Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I recently bought a female Russian almost five inches front to back in size. What is the best substrate for her inside enclosure? We have a large outside enclosure but it's been too cold for her to be kept in it. Thanks for the help!

When my russians are indoors I keep them on newspaper.

I do this because a well-fed russian is a messy russian.

Lots 'o poop. And it'll spoil any substrate you have. So you might as well make it something you can clean easily.

I put down a couple layers of newspaper, and then use small sections of tile to hold it down in the corners.

Since russians like to have a place to hide, I use a small box with a hole cut in the side of it. I then put in some paper towels that I periodically moisten with water. This provides a humid hide spot. This also eliminates one of the needs for a thick substrate like soil/sand mix. If your tort had the soil/sand mix, she could dig into it and conserve her heat and moisture at night. But soil/sand also hides the fecal matter, and is hard to keep clean.

Now outdoors, the feces aren't such a problem. The sun dries them up and the pen is usually large enough that the feces don't become noticeable between clean-ups.

If you want a deeper substrate, try straw. I know someone who does that and purchases partial bales (flakes?) at a feed store. Throw some in, and spot clean as needed.

Since straw is dry and doesn't last long when wet, you should still make a humid hide box for the torts. Although russians come from dry regions, they still have moisture in the tunnels they dig, and the humid hide simulates that. A perpetually dry tortoise can have kidney and other health problems. So make a spot that is humid (not soaking wet).

Good luck!

I disagree that newspaper is an ideal substrate for a russian. While it is OK, and is useful if your tort is ill or you are worming and need to change the substrate often, I think it is frustrating for russians, who really like to dig and burrow. In my indoor enclosure I provide half sand/soil mix, and half hemp (which I don't think you can get in the States, but which looks a lot like the aspen that I see some people use), and they can burrow in that to their heart's content. Re cleaning, as the poo is fairly dry and firm, it's really easy to spot clean, and I have almost never found one under the substrate where he has burrowed.

Nina

>>I disagree that newspaper is an ideal substrate for a russian. While it is OK, and is useful if your tort is ill or you are worming and need to change the substrate often, I think it is frustrating for russians, who really like to dig and burrow. >>Nina

I guess I'll have to talk to my little CB russians about this, because they are quite content to crawl into their hide box at night and bask under their lights during the day, eating and growing and all that. And I'll have to talk to their father whom I raised from an egg, and their grandparents, whom I adopted.

Poor little things. They haven't learned that there is only one way to raise tortoises, and that I have failed them horribly.

Well, back to abusing my animals.

Just having fun :->

Bye now.

Hey guys, I have actually been using aspen bedding in my torts indoor cage that houses my pair of russians. they have a half log hide under the heat lamp and really dig digging and burrowing in the bedding LOL!! They can burrow down wherever in the cage they feel most comfortable temp wise and can pretty much completely cover themselves with the depth of bedding I give them. I do not have a humid hide for them, but I do keep a flower pot bottom in the cage with water at all times. So far, so good. The feces are pretty easy to detect and is near the surface for the most part. I noticed that when I clean the cage substrate entirely that there is very little "staining" on the bottom of the cage below the substrate as compared to a snakes cage with similar bedding. I pretty much scoop out the visible feces I see everytime I feed them, etc. I feed them on a paper plate each time to avoid accidental ingestion.

Hi,

I would never say that there is only one way to raise a tortoise! I just said I didn't think newspaper was "ideal", that I thought it was "OK", but there are better substrates that allow russians to follow their natural instincts to dig tunnels. Russians naturally burrow more than many other med species, as their natural climate is harsh, and they need to escape the excessive heat in the summer and the harsh cold winters. But they also really enjoy burrowing. The added advantage of a substrate that they can dig into is that they can thermoregulate better. You will certainly not kill any russian by keeping it on newspaper, and I'm sure you can breed and raise healthy tortoises too (but you are denying them one of their life's little pleasures <g>.

Nina