RussianRupert
New Member
Hi,
I’m new to this forum, I searched for a little while before positing- So I apologize if this has been covered before.
I’m a new tortoise owner- we welcomed a 6yr old Russian male into our home a few weeks ago. I set him up temporarily in a large rubbermade tub/with low sids. When I set up the rubbermade tub I intended it to be temporary until my local pet store received a shipment of Zoo Med Tortoise Houses.
Well, I just picked up the Zoo Med Tortoise house today- right as I opened the packaging there was an over powering smell of Cedar or Pine.. something of that nature. It’s almost like the wood pieces were soaked in a pine/cedar oil b/c the odor is too strong to be from the wood alone. I started searching online to find out what the enclosure is made out of...a lot of websites/reviews have listed the wood as fir. So I assumed it was safe and put the house together/lined the bottom with subtrate- and placed Rupert in his new home.
Right away he panicked/tried clawing at the sides, after a min he just retracted into his shell. After thirty mins of him being in it- the cedar/pine odor was just as strong as it was when I unpacked it. I picked Rupert up out of the Tortoise House (he was still hiding) and I could smell the cedar/pine sent coming off him. I bathed him right away- and I set his rubbermade enclosure back up, there’s no way I’m going to put him back in the Tortoise House with it smelling so awful. He’s still very distressed, Im pretty certain he is stressed out from the smell not from the change in environment. I changed his enclosure once before this- he didn’t react anything close to how he is now after spending 30 mins in the Zoo Med tortoise house. He won’t eat- he is acting really withdrawn and timid.
I read a post on this forum from a member who said their tortoise ended up in the vet/had some type of toxicity from the enclosure. I don’t know how people who rave about this product haven’t been bothered by the smell-it was the first thing I noticed and was a cause for concern right away. I almost didn’t put Rupert in his new home because of the odor, but I went against my better judgment and now I reallt regret exposing him to whatever obnoxious oil/preservative is in the wood.
Anyone else have this problem??
Also- Rupert is 4.5 in when he gets bigger I will make certain his enclosure accommodates his size. I am only asking if anyone has had a similar experience with the strong cedar/pine aroma and if so was did it cause your tortoise to become sick/distressed?
Thank you for taking the time to read- I appreciate your support.
I’m new to this forum, I searched for a little while before positing- So I apologize if this has been covered before.
I’m a new tortoise owner- we welcomed a 6yr old Russian male into our home a few weeks ago. I set him up temporarily in a large rubbermade tub/with low sids. When I set up the rubbermade tub I intended it to be temporary until my local pet store received a shipment of Zoo Med Tortoise Houses.
Well, I just picked up the Zoo Med Tortoise house today- right as I opened the packaging there was an over powering smell of Cedar or Pine.. something of that nature. It’s almost like the wood pieces were soaked in a pine/cedar oil b/c the odor is too strong to be from the wood alone. I started searching online to find out what the enclosure is made out of...a lot of websites/reviews have listed the wood as fir. So I assumed it was safe and put the house together/lined the bottom with subtrate- and placed Rupert in his new home.
Right away he panicked/tried clawing at the sides, after a min he just retracted into his shell. After thirty mins of him being in it- the cedar/pine odor was just as strong as it was when I unpacked it. I picked Rupert up out of the Tortoise House (he was still hiding) and I could smell the cedar/pine sent coming off him. I bathed him right away- and I set his rubbermade enclosure back up, there’s no way I’m going to put him back in the Tortoise House with it smelling so awful. He’s still very distressed, Im pretty certain he is stressed out from the smell not from the change in environment. I changed his enclosure once before this- he didn’t react anything close to how he is now after spending 30 mins in the Zoo Med tortoise house. He won’t eat- he is acting really withdrawn and timid.
I read a post on this forum from a member who said their tortoise ended up in the vet/had some type of toxicity from the enclosure. I don’t know how people who rave about this product haven’t been bothered by the smell-it was the first thing I noticed and was a cause for concern right away. I almost didn’t put Rupert in his new home because of the odor, but I went against my better judgment and now I reallt regret exposing him to whatever obnoxious oil/preservative is in the wood.
Anyone else have this problem??
Also- Rupert is 4.5 in when he gets bigger I will make certain his enclosure accommodates his size. I am only asking if anyone has had a similar experience with the strong cedar/pine aroma and if so was did it cause your tortoise to become sick/distressed?
Thank you for taking the time to read- I appreciate your support.
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