Table

[jodietort]

I'm wanting to know what else I can put in my table for my 2tortoises as in what hideouts to put in and stuff and any other general advise about them
Thank you

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And is this them just loving each other? Found them like this this morning

 

[LolaMyLove]

Hi there, they are very cute.

That may actually be bullying. It looks like the lighter one has the other one pinned in the corner. If so you may need to separate them.

What are you using for lighting/ heat? Temps?

They need at least a few hides, I use buried flower pots. Some plants either fake or eatable, and enough sub-trait to dig down and hide in.

Good luck and post lots of pictures!

 

[jodietort]

Could it? How can I tell properly if it is?
I'll get them some good hides then thank you

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

Do you know their confirmed genders? 2 females - usually OK, male-female or 2 males - very bad! Take some pics of their rears, showing their tails, and we can confirm their genders.

That being said, a couple hollow logs big enough for them to be completely covered will be appreciated, particularly if set in such a way that they can also climb over the logs.

Also, what substrata are you using and how deep is it? They like to dig deep enough to cover themselves at times.

A few plants (either artificial or non-tort-tasty) will make it look nice.

This is just a winter home and you plan to build them an outside enclosure much larger, right? That table is a little small for two Steppes (Russian) tortoises (4' X 6' is about as small as you'd want)...an outside enclosure can be as large as you like, but I'd suggest 8' X 8' or thereabouts, minimal...they like roam and it's easier to set up a mentally stimulating environment for them if you give them plenty of space.

 

[julietteq]

I would put in some live plants and some grass. It helps to keep the humidity up and the torts love to nibble from them. Here is my table, the seedtrays are really wonderful because you can exchange them so easily. I plant them with grass or edible leaves. And I am sure the tortoises will appreciate a nice hide for them. You can use a hollow log or a plant pot.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-84008.html

Good luck with your table and your torts who look gorgeous!

 

[Tom]

Keeping two russians together is a recipe for disaster regardless of sex. You really ought to separate them BEFORE there is a problem and one of them gets sick, or loses leg scales or an eye. They are a very scrappy species and your pic does depict tortoise aggression. The one on the left wants the other one out of his/her territory and the one on the right in the corner would really like to leave. This is a VERY stressful situation for them to have to live with.

Here is a russian care sheet with all sorts of tips:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-80698.html

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi jodietort:

In my opinion, your habitat is too small. You need to add some 'furniture', but if you do, there won't be any room for the tortoises. You'll need maybe a big river rock, a piece of driftwood, a few plants (fake or real) and maybe even a turtle figurine.

Russian tortoises need a lot of space to wander around. You can usually provide space by making the habitat out of a used book case with the shelves removed, or two plastic tubs with the opposing ends cut out then put the tubs together...something like that. If you have the money to buy another habitat like the one you're using, you can even put two of those together to make one big one.

 

[jodietort]

We are extending it we just got that to start with. I have two pictures of their tails and wondered if anyone could hazard a guess at their sex?
We will extend it for this winter then were making a larger one outside for summer .
Thanks

 

[Yvonne G]

They are both boys. I'm surprised they get along.

 

[jodietort]

Are they? Oh right I'm keeping my eye out for bullying

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Is there anyway to prevent bullying or is separation the only way! I'm worried as I was sold them under the impression that they were a male and a female and both around 4/5 years old.

 

[Jacqui]

No sure way to prevent it. Things are worse, when one is more dominant then the other. A large enclosure with lots of visual barriers will help. Think things like hides, rocks, logs, plants, even having the substrate so it has hills and valleys.

Your two may never fight, it could be seasonal problems, or something that will happen all the time. Best thing is to have another enclosure ready if you even think they are getting into a debate situation. Even if one had been a female, you still could have problems. I would worry a bit because of the picture of the two faces together. More so about what happened just before or after that picture was taken. Any fighting over the food?

 

[jodietort]

Not seen any fighting over food but one seems to be blocking the other from going anywhere we've separated them now

 

[Jacqui]

Sounds like you did the best thing.

 

[WillTort2]

Separate enclosures will be your best solution.

You can divide the enclosure with a narrow divider board down the middle and center the light over the board. Both will have good basking light. You will need to add a lot more space to the enclosure.

Consider going both up and out with your expansion. A ramp to the 2nd story is a good method of providing exercise for the Russians. Making the enclosure longer will allow for more lengthy areas to explore. The Russians like to roam the side and end walls searching for a way out. A 2' x 8' long section will give them more wall to explore than a 4' x 4'. While both have 16 sq ft of area the 2' x 8' has 20' of wall length vs. 16' of wall length for the 4' x 4' section. Adding obstacles will also make the space more interesting to the torts. Put in a fist size rock that they have to go around or go over; my Russians usually pick over; the rock will give them additional exercise and distraction. The longer enclosure will also make it easier to achieve a temperature gradient. The further from the basking light or other heat sources the cooler the area.

Make sure your corners have caps as the Russians don't need much of a edge to boost themselves over most walls. When building ramps I find that putting a partial top on the ramp makes them feel more secure from predators above and prevents them from flipping over the wall of the ramp.

"Bigger is better" when it comes to Russian enclosures.

Good luck.

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

They are both boys. I'm surprised they get along.

2nd this...

 

[jodietort]

Thank you everybody