Russian Tortoise Advice!?

Question

Hey. I have one Russian Tortoise and I've heard a lot of different things on how to take care of them. I've heard that it's bad to put them in an aquarium indoors. On one website I've been to it actually says that they can't even survive indoors. But the thing is that I live in Illinois and it gets really cold outside in the winter, and during the summer the temperature fluctuates a lot. I don't really feel safe for her to be outdoors because I don't know if there is any chemicals in the grass or if there are any poisonous plants that she might eat. I have her in a 50 gallon breeding container so I think she has enough space. I've also heard that putting alfalfa pellets or something of that consistency is bad to use as a substrate. I'm using the Bed-A-Beast substrate right now and it's a real hassle when I want to clean the cage. If anybody has any advice for me, it would be much appreciated!!

I was also wondering if using bark as substrate is a bad idea. My tortoise seems to sneeze a lot when there is just the Bed-A-Beast substrate in the cage.

Answer 1

adding to what some of the other answerers have said:

I live in Mass and keep my Russian indoors 90% of the year. I use a 100 watt flood lamp that gives off UVB rays as a daytime heat source. This is VERY important as the russians need UVB light (the same light as the sun) for many of its metabolic functions. T-Rex makes a great lamp for this purpose. they cost about $50 and last about 6 months. At night i use a 100 watt heat lamp that just gives off heat. My tort has been happy and active in this environment for years.

I keep one end of the pen at about 95 degrees and the other end around room temperature. Your tort will move to where it wants depending on its temperature needs. Also make sure he has somewhere to hide like a cardboard box.

I have a 50% mix of Bed a beast and sand, but i have to admit that i am slowly getting rid of the sand as it gets extremely dry and i find it needs to be sprayed with water several times a day. So bed a beast, a smaller percentage of sand and good organic top soil works best.

If you are using an aquarium, you may want to put some construction paper around the bottom portion so that your little guy doesnt try to walk through the glass (they dont understand the concept of it).

Alfalfa pellets are too high in Protein to use if your russian tries to eat it. and the bark is poor for digging and poor for cleanup and is also very dusty.

try www.russiantortoise.org for general info and www.carolinapetsupply.com for great supplemental diet stuff like cactus and nutritional powders.

Answer 2

There is a lot of conflicting advice on-line. I like the advice at Austin's Turtle Page- http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs-russian.htm and the info at http://www.russiantortoise.org

A decent indoor tank will be large- 50 gal is a good start. We will make sure it is warm but not hot- mid 70's or so with a nightime drop of about 10 degrees. Glass is mildly stressful- most tortoises try to walk through anything they can see through- but not horrible.

While there are several substrates we can use, one popular one is a mix of soil or Bed-A-Beast and sand with a layer of Timothy hay for the tortoise to hide under. Have the soil damp enough to provide some humidity without being wet.

We clean this kind of substrate by just picking up droppings and old food, and changing the whole thing every 3-6 months.

Additional info- re: bark
Many people add some form of shredded barks to the mix to help hold some moisture. Most barks will harbor some small bugs that love the Russian's habitat. This is not a big problem, just annoying.

Personally, I use long-fibered sphagnum moss for the moisture content- holds a ton of water, does not rot or support other growths, is pretty cheap, and pretty easy to get (garden shops, or Lowes- Mosser Lee brand is one commonbrand.)

Answer 3

They do fine indoors, but they will do better when kept in a large encloser, like a 50 gallon plastic tote with a heat lamp, that is what I keep mine in. It is very dangerous to keep your tortoise outside alone, the risk of predators, parasites, etc. is too much of a risk. On nice days, I put my tort outside in my backyard and spray it down with the hose, and then I let it do whatever. I live in Indiana, so we're not so far away, the weather doesn't stay nice enough here to keep them outside, even during summer. One things important, even though they don't need much water, put a water dish in the cage, and make sure the tort has easy access in and out of it. And don't feed it just lettuce, feed a variety of plants and flowers.

Answer 4

DO NOT USE SAND! I had a teeny bit of sand in my outdoor habitat (also a russian tortoise) and it got up his nose and he had to go to the vet and have it removed. I got a huge scoulding, it's a big no-no. I'm personally against indoor tanks for tortoises. They need natural sunlight for shell growth. Most tort will develope shell problems from lack of natural sunlight.
I wouldn't worry too much about your grass. Make sure to fence in the area a foot underground, they are diggers.
Torts hibernate in the fall, just put in abox in the garage or closet for the winter.
There's too much info to know, so I would suggest getting a book for references throughout his life. I highly recommend Turtles and Tortoises for Dummies, it's well written and understandable.

Answer 5

I have a russian also. my inside enclosure is in a 4x3' turtle table with sand. Its very easy to clean(Popper scooper) they sell them at reptile stores made just for the sand.
I also have an outside enclosure for him. its 6' x 3' x 7' and it also has my bearded dragon in it. I live in Michigan so I know about the cold winters. Just bring him in at night (in the summer) if it gets below 60. better to be safe then sorry. make sure your outside enclosure has a tuff bottom because they love to dig. Mine has 3/4" plywood. I don't recommend them outside at all for the winter!!! Good luck

Answer 6

bark substrate is good as long as it's not oil bearing pine or cedar. a wood box pen is a good indoor home. glass aquariums get too humid and cause pnumonia (bactieral) in tortoises.

Answer 7

ok!! russian tortoises are vegitarians and they survive very nicely indoors. just use sand or reptile bark.

Answer 8

buy some spring mix with NO spinach make that your daily food