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First off, congrats on the tort!

Secondly, warning! Wall of text incoming!

Tank size:

That depends on how large she is. For the average female Russian's (I'm estimating about 7 or 8 inches in length), you should give her about a 3 by 4 feet tank. I have heard of people keeping their smaller torts (i.e. Russian, Hermann's, and Greeks) in the Zoo Med Tortoise House most of the time, but really, it's too small for the tort full time. These people take their torts out of the tank a bunch of the time to roam around the room.

If you have an aquarium tank right now, the caution is that tortoises sometimes will decide to go through the glass and not understand that that's a bad idea because they can see through it. In this scenario, you can wrap the outside of the tank in some paper. It doesn't need to be decorative as long as the tort can't see out.

My follow up question to you is: whereabouts do you live? This will determine if you will require an indoor habitat or if an outdoor one will be sufficient. Outdoor tanks should also be fairly large, as tortoises really like to wander around. If you choose to keep your tort outdoors, make sure that it's caged up really well so that predators cannot get in.

That being said, there are some great care sheets around. One of the ones I used when I first got started was this: http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Russian-Tortoise/ Be sure to play close attention to the temperature gradient that she needs. You'll need some thermometers. One of the temp guns would be highly recommended so you can spot check all over the tank. You could also go to your local hardware store and get a laser temp gun, which will probably be better than this for a bunch more money, but you don't need one better than this, really.

For a low budget tank, I've seen a lot of DIY tutortials around. One of the most common is to get an old Ikea bookshelf, lay it on its back, take the shelves out, and stick a solid tarp down in it so that it's waterproof. Then put soil, forest bark, moss, etc in for the flooring and put your tort in that. The trouble with this is that you really have to make sure that it's safe for your tort down on the floor. I have cats in the house, and while they're cute and loving, they're also assholes when it comes to other animals, so I have to have an actual table up higher with a lid so my cats can't get in.

Water dish:

Anything that's large enough for her to sit in comfortably is good. Make sure that it's not too deep (the water should never be deeper that chin-level), and that it's not too small for her to bathe in. She will want to climb around in it and move around a bit as well. She will drink from it if she needs hydration, and also just sit there if she's too hot. Make sure that this water is clean daily so that she doesn't drink from her own urine/poop water. Also make sure that she's able to climb in and out of the dish by herself. They make special water dishes for this. BUT, as you're trying to budget down, you can actually just use whatever you have around that fits the requirements. I'm using a small terracotta plate for planting pots that I found at my local dollar store because my tortoise is still just a baby.

White discharge is called urates. All reptiles do this; it's nothing to worry about at all, unless it's grainy like sand (signs of dehydration), or solid. It should have the rough consistency of toothpaste. Mine's look more like egg-whites floating in water.

Food:

The spring mix should be fine. Tortoises will eat roughly their shell size in salad in a day. Having a good mix will make sure her internal flora is healthier. Absolutely no spinach should be fed. Where I live, I can't get a lot of good weeds, so I feed a lot of kale, parsley, romaine lettuce, dandelion leaves, etc. I keep a list of "staples", and a list of "occasional supplements" that I rotate through on a weekly basis. If you're lucky enough to live in an area where you can go for walks and pick up a bunch of greens from from wilds, it will be cheaper for you. This website has the best plant database that I've come across so far and will be able to help you in identifying what's safe and what's not.

I supplement every meal I give my tort with Repashy's Superveggie to make sure that she/he is getting all the nutrients that she/he needs. (I have no idea if my tort is male or female right now because she/he is still way too young; maybe in a year or two I'll be able to sex him/her.)

I also have a calcium bone for him/her to nom on whenever he/she wants on the side. It also helps them file down the beak. I have an Exo Terra Sepia Bone for him/her. I just cut off about 1/3rd of a piece to put in the tank (again, because my tort is just a baby).

For special treats, I like to give my tort a singular raspberry, or whatever fruit I have around. So far, she/he's shown a love for raspberries, and cherries, and not so much love for strawberries. To encourage my tort use the calcium bone, I sometimes rub the raspberry all over the calcium bone to make it tastier. Sometimes, I will break off a little piece and sprinkle it into the salad for the day as well.

