What else do i need?
- Thread starter livs
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I'm in going to get a russian tortoise pretty soon but i havent gotten any stuff yet, im making a list so i can buy it all at once so heres my list see if you approve. Water dish, food dish, heat light, uvb light, two dome lamps for the lights, tort pellets, coconut husk? bark? OR alfalfa pellets, heat rock(do i need one?) calcium powder, zoo med tortoise house, some reptisafe(whats this for?) i have a thermometer, and lots of veggies obviously. I do have a razorback musk turtle too so im not totally clueless about pet keeping
Russian eat weeds and vegetables; skip the pellets.
Add a temperature gun to your list.
Build your own tortoise table; better and larger and cheaper.
Do not use the compact fluorescent bulbs.
Get a digital recording thermometer with humidity reading also.
No to the heat rock; just have a piece of slate for him to eat from; keeps beak trimmed.
Water dish should be terra cotta saucer like used under planters. Shallow to prevent drowning.
One end of enclosure needs to be cool the other end needs heat and UV for basking.
Good luck.
Add a temperature gun to your list.
Build your own tortoise table; better and larger and cheaper.
Do not use the compact fluorescent bulbs.
Get a digital recording thermometer with humidity reading also.
No to the heat rock; just have a piece of slate for him to eat from; keeps beak trimmed.
Water dish should be terra cotta saucer like used under planters. Shallow to prevent drowning.
One end of enclosure needs to be cool the other end needs heat and UV for basking.
Good luck.
I use a UVB tube and a ceramic heat lamp for my Russians instead of two bulbs. Just make sure you get the right wattage based on the size of the enclosure.
Agree with the rest of the recommendations.
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Agree with the rest of the recommendations.
Check us out on Facebook
www.facebook.com/mrturtle527
Sent from my iPhone using TortForum mobile app
If possible your russian will be most happy with a large outdoor enclosure. All of my adult russians live outdoors year round. Hatchlings are inside. I use coir/topsoil mixed at 50:50 a MVB for UV and feed on slate. Additionally a WIDELY varied diet is important. I do not mean feed 3 or 4 different things. I mean feed 20-30 different things. Get the basics of this right and you will have a happy and healthy tortoise.
WillTortoise said:
I got (her) yesterday shes so cute!! i ended up getting a 53 gallon storage tub i plan on making a large tortoise table, i got wise and didnt get the heat rock i got a half log cave and just bought a little food dish, im going to make a water dish, i soaked her yesterday and she pooped some white crap and drank some, i also took her outside yesterday for 30 minutes and same with today, she ate a bunch of grass and dandelions outside and is now sleeping, i filled her dish up with dandelions and im going to cut up some veggies. Right now shes sleeping on the cool side, i got a black basking bulb so i can have it on at night and i just ended up getting a uvb bulb. She hasnt tried to bite me or anything yet and i doubt she will. Welcome hope pip!
kanalomele said:
we have a very large front yard but a pretty small backyard, some nights it gets really cold out so im not sure how to heat it? we do however have a patio like square with bricks im thinking about building a kind of dog house and having that be her play area, still not sure though. How do you get lamps in there when its raining or snowing?
WillTortoise said:
and im going to go get a heat gun
Build a small house to serve as a hide and to install a CHE on a thermostat.
Keep in mind that Russians will hibernate during the winter if give a soil area that they can dig down into.
Most keeper do not hibernate them the first winter wanting to make sure they are healthy enough first. You could build a indoor table for the first winter.
Where are you located? How wet and cold do your winters get?
Remember Russians are great escape artists. They climb "tall buildings with a single bound" and dig thru miles of dirt just to see whats on the other side.
Good luck.
Keep in mind that Russians will hibernate during the winter if give a soil area that they can dig down into.
Most keeper do not hibernate them the first winter wanting to make sure they are healthy enough first. You could build a indoor table for the first winter.
Where are you located? How wet and cold do your winters get?
Remember Russians are great escape artists. They climb "tall buildings with a single bound" and dig thru miles of dirt just to see whats on the other side.
Good luck.
WillTortoise said:Build a small house to serve as a hide and to install a CHE on a thermostat.
Keep in mind that Russians will hibernate during the winter if give a soil area that they can dig down into.
Most keeper do not hibernate them the first winter wanting to make sure they are healthy enough first. You could build a indoor table for the first winter.
Where are you located? How wet and cold do your winters get?
Remember Russians are great escape artists. They climb "tall buildings with a single bound" and dig thru miles of dirt just to see whats on the other side.
Good luck.
lol yeah she loves to try and dig through the ground when shes outside. I live in minnesota, bloomington to be exact so we get some pretty harsh winters
Unless you live in a refrigerator, your Russian does not need night heat. I'd leave it dark.
What type of UV bulb did you get? The coil type can damage their eyes.
Where are you? In most of the continental US it does not get too cold at night for Russians in the summer time.
What type of UV bulb did you get? The coil type can damage their eyes.
Where are you? In most of the continental US it does not get too cold at night for Russians in the summer time.
Tom said:
Bloomington Minnesota, i got the coil type its all i could find its not super bright, she seems to like the warmth but i do turn it off at night, in the winter we keep it really cold or however cold it is outside because we dont turn on the heat or ac very often it saves money i guess. I take her out alot and outside alot i think i will just take her outside everyday for 20 minutes or so then turn off the uv light. Last night she fell asleep on my chest for awhile
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