well i am thinking about getting a tortoise for my b-day but that is on aprill 30. so i need to know every posibal detail there is about maintanance, feeding, out door pen, size of pen, ect. i have read a little bit on russiantortoise.com but i need some of the little details that could matter in the long run. i do not plan on breeding, or hibernation, i will only get one.
Okay, first of all congratulations! Russian Tortoises are great little tortoises to keep! Second, where do you live exactly? If you live in a region that is warm like Florida, I may be a little hesitant to keep it outside (just because Florida can get very humid during the summer, and Russians don't like too much humidity). Redfoots on the other hand, do enjoy humidity, but they get a bit larger, about the size of a watermelon. Here's a good guideline to go by for keeping Russians... Feeding: You want to give a lot of healthy greens like collard greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens, endive, kale and a little bit of lettuce (it's not the most nutritious). For vegetables you can feed squash (such as acorn or butternet), okra, snap peas, and green beans. Fruits you can give blueberries, raspberries and strawberries once in awhile (they're not the most healthy, but given occasionally it's still OK), papaya, or prickly pear cactus fruit. The most important thing about feeding is variety. You want to give them a good variety of staple greens, fruits and vegetables mixed with the occasional ones. You also want to supplement with vitamins. I highly recommend the salad topper product from Cricket Food as a multivitamin. You also need to give them pure calcium (with no Vitamin D3 or Phosphorus) and Calcium with Vitamin D3. Housing: For a Hatchling Russian Tortoises you're going to need something about 2 feet by 3 feet. For an adult 4 feet by 2 feet (this is the "bare bones" minimum for indoor housing), for outdoor, provided you have a large enough yard, the skies the limit! Whatever you decide to build for him/her however, make sure it's escape proof, they can be very inventive escape artists! You also want to make sure that no predators will be able to break into the enclosure and make your tortoise into a tasty treat. For substrate, a good mixture of potting soil and play sand (a 2:1 ratio, more potting soil than sand) works pretty well, and make sure you're providing a good sized water dish for it as well as a hiding place (tortoises need a hiding spot to help them feel secure, otherwise they can get stressed out which can lead to parasites and illness). If you're housing outdoors, you really don't need any kind of supplemental heat source. If the tortoise is indoors however, it is a definite necessity to have a UVB spot lamp. UVB is essential for calcium absorption for tortoises. And the vitamin D3 they get from supplementation will help their bodies metabolise and use the calcium. Vetrinary Care: Your tortoise will need to be seen by a reliable reptile vet from time to time. If you don't already have one lined up you can find a recommended reptile vet in your area from either Herp Vet Connection or the ARAV Website (Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Vetrinarians). When you first get the tortoise, a wellness check along with fecal tests is never a bad idea to do, that way you can make sure your tortoise is in optimal health. Selecting a Tortoise: It is always a good idea to get a tortoise from a reliable breeder or from such a breeder at a reptile expo. Pet shops usually don't take very good care of the animals, and more often than not, you'll end up with a sick tortoise that will cost you a fortune in vet bills! The financial downside and the heartache really is not worth it. If you're selecting a tortoise yourself from a breeder at a show, it's always a good idea to inspect it carefully. A healthy tortoise will have clear, bright eyes, will retract its limbs when you reach out to touch them, and when held in the air will move its limbs in rapid movements (almost look like they're swimming). If you see a tortoise with his eyes shut, breathing with his mouth open, and a bubbly nose, these are usually signs of a respiratory infection, and you should not purchase that tortoise. You also need to inspect the shell, to make sure it looks healthy (no kinds of fungus on it) and to make sure it does not have any cracks on it (these are warning signs of shell rot, or injuries). On a side note, you should also make sure before you purchase your tortoise that you have his enclosure completely set-up, so all you have to do is to go and purchase the tortoise and bring him home! Good luck with your new friend! I guarantee it will be highly rewarding experience for you!
Russian Tortoise Russian tortoises are great, and it's good that you're doing your homework before you get one. Do go to http://www.russiantortoise.org It's the definitive site for russians and much better than russiantortoise.com There's also a yahoo group forum for russians at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RussianTortoise/ The people on there are really knowledgeable and friendly and will answer any questions you have. Nina
RE: Russian Tortoise i do go to the .org site. i always mistype and put com i guess it is a more practicle ending thing. russiantortoise.org is awsom, i printed out the care sheet, housing, and i am trying to decide on a tort table or a 50+ gal. rubermaid with sand and timothy hay and bed-a-beast. i read that part to.
