Care for russian or greek tortoises?

Question

Can somebody tell me what substrate is best for these tortoises??and what type of lighting they need and where can i find it online??also what type of heating they need (light or mat) and do greek or russian tortoises like 2 be in groups or pairs??not greek and russian together but the same type together??

Answer 1

A soil and sand mix makes a good substrate.  Overhead heat should be supplied by a basking lamp.  They also need UVB lighting.  If the enclosure (it should be very large such as a tortoise table) they may do ok in pairs or groups, but anytime you house reptiles together there is the potential for fights and dominance.  

http://www.wnyherp.org/care-sheets/turtl...

http://www.russiantortoise.org/care_shee...

Answer 2

Anything that they can dig. My russian tortoise loves to dig. I use bark substrate because its easiest for him to dig. I use an infrared light for heat during the night and day and a flourescent light. The infrared is available at pet stores (I got mine from PJ pets) and flourescent lights can be bought from places like home depot or the pet store (but those are a tad expensive). for extra warmth, I have a mat too, but I dont think its that necessary.

I found with my Russian tortoise, he gets lonely sometimes and really wants a playmate.