taking on a horsefield tortoise

[Raemillsy]

Hello all,

I am new to owning a tortoise. We had one come to my works and I decided to take him home. I know he is boy because of his tail. However I have a couple of questions if you guys could help

What is the normal behaviour?
What are the signs of ill health?
Do you have to hibernate them?
The ideal weight of an adult?
Can you tell how old they are?
what plants can I plant in the accommodation?
Does he need both a uv lamp and a heater? Uv lamp seems to kick out quite a bit of heat.

Thats it at the moment. Any help would be great, I've done research but always find it best to talk to people

 

[Careym13]

Hello all,

I am new to owning a tortoise. We had one come to my works and I decided to take him home. I know he is boy because of his tail. However I have a couple of questions if you guys could help

What is the normal behaviour?
What are the signs of ill health?
Do you have to hibernate them?
The ideal weight of an adult?
Can you tell how old they are?
what plants can I plant in the accommodation?
Does he need both a uv lamp and a heater? Uv lamp seems to kick out quite a bit of heat.

Thats it at the moment. Any help would be great, I've done research but always find it best to talk to people

Welcome to TFO!! Take a look at this care sheet while you are waiting for the members who own Russians to chime in (I keep Leopards). Glad to have you!
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
Also, pictures of your tortoise and it's enclosure will help you get advice more quickly.

 

[Raemillsy]

Okay thank you

TE="Careym13, post: 1179536, member: 54276"]Welcome to TFO!! Take a look at this care sheet while you are waiting for the members who own Russians to chime in (I keep Leopards). Glad to have you!
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
Also, pictures of your tortoise and it's enclosure will help you get advice more quickly.[/QUOTE]
Oksy

 

[axeman25]

Welcome. You can search past threads, pretty much every question you have asked has been answered many times. And yes, we love pics!

 

[Russianuncletwo]

Welcome. Just a tip-be patient! It can take a while for him to adjust to his new home. They're all different, personality-wise and some are more sensitive than others.

 

[Raemillsy]

Okay thank you. I am worrying about him, he hasn't eaten anything and just seems to want to stay in the dark head first in the corner. I am going to put him in a warmish bath later to see if that encourages him a bit and also dampen down the substrate. Do you think that'll help?

 

[Russianuncletwo]

Sometimes you have to play little tricks to get them to do what they're supposed to do and act like normal. It's a learning process. Does he have a hide or enough deep substrate to burrow in? Are temperatures OK in "cool" area and basking area? Is there some procedure you are doing that may be scaring him? If he's not eating, sometimes putting food in 5 different place is a possibility. Also, take him out in a nearby area that he feels secure enough in-then in a few minutes, put him back in his enclosure with plenty large leaves of food out. They're all different; some do better if you stay with them in a room, others won't pop out unless they have totally privacy from vibrations, onlookers, etc.

 

[johnandjade]

hi there, im just in the process of researching russians so cant help much but one thing that pops up
over and over.... these guys are escape artists!

i'll be watching this thread for info as well

welcome to the forum and happy tortin

 

[Raemillsy]

He came into my works yesterday so I took him home, i know he needs to settle in but i haven't seen him eat or drink yet. he does burrow but I need to get him a few more things. We have put him in a separate room just in case we are unsettling him. Not sure on temperatures yet, need to get a thermometer. His enclosure is quite small so we are looking to get a bigger one. Will try to upload pictures what are signs of ill health as well? Thanks

 

[johnandjade]

puffey eyes, but i think this is mostly caused by coil bulbs. open mouth breathing and 'bubbles' at nose are signs of RI wich is due too being kept too cold and damp. pics will be a great idea, someone will be able to give a visual

 

[Magilla504]

Only one of mine adjusted right away . All my other Russians took days before thoroughly exploring their habitat and eating normally. Remember to soak your tortoise so they stay hydrated. I rarely catch mine in their water dishes unless using the bathroom , lol.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

You know the ambient temperature, so that tells you something.

At this point, you can assume that your set up is not suitable yet. He needs a UVB bulb, light on 14 hours a day. It will also provide heat. Get a mercury vapor bulb. Expensive but necessary and worth every penny.

Coil bulbs will not do - they are dangerous and harmful, cause blindness; the tortoise won't open it's eyes or eat. A substrate that holds moisture and isn't full of attractive white bits that can be eaten and cause impaction. No sand.

As much space as possible. Double that.

Without a photo we can only guess.

A healthy tortoise can walk without shell dragging, has clear eyes and nares (nostrils). No bubbles or odd lumps.

 

[Raemillsy]

I am looking into getting a bigger tortoise table and removing the fake plants for real ones. He seems healthy just hisses at me. I am going to let him soak and spray his substrate to see if that helps him out. I know it'll take a while for him to settle in but just want to make sure I am doing things correctly

 

[johnandjade]

do you have a top on the table? it'll make maintaining things alot easier, humidity and temp. my hermmans who we've had a year and is handled offter still hisses at me from time to time lol

 

[Raemillsy]

No it doesn't have a lid, didn't know they needed one :S will look into that now thanks

 

[Angel Carrion]

puffey eyes, but i think this is mostly caused by coil bulbs. open mouth breathing and 'bubbles' at nose are signs of RI wich is due too being kept too cold and damp. pics will be a great idea, someone will be able to give a visual

Puffy eyes can also be a sign of Vitamin A Deficiency.
Or is that only box turtles?

 

[johnandjade]

No it doesn't have a lid, didn't know they needed one :S will look into that now thanks

its no a must but makes things alot easier, plexiglass is good but cut out hole for bulbs as rays do not penetrate fully. i'll post up a link for you to look through, good ideas to pinch on it

 

[johnandjade]

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Closed-"Chambers".32333/

 

[johnandjade]

Puffy eyes can also be a sign of Vitamin A Deficiency.
Or is that only box turtles?

im not sure, my knowledge is limited at best lol.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

No straw. The substrate needs to have water poured in. Spraying is not adequate. The wood needs to be waterproof. What are you using for substrate.

Hissing occurs when the head is retracted rapidly and air is forced out suddenly. A sign of fear.