# Russian Tortoise lost



## Tall Mason E Snyder (Apr 15, 2011)

Hello there my name is Mason and around January my little brother lost his Russian tortoise. The tortoise was a younger one. Today my father while mowing outside discovered a decently sized hole in the yard covered with grass. Today it is warm so I have no idea how long the tortoise has been out. I live in a neighborhood that's not to big. I have a meadow in my back yard where water turtles live. I'm jut wondering how to find the tortoise. The meadow has thorn bushes and it's very muddy and wet. I found a red ear slider today in the marsh meadow so I don't know if the tortoise is in there. PLEASE HELP AND GIVE ME SUGGESTIONS thank you.


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## Yvonne G (Apr 15, 2011)

Hi Mason:

Welcome to the forum!!

Where are you located?

The only thing I can offer you is to keep your eyes open. The tortoise won't go near the water, but they do wander quite a bit during the morning. So out and look all over during early morning, on the side where the sun shines on something. Like up against the fence, etc. Every morning my Russians all come out and line up along the fence with a front leg and a back leg of the same side, up on the fence, giving the tortoise a better angle for the sun to shine on their backs. Then they go around grazing, and just before noon, they go back into their hiding places. Sometimes they come out again in the evening, but not always. Your best bet is early morning.


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## ALDABRAMAN (Apr 15, 2011)

Welcome, a grid search might be a thought!


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## Laura (Apr 15, 2011)

and be very careful mowing!!
good luck!


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## Torty Mom (Apr 15, 2011)

Did you post flyers around your neighborhood?


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## dmmj (Apr 16, 2011)

To be honest I would avoid mowing for the moment, check early morning they like to sun then.


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## HarleyK (Apr 16, 2011)

He is probably still alive after reading a lot of these forum threads


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## Terry Allan Hall (Apr 16, 2011)

Get all your friends over and search in the early hours, say around 8 or 9am. 

Good luck!


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## oscar (Apr 16, 2011)

I would not give up the search for him. I lost one of my greek tortoise a few years ago who got out of my portable tortoise enclosure. There is a busy road in front of our house a creek going through our yard and a river 1000 feet from our house. After around 5 days of looking on and off for him I was walking through our yard and there he was standing in the front yard just as proud as he could be, wish you good luck in finding him.


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## fgately (Jun 14, 2011)

I posted a thread awhile back because I was absolutely convinced I lost one of my two female Russians. She disappeared September or October. I searched, and I mean I really searched for her. I even dug around with a three pronged rake thing and even lifted all bushes. She was absolutely nowhere to be found. Right around Christmas Eve, there was a big rain storm that flooded everything. I walked past one of the garden areas and there she was caked with mud. She was gone for three months! My backyard is not huge, but there are not many areas for the torts to hide. I made them very sturdy hide boxes to use. These slow moving little critters are constantly amazing me. They are MASTERS at hiding.

Don't give up.


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## Tortoise (Jun 23, 2011)

Wishing you the best of luck.
Don't give up
Louise


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