RE: Russian Tortoise and can i supplement with calsium, D3, and all that good stuff by rep-cal, when he is out side just to be safe, or is to much a bad thing. and when i select the tortoise it will be for my B- Day so my dad will actually select it, so i gave him the sheet from russiantortoise.com-org whatever, on how to select a healthy tortoise. well should i get a female or male, i kind of want a larger one so probably female.
Congrats on deciding on a russian tort. First off I reccomend you build your own turtle table, you can build it to your own specs, it's actually not bery expensive, and it feels great when you're done. I supplement with Tortoise Dust by TRex, and it has worked pretty good. Here's a pic of my Russian tort's turtle table to give you some ideas Good-luck! xcSNAKE
Re: RE: Russian Tortoise I'm sorry! I meant that you wouldn't be using a UVB spot lamp outside since he would be getting the natural UVB rays from the sunshine. Calcium with Vitamin D3 is very important to supplement with, and Rep Cal is a good brand to get. For my growing turtles and tortoises I use pure Calcium once a week, Calcium with Vitamin D3 once a week, and a Multivitamin once a week (I use less for my adult turtle). I do it on a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule, that seems to work the best for me.
RE: Re: RE: Russian Tortoise so basicly i should supplement the same ways outside as i do inside, i already have a bearded dragon so i have the calcium and herptiviswhatever with D3 so i gues i can use that stuff with the tortoise, and i should sprinkle about 2 pinches overhis salad stuff.
RE: Re: RE: Russian Tortoise You'd be bringing him in during the winter, yes? You do sprinkle it over the salad, they'll get their supplementation that way. But when you bring him indoors for the winter, you are going to want to get a UVB spot lamp for that time, so he's still getting his UVB. That bulb will last you for about 6 months of everyday 12 hours on / 12 hours off use. After that, the bulb may work, but it won't be emitting enough UVB, which is why you would buy another one. Any more questions let me know!
RE: Re: RE: Russian Tortoise i have had one before but i did not do the proper amount of research on it and i decided to let t hibernate, it had dug around 3 feet into the ground and would have been fine but that winter it snowed and the snow melted and refroze and im sure you get the picture, so this time i will bring him inside. thanx for all the help, now i just need to find a good Herp vet in my area. (Saint Louis).
Re: RE: Wanting to buy a russian tortoise. Definitely check out those websites, I'm sure you'll be able to find plenty of good herp vets in the St Louis area!
RE: Re: RE: Wanting to buy a russian tortoise. i could only find one in Saint Louis but everyone sais he is relly good, and what all do they do, and about how much do they cost, the vet.
RE: Re: RE: Wanting to buy a russian tortoise. The vet cost depends on what you're getting done. If it's just an examination, that can be anywhere between $30 and $100 (this depends on the vet). Personally, my vet charges me $30 for an exam, and $15 for a fecal flotation test, which is something you should get done when you first get the tortoise to make sure everything is going well with him.
RE: Re: RE: Wanting to buy a russian tortoise. I don't own a russian Tortise yet Ill be getting one this spring right now im building his outdoor enclosure and his indoor enclosure for them . But here the thing I read on russiantortoise.org that fruit is actually bad for your tortoise because of the sugar in it . But here it says to give them fruit See this is my promblem so many diffrent people say so many diffrent things .
RE: Re: RE: Wanting to buy a russian tortoise. Hi Kelly, Think what they would have in the wild (i.e. would there be blueberries and strawberries growing in the semi-desert conditions where Russians come from? I think not.) My understanding is that the sugar in fruit encourages gut problems in Russians and should be avoided. Stick to weeds. Nina
RE: Re: RE: Wanting to buy a russian tortoise. Well that what I thought and why I said that I didn't believe it healthy for them .
Re: RE: Wanting to buy a russian tortoise. You're right, the sugars in them can lead to parasites if fed consistently, but once in a great while, they're fine to feed. Another problem is that most of them are high in oxalates and goitrogens. (Oxalates indicate a higher presence of salt and goitrogens can cause thyroids problems). Russians seem to have the biggest problem with that out of most tortoises. I give my tortoises berries, papaya, prickly pear fruit, grapes, kiwi, mango, and watermelon. I use these sparingly once in a blue moon to give them variety in their diet.
RE: Re: RE: Wanting to buy a russian tortoise. Also, if you're greatly concerned with problems from feeding any fruit, you don't have to feed it. I only do it, because it offers them more of variety in their diet. You can stick to the greens and vegetables (like Lepinksy suggested), and your tortoise will be fine!