How much to feed:

Tortoises are not stupid animals, and won't really overeat unless you're feeding all the wrong foods. Assuming you have a high fiber diet, your tort will stop eating when she's done. Again, generally you feed about their shell size amounts of salad in a day. If she eats more or less, that might tell you how she feels about what you're feeding her. Some people will say that the 15-20 minute limit is what you should do, but there's really not a lot of evidence that that's the rule. I've heard it about 50/50 depending on the keeper's style.

Finally, here are some signs that will tell you your tortoise isn't happy/general stress signs:

• some common diseases - http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/commondisease.html
  
• clawing at glass - wrap tank so the sides don’t freak the tortoise out
  
• not eating
  
• unclear eyes
  
• wet, unclear nostrils - look for runny nose syndrome and/or respiratory problems
  
• poop on the tail
  
• weird marking/ scratches on the shell
  
• poop is not solid/regular
  
• urates not runny (or toothpaste-like) - look for solids - sign of dehydration
  
• lethargy/over-active/agitation
  
• ramming into things
  
• muscle weakness
  
• reddish-brown spots around mouth, eyes, or ears (mites)
  
• vomit - If you see this, go to a vet!!
  
  If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask! This sub is sadly quieter than I'd like, so I thought I'd offer some help with what limited experience I currently have.
  
  Good luck!
  
  
  [Edit: formatting and such]
  
  

Here are some suggestions I do for my redfoot tortoise:

Get your bulbs from http://www.reptileuv.com/
You can email them a description of your setup and they will recommend the right bulb for your setup. Remember these are forest tortoise so they like to spend a lot of time in shade. So make sure you have a few shaded hide spots from them.

Grow your own grass to feed the little guy. This is the cheapest way to feed your tortoise a health diet. I would suggest getting seed from:
http://www.sulcatafood.com/Store.html The seed mix is for desert tortoise but add in some extra protein and fruit to meet the forest tortoise needs. I use blue buffalo cat food for extra protein and various fruit to cover the proper diet. I have had a 2 LB bag of seed for over 1 year now and still not half way. Very cheap way to feed your tortoise. I also grow the grass using the same lighting from the cage just water the pot every day.

I use a laser temp-gun for thermometry.

These are forest tortoise so you will need to keep humanity high. I suggest getting a mister and putting in lots of moss to keep the humanity up. I use the Monsoon RS400 which I have had zero problems with and it does a pretty good job. I have mine set to mist some moss patches which dry out before the next round of misting to keep mold out.

For substrate I use fur bark (reptile bark brand) but I am about to make the switch to orchid bark (http://www.amazon.com/Sun-Bulb-5019-Better-Gro-Orchid/dp/B005OK83CI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376942644&sr=8-1&keywords=orchid+bark) as I hear it is just as good and it is half the cost of what I am paying now. I hear Coconut Fiber is just as good but I have never used it. A lot of people mix Coconut Fiber and top soil together but that isn't a mix I would want to deal with inside. I like mulch because it is easy to clean and it smells more like a rain forest.

I suggest doing the soak in a different area as the tortoise will does a lot of his dirty business in the water and it will help keep your cage cleaner. I use to soak mine in a tupperware box until he go to big for it and now I use the bath tub. I give mine a bath every other day. I also have a bottle of olive oil and water mix that I spray his shell down with during bath time. Keeps his shell nice and clean. Also harmless to the tortoise make sure to avoid the eyes. 10 parts water 1 part olive oil is my mix.

I use vinegar, lemon and water mix for cleaning. Cheap, effective and harmless to pets. I do 5 parts water, 3 parts white vinegar and 2 parts lemon juice.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions.

I'm not sure how much advice you need, so I'll give you a round-up since it sounds like you aren't too familiar with your redfoot yet - forgive me if I'm overstepping here. (Number one question, are you sure it's a redfoot?)

Ours is only about 6 inches long/4.5 inches wide and, since we keep her in an apartment for now, she lives inside one of these stock tubs:
https://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-Commercial-FG424300BLA-Structural-Capacity/dp/B000NPBLAU/ref=pd_sbs_86_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=V0HHMQZ2AWZY19SQXZY2

Depending on just how big yours is, it wouldn't be the worst idea to stick with the kiddie pool indoors - but if it were me, depending on her size, I would try to get a second pool, cut some of the walls out, and try to make one big/long pool. If she's as big as I envision, the ideal situation would be that she gets at least half of a small bedroom. ;)

She'll need some flooring/substrate in there, and you'll want to have some UV lamps and a heat lamp suspended above his home (there is some good advice about these three elements on this page: http://tortoiseyard.com/creating_a_home_for_your_redfoot_tortoise.htm). You might need to construct something out of wood or metal to hang these lights from. If there's a reptile store anywhere near you you might give them a call or visit to see if they have any suggestions, too.

