Very new to tortoises

[Blakskall]

Hello everyone my name is tyler and im thinking about owning a russian tortoise. Heres what i gathered as far as basic care for a Russian tortoise. Any corrections and advice would be a great help.

-50 gallon rubbermaid container (i was actually thinking of using a cement mixing bin, i saw the guy on regal reptiles use it?)
-Cypress mulch for bedding (good bedding?)
-A hide of some sort on the cool end of enclousure
-A shallow water dish
-Lighting would be a self balistered mercury 100 watt bulb to give him a basking spot and UVA and B on one side of the cage.
-I would prolly use a screen top over the enclosure so i can rest the light on top of it
-Food would be fresh leafy greens with some calcium and vitamins added
-Weekly soaking in warm water
-And of course finding a good vet for check ups

Temps in my room are usually around mid 70's ryt now, at this time of the year PA is freezing lol so i dont think ill need an UTH just a basking light.. In the summer when its hotter i plan on taking him outside building a play pen kind of area and let him graze around for a couple of hours.. but his enclosure would mostly be indoors

Does this set up sound good?

 

[coreyc]

Hi Tyler welcome to the TFO sounds like your doing your research before you get one thats great

 

[pdrobber]

Welcome! Russians are a great first tortoise, I have one

 

[Laura]

sounds like you are on the right track. and its great you are doing this BEFORE you get the animal.
welcome!

 

[Blakskall]

thank you guys, yeah i love research new animals, i do have a few questions tho, is the cypress mulch that you buy at a place like home depot the same as the bedding they sell in pet stores? is it safe to use the mulch kind with a russian?

 

[Tracy Gould]

Hi welcome to the forum. yer Cypress mulch from home depot and places like this is the same thing just make sure it has not got pine in it

 

[coreyc]

thank you guys, yeah i love research new animals, i do have a few questions tho, is the cypress mulch that you buy at a place like home depot the same as the bedding they sell in pet stores? is it safe to use the mulch kind with a russian?

Read the bag first I'm in Mass and the mulch homedepot sells near me is junk I get mine from big apple herps or ebay

 

[Blakskall]

thank you, and i hate to b a pain but i hav more questions, 1) Can i use a cement mixing bin to house the tortoise in? 2) Do i need an UTH? 3) I plan on using a screen top, will this affect my uv rays and temp. in the basking area?

 

[Tracy Gould]

U not being a pain we all ask questions. I am not sure on these though but someone will be along that will know

 

[coreyc]

thank you, and i hate to b a pain but i hav more questions, 1) Can i use a cement mixing bin to house the tortoise in? 2) Do i need an UTH? 3) I plan on using a screen top, will this affect my uv rays and temp. in the basking area?

your not a pain that is what the forum is for how high are the sides if he can not get out then why not. you will need to get a light stand . what is a UTH? how fine is the screen ? the bigger the squares the more uv will get through

 

[Blakskall]

an UTH is short for under tank heater, it heats the bottom of an enclosure. the sqaures in the screen top would be kind of tight.. the sqaures are only about 1/8 of inch, mayb i shood just go screenless and get a light stand

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Tyler:

Welcome to the forum!!

If you use a cement mixing tub, you'll have to have a stand for the light. The MVB's have a required distance that they need to be hung from the floor of the habitat.

Your Russian tortoise isn't going to need an UTH. He'll get enough warmth from the light overhead. And if your room gets very cold at night, you can always use a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) at night..

Unless you have a cat or something else that can jump into the tub, I doubt you'll have need of a screen top.

Please keep in the back of your mind that tortoises are wild animals (as opposed to domesticated animals) and really need to be outside. I understand the the weather isn't right during the winter for them to go outside, but your mind set should be: outside = permanent habitat, inside = temporary habitat, with the tortoise coming in to the temporary spot for inclement weather.

 

[Blakskall]

thanks for the advice, i do plan on them being outside alot when the weather is nice, but will it affect there health if indoors is there permemant habitat?

 

[Kristina]

Welcome to the forum!

I recently wrote an article for new/prospective owners, it may have some information that would be helpful to you - http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Tortoise-Basics-for-Prospective-or-Beginner-Tortoise-Owners

As far as indoors VS. out - I agree with Yvonne that a tortoise should be out whenever possible. However, many maintain them indoors with little trouble, provided all their needs are met.

Because I live in a colder climate, my tortoises spend half the year in and half the year out. They have two "permanent" enclosures, really.

 

[Blakskall]

well certainly have a big enough yard in the summer lol can u guys recomend a good basking bulb? ive read about the 100W sunglow bulb

 

[Xilonen]

the sqaures in the screen top would be kind of tight.. the sqaures are only about 1/8 of inch, mayb i shood just go screenless and get a light stand

Don't worry about it. Light will only be stopped by a screen with openings smaller than the wavelength of light. UV light is in the range of 10-400 nm (in the range of trillionths-100 billionths of a meter) you have no worries about the screen actually filtering out the UV. The only reason you'd want to worry is if the amount of mesh is severely limiting the total light that enters. You can assume, since UV light has a shorter wavelength than visible light, that if enough visible light is getting in, enough UV is getting in as well.

Welcome, and good job on all the research!

 

[Yvonne G]

Everything that I've read suggests that if the screen mesh is smaller than a quarter inch it will block out 30% of the UV light.

 

[Xilonen]

From a physics standpoint the UV rays have no difficulty passing through the mesh. Now, if the wires are thick, such that a good portion of the light is actually obscured by the metal itself, that will block any light. The thickness of the wire is what I'd worry about, not the spacing of the holes. But a good frame of reference is whether or not the visible light is blocked, because that will give you a good indication how much is actually obscured by the wire.

 

[Isa]

Welcome to the forum

 

[jeffbens0n]

Welcome, where are you located in PA? I am in southeastern PA near Downingtown.

I have something similar to what you are thinking about for your Russian. I have a 50 gallon rubbermaid with the top on it, then I cut the center of the top out and twisty-tied 1/4 inch mesh screen underneath it, then i just set my bulb fixture on that. I also have a 18 inch 10.0 UVB florescent mounted on the side inside the tub too. Its easy to take off and on, plus it keeps my cats out.