this tort was shipped from his home country, he was bred here in the states.
Thanks but I never said I had rescues this tort. Not only this but I dont have that mentality. I'm learning and doing the best with recourses I have. I made mistakes and spent money on things I didnt need so now it will take a minute for me to get the funds to get the added heat source.
Jerry's Mom
Member
Unfortunatly, all tortoises at Petco are wild caught, not captive bred.
You didn’t come across as rude at all; it’s just that we have a lot of new members here who are very resistant to advice. It’s hard for most of us to think about a tortoise not getting all it needs so we don’t hold back with the advice.
There are no captive bred tortoises at Petco. They don’t know any better than to tell you that, or that he’s a baby when he’s nearly full grown, or that because they are small they don’t need much room.
We all made mistakes at the beginning. Spending money on the wrong things is pretty common because the advice out there is so bad.
There are no captive bred tortoises at Petco. They don’t know any better than to tell you that, or that he’s a baby when he’s nearly full grown, or that because they are small they don’t need much room.
We all made mistakes at the beginning. Spending money on the wrong things is pretty common because the advice out there is so bad.
You didn’t come across as rude at all; it’s just that we have a lot of new members here who are very resistant to advice. It’s hard for most of us to think about a tortoise not getting all it needs so we don’t hold back with the advice.
There are no captive bred tortoises at Petco. They don’t know any better than to tell you that, or that he’s a baby when he’s nearly full grown, or that because they are small they don’t need much room.
We all made mistakes at the beginning. Spending money on the wrong things is pretty common because the advice out there is so bad.
I appreciate all the advice, I really do. This forum has helped me so much! I want the best for him and I respect all the experience and knowledge you all have
