Is my Russian tort enclosure right?

[bamf64]

I want to get a russian tortoise for christmas as a present to myself and i hav been researching for quite a while.. and i just want to make sure i have everything right. im getting an 09 incase anyone was wondering.

this is the list:

50 gallon storage tote
50/50 mix of coir and play sand(substrate)
timothy hay(some all around the cage to eat)
a water bowl that he/she can walk into
food dish
peice of cuttlebone
T-Rex active heat UVB 100 watt(heating and UVB combined)
Light lamp/clamp
TNT tortoise nutrition pouder
2 digital thermometers
2 identical hides
One 09 russian tortoise!

Also have a few questions:

How many times a day do i use the TNT on their food?

Is the T-rex 100 wat UVB/Heat going to be enough to heat the enclosure to the required 90-95*?

How many times do i feed a day, and how much?
How often do i do a complete change of the substrate?(not including spot cleaning)

i think thats it..let me know if i missed anything.

thanks in advance

[bamf64]

Anyone?

[wafisherman]

You are off to a great start. A few things...
Sand in the mix should be 50% by weight, not volume. It should be mostly the coir and just some sand mixed in. Better to have too little than too much sand. Keep it moist. Should be able to grab a clump, squeeze, and it won't drip wet, but will hold shape (like building a sand castle). They often like to dig, so try to go 6 inches, at least on one area. See my iherp link for pics of a couple of my setups.

Make sure the water dish is easy to get in AND out of. Should be just enough water to come up to where the lower and upper shell meet when it is walking. And change it daily.

I'd avoid spreading the hay around. It molds easily. A little in one spot is ok, and then just keep an eye on it.

How many times a day do i use the TNT on their food?

Just a little sprinkle once a day is fine. I mix in a little calc powder as well. cuddle bone is good, but they may not go for it right away.

Is the T-rex 100 wat UVB/Heat going to be enough to heat the enclosure to the required 90-95*?

95 basking spot is good, then you want a gradient to 75ish on the cool end. If needed, a CHE in the middle can help and leave it on for warmth at night too, depending on how cool your place gets at night. But I'd start with the MVB and measure temps first and adjust from there.

How many times do i feed a day, and how much?

Once a day is fine. How old and how big is it? I'm not as up on the hatchlings. But typically you feed once a day and it should be a pile about the size of the tort. If it isn't done in 20 mins, it was probably a little too much. You want to get a nice variety of leafy greens. I feed mine a few types of dandilions from my yard. Definately their favorite. Then various grasses, clovers, and greens from my garden. When needed, I get romaine, spring mix, collard greens, mustard greens, and others from the store. A nice variety is key. Stay away from fruits inlcuding tomatoes and strawberries. A small one once a month may be OK, but not good to start down that path. Some squash once a week (or pumpkin) is good. Timithy and Orchard Grass are good if they will eat it - but they may not if they are used to the fresh greens.

How often do i do a complete change of the substrate?(not including spot cleaning)

Spot cleaning daily is good. If you train it to poo while soaking in a plastic tub or the sink, all the better. They do need a good soaking daily if babies and max weekly if full grown.
A complete change of substrate is generally needed about every 3 months. But if you keep it clearn, and have no sign of parasites, mold, etc, you can go much longer.

[jenco]

Is the T-rex 100 wat UVB/Heat going to be enough to heat the enclosure to the required 90-95*?
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I believe that this question was not answered by the above post... therefore I will have a go at it =-)!

#1 thing with MVBs are never too close!!
12 inches is the recommended closest distance... But not too far, the farther the distance the less UVB getting to your little guy.

We can't know for sure if it will give you the right temperature without knowing the temp of the room, other heat sources, distance from basking spot... Therefore, you will need to test yourself... I recommend using string to hang the light (make sure its secure) or using a lamp stand to adjust distance to correct height to give you 90-95 degrees.

Good luck!!