Hey guys!! I have been studying up on what species of tortoise I should get. I was in between a Greek or a Russian and although the Greeks are beautiful.. I want an energetic one!!
I currently live in NC and am looking to buy a Russian. People have told me to look at shelter/hospitals and such, but no luck! turtles/tortoises are illegal to buy in NC. Is there a good website anyone can suggest as to where I can buy a male Russian??

And also, what vitamins/supplements/minerals/ect. should I be giving a Russian? I am currently growing lettuce and collard greens in my garden. Can I feed him just those? Or are there other foods I should give him? Hay?

Please, any tips will help! Thanks!

If buying a tort in NC is illegal, is owning one, or purchasing it on line?
For supplements you can try Carolina Pet Supply http://www.carolinapetsupply.com/catalog/

It takes more than just lettuce and collard greens to feed a tortoise. Variety is the key check out this site
http://www.russiantortoise.org/

You really need to look into the diet (nutritional needs) of your type of tort, the habitat type, substrate, temperature and humidity needs, and lighting needs, to name a few things. All this is very important for any tort and if they are incorrect could cause irreparable damage to the tort. Please don't rush into your purchase, do your research before you purchase.

In NC, it is just illegal to BUY turtles/tortoises in the state. You can go out of state, or buy from out of state and have them. Does anyone have a good website from which I could purchase a Russian tortoise?

Have you tried looking in the 'for sale' section of this site. There is someone selling several russians.

Hello,

lettuce is a bad choice. It does not have the right amount of needed nutrients. The best is to feed them the most natural way --> weeds like dandelion, plantago, ... here you can see pictures (sorry, text is not in english) but you will surely find all those on the list on http://russiantortoise.org/. You can also download The Tlady's Guide.

Extra vitamins are not really needed for most of the time. But it is important to supply calcium. It is said that cuttle bone does not have the right Ca: P ratio, that egg shells are better. Because egg shells can contain salmonela, you have to put them for some time to microwave oven or so...to destroy the salmonelas. Then broke the shells into smaller pieces like you can see here. Btw I have read that TNT is good, bought it but cannot prove that it is such magic. You can try it, it should not harm your future tort

If you are not still tired of all the info, read also http://www.tortoisetrust.org/. There are many helpful articles.