General help needed, I am new to all this
 

Hi
I am getting a tortoise (horsfield) for my birthday and have wanted one for ages just wanted to ask a couple of questions to get some advise.

So I have a guinea pig hutch which i plan to use, i am also thinking about getting a vivarium? what are best?

I am planning to convert guinea pig run into an outside area, what is best to include? do they need particular undergrowth such as soil or is plain grass ok?

Finally a lamp or heat mat for inside? Which is best, cheapest and less hassle?

Would really appreciate some help

Thanks

Hi welcome it is good to reserch, without being offensive you do need to read up on this forum using search, anything you dont understand someone will try to help. No vivs, careful where you buy your tort from, no heat mats, combined uv/heat bulbs are best, but not cheap, outside is good on soil but Horsfields can dig, so the site has to be escape proof.
Paul

Hiya

We had a indoor rabbit hutch for our first tort (Pickle) worked fine for us. Vivs are down to personal opinion, what I understand is that works better for tropical species. We also got a combined bulb and ceramic holder for around £40 which we have on between 7.30 - 8pm. We keep Pickle and Lily in a tort table. I would recommend getting some cuttlefish and we also have liquid calcium that I put in their bath and drinking water.

Hope this helps x :)

hi :):)
have a good read of the care sheets

then please come back with any questions :):)

http://www.shelledwarriors.co.uk/sit..._Articles.html

Good advice here, hello and welcome

interested in why you have chosen Russian tortoise........if you are set on using a rabbit/guinea pig run then you will need to dig the area out forstr and put a liner in to stop them froom being able to dig out as russians are notorious diggers, Of course you would not have that problem with a Hermanns!!

Dawn

My friends were giving a tortoise (about 15 years old) as previous owners left the country and they said they literally let it roam around the garden itself and just gave it food. They said it hibernated itself by digging itself into the ground. Does anyone know what breed this sounds like?
Do all tortoises require UV lighting as they didnt light or heat theirs. Thanks for all the help.

Yes tortoises require UV lighting. But outdoors in the summer they get the UV from the sun so this tortoise would have got that.

It will need to come inside if it's too damp. If you are not hybernating then it will need a UV/heat bulb. I know in the past people did leave them outside to fend for themselves but I think this is out of fashion now