She's also going to need a soaking/drinking dish. She should be able to climb in and out of the dish pretty easily, and it should be deep enough to soak in without having to submerge her face or strain her neck. Keep the water pretty clean cause she'll drink out of it too (ours likes to poop in the water so keep an eye out for that). Soaking is very important!

They also really like moderately high humidity (being a tropical/subtropical tortoise), so I have a reptile fogger (a glorified humidifier) that pipes in steam to the tank. Too much or too little is problematic, but if the air in your home is dry this is definitely a must-have, and you can figure out what's best as you go.

Do you have feeding under control? Stay away from pellet food unless you're really desperate and go for diet as described here (http://redfoottortoise.com/redfoot_tortoise_diet.htm) and here (http://tortoiseyard.com/diet.htm). Try to keep uneaten food out of the cage lest you attract bugs. Get him some cuttlebones (just search it on Amazon) and leave it in his cage - replace it when you see it has been eaten!

Sorry this took so long, I knew I was going to write a novel.

Microchipping would be good, but the same transportation issues that stand in the way of getting him microchipped are REALLY going to stand in the way of anyone who finds him to get him scanned. And while YOU know how to handle him, 98% of people who are going to come across him if he gets out are unlikely to know what to do. With just a microchip, you also run the risk of all the non-tort informed people out there (which is most people), either not touching him at all because they're afraid of him, picking him up and setting him "free" somewhere rural, taking him to a lake because they think he's a turtle, or trying to pick him up but injuring him in the process. In my opinion, you might want to consider something that will let people know how to contact you ASAP without even touching him.

I have this "license plate" on mine. It was recommended by our vet who also owns sulcatas, as well as an old college friend of mine who is a biologist and tags sea turtles.

It's just a pet tag from PetSmart with his name and my phone number attached with two-part marine epoxy. The Loctite brand you can find at Lowe's. As long as it's not on one of the scute borders, it won't effect his growth. It stays put after 5 minutes, but I put a piece of painter's tape over it for the 24 hours it takes to fully cure. It has been securely attached for 5 years now.

55 degrees is my go-to boundary temp as well. The cold-night set up I had when he was the size of yours was super simple because the first chill took me by surprise, so necessity was the mother of invention that afternoon. It looked a bit ghetto and I'm almost embarrassed to admit it, but it worked so well (and we don't need it too often here in CFL) I actually kept it this way for years.

So here's the breakdown:
My cousin is a personal trainer and was living with me at the time, so I snagged one of his diy dip bars that looked just like one of these. We're talking less than $10 worth of PVC from Home Depot. I put it against the back of my house where there was covering from the eaves and no wind. Then I stacked cinder blocks, 2 or 3 on each side, and hung a clamp light from the bar. The cinder blocks would warm up a bit and really help keep the heat where it needed to be. I used a regular infrared reptile heat bulb, 100w or 150w. Now, I know there's mixed opinions out there on the red bulbs because torts can see some of the red visible light they emit and this can wreak havoc on their circadian rhythm IF USED REGULARLY. Indoors a CHE is recommended, of course, but that just wasn't putting out enough heat. And since moving outside it's only needed a dozen or so nights a year, plus he gets plenty of natural light and exercise as soon as the sun comes up, so I'm really not worried about it throwing off his rhythm. Prepare yourself, here's an extremely not-to-scale and poorly done drawing, but I think you get the drift. I was so paranoid the first couple nights, I put a thermometer right on the top of his shell as he slept and probably checked it a million times. I was more afraid he'd get burned or too hot than anything else, and I had to raise the light, but after that it kept him around a cozy 65-70 degrees all night.

I think the combination of the infrared light and the way the blocks worked to insulate the heat were the key, so I'm sure any variation of that would work. Just something to think about while you're working out your set up. Good luck! I'm curious as to what you end up figuring out! Remember, around here you really only need to bring the temp up by 15-20 degrees at the most to keep him at 55+, so don't worry about it too much!

