Tortoise Toys plus need help with new tortoise

[Andrew Porter]

Hi All!

Just got my 1st Tortoise for Christmas off my Girlfriend and we have a couple of quick questions!

- Is there any toys / items we can purchase which they enjoy?

- Why does he love sitting in corners?

- He loves the colour White?

This is Sheldon.. he is 1 on 31st January.. He wishes you all a Merry Christmas & Happy new year!

 

[Kristoff]

Hi All!

Just got my 1st Tortoise for Christmas off my Girlfriend and we have a couple of quick questions!

- Is there any toys / items we can purchase which they enjoy?

- Why does he love sitting in corners?

- He loves the colour White?

This is Sheldon.. he is 1 on 31st January.. He wishes you all a Merry Christmas & Happy new year!

Hi Andrew, Girlfriend and Sheldon,

I don't believe tortoises need toys to be entertained. A large enough space, a couple of hides and a few plants would probably be appreciated though.

You could also visit these most useful threads:
Beginner Mistakes:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/


The Russian Care Sheet:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

 

[Andrew Porter]

Hi Andrew, Girlfriend and Sheldon,
View attachment 195694
I don't believe tortoises need toys to be entertained. A large enough space, a couple of hides and a few plants would probably be appreciated though.

You could also visit these most useful threads:
Beginner Mistakes:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/


The Russian Care Sheet:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

Hi kristoff!

Thank you for the below advise..

Think we need to purchase some correct substrate as we currently only have the one provided from the seller...

What would you say is the best / well known to get?

 

[JoesMum]

Hi All!

Just got my 1st Tortoise for Christmas off my Girlfriend and we have a couple of quick questions!

Great! Now read these carefully as they'll answer most of your questions

Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Baby Russian Care
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/

Russian Tortoise Care
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

- Is there any toys / items we can purchase which they enjoy?

Tortoises don't play with toys. They need a properly set up enclosure (see above links) with places to hide and plants to eat.

- Why does he love sitting in corners?

Are the temperatures correct? Is there anywhere else to hide? Everything is new and scary at the moment.

- He loves the colour White?

He's looking for calcium. Add a cuttlebone (from the bird aisle of your pet store) for him to chomp on. Add a tiny sprinkle of calcium powder on food three days a week.

Your enclosure is far too dry. Please read the threads I link to. Photos of all the enclosure and lighting will help us to help you, but from what I can see you have been given poor/outdated advice regarding your tort's needs to be healthy.

Fine grade orchid bark or coco coir are good substrates for holding moisture. Both are available from garden stores or online more cheaply than by getting them from pet shops.

 

[Big Ol Tortoise]

Cuttlebones can a fun activity for tortoise and turtles when they're bored. Also helps with the beak and calcium

 

[Andrew Porter]

Great! Now read these carefully as they'll answer most of your questions

Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Baby Russian Care
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/

Russian Tortoise Care
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/


Tortoises don't play with toys. They need a properly set up enclosure (see above links) with places to hide and plants to eat.


Are the temperatures correct? Is there anywhere else to hide? Everything is new and scary at the moment.


He's looking for calcium. Add a cuttlebone (from the bird aisle of your pet store) for him to chomp on. Add a tiny sprinkle of calcium powder on food three days a week.

Your enclosure is far too dry. Please read the threads I link to. Photos of all the enclosure and lighting will help us to help you, but from what I can see you have been given poor/outdated advice regarding your tort's needs to be healthy.

Fine grade orchid bark or coco coir are good substrates for holding moisture. Both are available from garden stores or online more cheaply than by getting them from pet shops.

Yeah we got everything with him so we haven't bought anything yet.. we've been out shopping for some coconut coir but all the pet shops are closed & the garden places haven't had any!

 

[Andrew Porter]

Cuttlebones can a fun activity for tortoise and turtles when they're bored. Also helps with the beak and calcium

Yeah we currently have a cuttlebone in his pen but he doesn't seem to nibble on it

 

[JoesMum]

Yeah we got everything with him so we haven't bought anything yet.. we've been out shopping for some coconut coir but all the pet shops are closed & the garden places haven't had any!

Try Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/Natures-Fo...UTF8&qid=1482761897&sr=8-3&keywords=coco+coir

 

[JoesMum]

Yeah we currently have a cuttlebone in his pen but he doesn't seem to nibble on it

Get his enclosure and food right and give him time to settle. You only just got him and they can be very slow on the uptake

 

[Andrew Porter]

Get his enclosure and food right and give him time to settle. You only just got him and they can be very slow on the uptake

Yeah we're going to pets at home tomorrow for some coco coir & some little accessories for him so it's abit homely as his current floor isn't ideal!

We don't know wether to leave his little bed with hay/straw or not?

 

[JoesMum]

Once you get the correct substrate, you will need to mix water in so it's evenly damp. This dampness will make the hay go mouldy, so it has to go; don't use it.

