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Since Monday this week I have been able to take Edward outside a few hours a day to soak up some natural sun. Since his semi-temporary outdoor enclosure is not ready yet, I have been keeping him in a cold frame that is staked on to our lawn. The temps in the cold frame have been ranging from 20C...

Experts believe that these turtles helped early modern humans, or Neanderthals, to survive the harsh, freezing conditions of northern Germany. Of the recent discoveries at Barleben-Adamsee, the most striking are five fragments of the shell of the European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis). The...

Are these plants safe to put in my Russian tortoises enclosure, not as food but more for shelter purposes? Iwasn't able to find clear cut answer on their suitability. Meadowsweets/steeplebushes (Spiraea densiflora) Some sources state this plant contains tannins, methyl salicylate, and...

A little background info: I am a new tortoise keeper (got my tortoise in February, has been my dream pet for over 10 years). But before toroises, I was quite deep in the invertebrate world. I have been keeping bioactive terrariums with isopods and other local invertebrates for about 6 years and...

I have been soaking my adult Russian tortoise roughly once a week since I got him in February. Prior to getting him I saw some conflicting info on whether you even need to soak adult tortoises if they have a water dish. Some say that soaking is harmful, because it forces the tortoise to empty...

I am worried whether my tortoise is going to get enough vitamin D here in Finland, so I did some research. Unfortunately the advice I found was conflicting, and as a new keeper I don’t know what advice is good and which sources to trust. So, I decided to turn to you with my questions and the...

Hey! I have been planning an outdoor enclousure to house my tortoise outdoors in the summer here in Finland. I have already been worried about the heat, but one thing I have also been thinking about lately is the low UV index here in Finland. UVI 3 can be reached from May to August on a sunny...

I know the subject is not timely, but I want to start getting ready early when it comes to my pets! I adopted a male Russian tortoise about two months ago. He wasn't really cared for properly before he came to me, and I am not sure whether there could still be some underlying health conditions...

I have been feeding these hay pellets to my Russian tortoise as a fiber supplementation to his food at least 3 times a week. I have ordered some Agrobs Testudo Fibre for him to replace these hay pellets. I am just wondering, can I feed him the rest of the hay pellets or should I toss them as...

I have an adult male Russian tortoise named Edward. I adopted him from an shelter after his previous owner had passed away. The shelter wasn’t specialized in reptiles and they hadn’t been able to find him a new home or a foster home for the past two years. He was basically housed in improper...

Hey! I got a russian tortoise two months ago, and as far as I know he has never been brumated. Because of our climate he has had to rely on a grocery store diet from late October to May. I got him in February and through my research noticed that none of the foods at the grocery store are that...