Some Russian Tortoise questions?

Question

Do Russian tortoises hibernate if so for how long? Also how often do you need to clean a Russian tortoise set up (such as a terrarium or 50 gallon rubbermaid bin). Also if the tortoise goes out side in a sturdy set up when weather permits (maybe every other day or every day for a few hours) how often would I have to clean the out door set up. I know this is alot but it will be very helpful for me. Please don't just give me one caresheet if you do post caresheets give more because just one caresheet could be wrong. Don't just give me random caresheets give me ones you know will help if you give me a caresheet.

Answer 1

russian tortoises do hibernate but it is recommended that they do not hibernate for longer than 12 weeks , ideally you should pick up any poo from a pen when you see it and clean the substrate weekly to keep it clean, i wash my tortoise pen down every evening when i get my tortoises in for the night, it keeps it nice and clean and stops flies coming around but if your tortoise is only using it every few days then wash it down twice a week, it depends on if it is grass or not if it is grass you can move the pen around and pick up any poo, i won't give you care sheets but i will post a couple of sites that are good the first is exclusively for the care of russian tortoises but it does have some good tips so it is good for reference http://russiantortoise.org/care_sheet.ht...   the second if the tortoise trust web site, it has some really good articles on tortoise care  and it has articles on safe hibernation it is a site i use for reference as they keep it up to date  so it might be interesting for you to read some of the articles  http://www.tortoisetrust.org/    best of luck honey

Answer 2

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

This site should help you a lot with your Russian. It has pictures and directions that pertain to the 50 gallon Rubbermaid container and what you should put in it. It also says that Russian's in captivity benefit from as little as 8 weeks of hibernation. I would suggest spot cleaning (scoop p**p) either set up daily! I'm not sure how often you would have to deep clean, I clean my Sulcata's at least one a month.

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs... (A good one, very to the point)

http://www.turtlerescues.com/russian_tor...

http://www.sdturtle.org/RUSSIAN%20(Testu...

http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/russian...

I have a Sulcata tortoise living in a 55 gallon aquarium with sterile playground sand (a layer of newspaper underneath to soak up fluids), alfalfa pellets and coconut husk fibers make up the sleeping area. I use a 100 watt white UV bulb for 12 hours a day and a 75 watt red bulb for nighttime (it doesn't interfere with the sleep cycle) during the night. I feed her romaine lettuce, spinach, alfalfa (she eats the pellets), grasses, hays, and everything must have calcium supplement on it, but not too much or it can cause issues. If you have any more questions feel free to email me at [e-mail] and I would be more than happy to help.