You must raise humidity for your tortoise to grow healthily. Damp substrate is only part of the equation. You need a closed chamber - a roof of some sort to hold in the humidity and control temperatures. See the links I gave you and look in the enclosures forum.

You need to overhaul this enclosure rather than buy little bits for it.

Get a terracotta plant saucer to use as a water dish and a piece of flat slate or rock to use as a food plate. Don't buy pet shop reptile water bowls; they're a tipping hazard and hard for torts to use.

Pet shops are there to sell things. Few have any idea what a tort actually needs. Please read those threads carefully before spending.

You also need to be able to measure temperature accurately at tortoise level. A temperature gun type thermometer can be bought from Amazon for less than £10. You also need a digital probe type hygrometer to measure humidity. The analogue ones and those that stick to the wall of the enclosure are no good.

You must have 35C directly under the basking lamp at tortoise level. Does that bulb give out UVB too?

 

[fozzyjc]

Yeah we currently have a cuttlebone in his pen but he doesn't seem to nibble on it

This is very common, so don't worry. Mine hardly use their cuttlefish at all. I tend to use a calcium supplement (powder, you can buy them from most local pet stores) and sprinkle a pinch on their food.

 

[fozzyjc]

I had the same problem, trying to conceive how any organism could live without some sort of toy to keep them entertained. The fact is that tortoises don't need toys, just like they don't need companions. They find their environment stimulating enough, providing you have a large space for them to roam. However, if you are worried about your tortoise not having any toys to play with, then I would ensure that they have a deep-enough substrate so that he can burrow if he wants. Mine also like to climb on rocks, so I have a few in their indoor enclosure. This has a few benefits, actually. It makes sure that their nails are filed (as the rock had a hard and rough surface), but also because they are poor at conducting heat, the rocks will provide good temperature variation away from a basking spot, and by climbing on top of some rocks, your tortoise won't get bored. The thing I would be especially careful of is to make sure that any object you place in his enclosure is shallow enough that if he falls off accidentally, then he won't end up stuck on his back. Hope this has been on some use?

 

[JoesMum]

Just transferring a PM conversation to this thread

Thanks for the advise on my thread..
So far we havent bought or amended anything on sheldons home as the seller advised she always keeps them like this and has many / had many as she breads them..

Do you think the enclosure is incorrect?

A table isn't ideal for such a young/small tortoise. You do need something enclosed to raise humidity and keep the temperatures up.

Some people get round this by using a mini greenhouse thing over the table

Something like this
https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/lkj/Mini...d=1482767164&sr=8-12&keywords=Cold+frame+tent

Your tort will need something measuring 4'x8' (1.5 x 2.2metres) in a very few years. They're very active and need lots of space and a good depth of substrate for digging.

Ah right so just get one of them to go over the current enclosure?
We're going to pets at home tomorrow for some coco coir.. Removing what he has current and re-laying coir as we've been researching and they like to dig ect?

What do you think we should do with his hut / bed?

 

[JoesMum]

The bedroom compartment in that table is fine. It doesn't need bedding in it, just damp substrate like the rest of the table.

It's really important to get the temperatures and humidity right.
Warm and humid is good and healthy.
Cold and humid leads to respiratory infection
Wet leads to shell rot.
Dry leads to pyramidding.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Andrew:

I don't think the tortoise's age has been addressed yet. You said you were told he is going to be one year next month. He doesn't look like a captive bred Russian tortoise to me, he looks wild caught. And judging from his size, he looks to be eight or ten years old. Did you get papers with him that tell you his age?

Instead of toys, work on getting him a bigger enclosure, then adding plants, boulders, etc. Some tortoises like to push around a ping pong ball, but most really don't care about having 'toys.'

 

[Jodie]

I agree wit Yvonne. The seller has not been honest. This is my yearlings that I hatched last Oct.See how much thinner his shell is. He is about 4.5 inches, and 240 grams.

 

[Yvonne G]

Plus you can see just a small, white growth band between Jodie's baby's scutes while you can actually count about 8 or 10 growth rings on Andrew's tortoise.

 

[JoesMum]

Hi Andrew:

I don't think the tortoise's age has been addressed yet. You said you were told he is going to be one year next month. He doesn't look like a captive bred Russian tortoise to me, he looks wild caught. And judging from his size, he looks to be eight or ten years old. Did you get papers with him that tell you his age?

Instead of toys, work on getting him a bigger enclosure, then adding plants, boulders, etc. Some tortoises like to push around a ping pong ball, but most really don't care about having 'toys.'

@Yvonne G

Andrew is in the UK. This tortoise may be older than advertised, but is definitely captive bred. You cannot buy wild caught Russians in the UK

@Andrew Porter What does it say on the paperwork? You did get paperwork?

 

[Andrew Porter]

I didn't get any paper work no. I didn't think there was such thing for a tortoise, i attached two other photos of him for size and we will measure him properly tomorrow. I'm not genned up on a tortoise at all but he looks very young in person.