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Lilspeedy6262   Reptyelfreek   Jamberry   Jamberry  
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 #2090594


Lilspeedy6262
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 Russian Tortoise More active outside

Hey guys, I have 2 baby russian tortoises I have them enclosed inside my house on a custom tortoise table. 72L,21W,24H. The temperature inside are 84F Hot side and about 75 on cooler side. They have basking ramp food/water dish. I had them on sand subtsrate,im switching over to reptile carpet. I also have a 13w repi glow 10.0. Now heres the problem, when there in the cage there not that active
and sleep alot.However,when I take them outside they wonder around and eat a lot. I’m thinking maybe i need a bigger UVB bulb like the 26w because its auch a large cage and it needs more light so it wont be as dark. Im also thinking of adding a repti glow 2.0 to increase activity. Why are my tortoise not so active when theyre inside the cage?
11/01/09  12:49pm

 #2090629


Reptyelfreek
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   Message To: Lilspeedy6262   In reference to Message Id: 2090594


 Russian Tortoise More active outside

Everybodies torts are like this for the most part. Something about the air and the natural sunlight makes them excited or something. Its very good for them to get outside as much as possible. Even if it’s just 15 minutes a day. I dont know too much about russians so I cant recommend adding or subtracting light. I do know that they love to dig and bury themselves when they sleep so I would do maybe dirt or a mixture of soil and coco coir. Here is a great site to get info
Tortoiseforum.org
Ask away and you will get all the answers you need.
11/01/09  03:37pm

 #2090894


Jamberry
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   Message To: Lilspeedy6262   In reference to Message Id: 2090594


 Russian Tortoise More active outside

Any tortoise will wake up real fast and indulge in its opportunity to explore when given the chance. But a RT won’t generally just sit around, as they are very active, adventurous little tortoises.

My RT doesn’t do anything until it basks in the morning, then it’s all day roaming.

Make sure you have a good warm basking site. 84F on the warm side for an ambient daytime temperature is good, but you should have a basking spot that reaches 90-94F for your RT if it’s kept indoors primarily. So not having a warm enough spot to bask is probably why it doesn’t really do anything until it has no choice but to roam around.
11/02/09  01:36am

 #2090897


Jamberry
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   Message To: Lilspeedy6262   In reference to Message Id: 2090594


 Russian Tortoise More active outside

Sorry, I just re-read your post.

Don’t go for Repticarpet. RTs love to dig and burrow, so the carpet is going to be very boring for it. Go for a 50/50 coconut fiber and play sand mix. Or if you can find a fertilizer, chemical, and compost free garden soil, mix the sand with it. You can buy a 50lb. bag of playsand at Home Depot for under $5.00.

I give my RT about 6" of substrate, and he loves to dig through it and bury himself before bed.

And as far as the adding more UVB, as long as the light is hitting the majority of the ground, and is within 12" of your tortoise’s shell, and you’re making sure to change the bulb every 6 months, you’re doing fine. A 10.0 bulb provides enough UVB output, so going with another bulb will really just be a waste of money, unless you need another one to get the light to hit the entire floor of the table.
11/02/09  01:50am


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