Also, do you have a picture of the burrow with a hinged lid? That sounds ingenious! I wonder if somethingthat would make my dinosaur stop digging already!

I'll work on a supply list and instructions!

Edit: I'll list all my supplies with links to where I bought them as well as price

16 mm all weather tarp $30,
2x Midwest pet Exercise pens $27 each,
5x Bag Cypress mulch (no additives) $2.25 each,
Safety First Humidifier $26,
Oil filled radiator I couldn't find the specific one I bought but it was $40 at Lowes.

Those are all the supplies for the basic set-up (most of it I just had laying around). The ramp and hide on the left I built for a previous enclosure with ply wood from the Habitat home store Link. The table on the right side with my plants on it is just ply wood on top of a few cinder blocks to create a combo hide and plant storage table. There are a few lights both for the plants and to create basking for the torts around the edge as well (I put them in after I took the pictures)

To make the actual body of the thing I folded the tarp in half-ish (it was too small to do a full half fold and still have extra for the sides) and the long side up against the back wall of the room so that the tarp actually goes up the wall about 8in. I then used duct tape to tape the folds in the corners like an inside out wrapped gift. I then put the fencing against the wall inside the tarp (2 of the fence panels overlap). Once all the fencing was in place I used rope through the eyelets in the tarp to secure the lip on the front since it didn't have a wall to hold it up.

Basically it is a rectangle of fencing with a tarp gift wrapped around the bottom. The tarp protects my floor and hold in the cypress bedding.

I have two semi aquatic eastern painted turtles who reside in NE Ohio as well! But I like turts of all walks of life so that’s why I’m here hehehe. I also bring potentially helpful information! The light clamps can be rather finicky and it can be difficult to get the light pointed directly down using them. Luckily, ExoTerra sells a great light bracket that can be used with most any light! And allows for you too adjust the height! You can just tie the cord in a knot around the top bar if you don’t have the hanging hook on your lamp, I can send a picture of mine if you have any trouble! They are designed for attaching to a aquariums but could probably attach to the side of his box, and if not, it’s nothing a drill bit and some wood screws couldn’t fix! Good luck! 😃

I would recommend applying a triple antibiotic ointment like neosporin to the wound as long as it’s not the “pain relieving” kind. Just apply a light coat with a Q tip every day after soaking him in a providone iodine solution. If you really want to go the silver route, find a comparable product to the curad silver solution antimicrobial gel. Do not use the liquid or oily colloidal silver solutions.

Also I recommend some vitamin A eye drops like these, especially in the swollen closed eye:
Zoo Med Repti Turtle Eye Drops, 64 ml, 2.25 Ounces https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002DJ0AQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_1n7gDb7CG4GHC

Sounds like she's bored. A 50-gallon tank, believe it or not, is painfully small for a fully grown Russian tortoise. A 50-gallon tank is only about 3x1.5 feet. Even a tortoise house is 3x2, and are available and Petsmart and Petco. There's also these sexy things, though I don't really like the glass front for a tortoise.

Alternatively, you could go buy some wood and build her a tortoise table yourself. If she's active with clear eyes and a dry nose, and is eating and pooping, she's probably healthy. Take the money you'd give to a vet and upgrade her enclosure.

The top Sulcata guys say that you need to keep them in a SUPER humid environment for at least the first year, possibly 2 to help avoid pyramiding. Apparently, sulcatas live underground for the first year or so in their native environment, and are born right at the beginning of the rainy season. I kept mine using one of these with a plastic tube attached that ran into the enclosure (actually into the hide, but the mist kept the whole enclosure pretty humid)

good choice with the redfoot! mine, in particular, enjoys climbing over obstacles and i can only give her bananas sparingly bc the first time i did she didn't want to eat anything else for a week.

also they like to soak. mine right now has a "groovy jacuzzi" http://www.amazon.com/Flukers-Groovy-Lagoon-Reptile-Desert/dp/B0027J2Q5E
but she will need a bigger one soon. it is nice because you can put in the substrate and it is level with the tortoise.

Running power from your house is probably going to be your cheapest option. If you dont heat it at night your tortoise could get sick and cost you several hundred dollars in vet cost. So you need to decide on where you want to spend your money. Regardless your going to have cost. If you absolutely cant use the houses power then you need to go solar. A 200 watt kit would probably be the minimum necessary to charge the batteries daily. This is the kit I use. You can set the controller so that power kicks on only when its dark. A solar setup is going to at minimum probably cost you $500 by the time you buy an inverter and batteries. DONT USE CAR BATTERIES. Either solar batteries or at least golf cart batteries.

I have a redfoot but she is still small enough for indoors.

You want a heated night box for it sleep in. This is what I built for my sulcatas. Mine is a 4x8 foot insulated box they stay in. They can come and go as they please. You could build a mini one for probably less than $100.

4x4 Night box - although these are my plans from sketchup its not my original idea.
http://imgur.com/a/TZQ4P

4x8
https://imgur.com/a/3nlrM#0

Heat mats are low wattage and would do the job for keeping the tort warm thru the night without completely discharging your batteries. Install it under a second layer of thin plywood so the wood floor is warmed. You dont want the tort to lay directly on it as it might burn the tortoise if where to malfunction. I use these with my sulcatas in their night box.

Plug the Heat mat into a dimmer switch so you can control the voltage and temp of the mat. I usually run mine at half power.


Use something like this to remotely monitor the overall ambient temperature in your box.


Overall it will be much cheaper to run an extension cord or to pay an electrician vs solar setup to run power to the enclosure.

I was considering one of these but the sides were just not tall enough. I went with one of these instead and it was perfect.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NPBLAU/

I think a lot of torts don't like the zoo med block. If you bought the kind of cuttle bone that's sold for birds, it may be bleached and taste bad. Try ordering these. My tortoise loves them. https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Laboratories-SZMTB1-Turtle/dp/B001CCVLUS/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466568999&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=tortoise+cuttle+bone


If these still don't work, you can scrape some of the powder onto its food. It's good to feed your torts off of natural slate tile (you can go to Lowe's or Home Depot and find broken pieces usually for super cheap) or off of terra cotta plant saucers. That helps grind their beaks down too.
https://www.amazon.com/Bloem-Cotta-Plant-Saucer-Terra/dp/B00FGIQHEO/ref=sr_1_16?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1466569208&sr=1-16&keywords=plant+saucer

This is the only one I can find on Amazon lol check on Craigslist too though, sometimes they have hidden jams.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00167S5EY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_cB..zb7NZN64V

Hmm... you could try [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00121UVU0/?tag=kinjadeals-20](Working Hands). It works really well for dry and cracked hands. Maybe it'll work for his skin?

Update: thanks for the advice.

He is eating dandelion greens right now. After he has time to sit around and relax for a few hours I plan to change his substrate, reorganize his hutch a bit (water in shaded area rather than under his heat lamp) and give him a soak. I am looking into getting a hutch that is larger, but it is a tough space issue for me in my apartment. A DIY hutch sounds like a very stressful project to me and I prefer to just buy. He is currently in this one: Zoo Med Wood Tortoise House https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00167S5EY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_K4mDzbAK5E7Y6

I could potentially expand it with a second one, but that is expensive and I do not have the space for it....

I give him around 5-7 pellets of this every other day to every three days. I mean, should I start feeding him less now? I didn’t think that seemed like much at all.

I have a wooden enclosure that's half open top. I run a humidifier half the day: https://www.amazon.com/BaoGuai-Reptile-Mister-Fogger-Humidifier/dp/B07PLFC8X4/ref=mp_s_a_1_11?keywords=reptile+humidifier&qid=1573479738&sprefix=reptile+hum&sr=8-11

But I still spray the enclosure once or twice a day

You can also pour a little water right into the substrate every few days. Just watch for mold

These kind of pellets. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003JN8UJ8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I’ve always used the powersuns.


Zoo Med PowerSun UV UVB (100 watt) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002AQDJK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_7XVPDb7AXHAD5

They may be a bit expensive but I’ve never had an issue with them.

Ciao, sono tartarughe Hermanni. D’inverno si interrano da sole o prepari tu un rifugio?
Ti consiglio questo libro se non hai esperienza con le tartarughe: Tartarughe terresti.

Se hai bisogno posso darti qualche consiglio sull’alimentazione e il letargo, che sono gli aspetti più importanti.