# russian tortoise



## cher6714 (Apr 5, 2010)

How often do most of you feed your russian? I am new to this and was told to let him eat for 20 minutes a day and then remove the food. I do that and my russian tries to lick the bowl clean like he is starving. Any advice would be great. Thanks.


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## spikethebest (Apr 5, 2010)

i put as much down as they will eat in one sitting. and leave it there for the day, and clear it before i go to bed. some days they eat more, some days they eat less. but also make sure they drink a lot, either by themselves, or soak them.


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## Yvonne G (Apr 5, 2010)

We've been discussing this very topic on another thread:

http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-13667.html


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## tortoisenerd (Apr 5, 2010)

It depends on the tort, including how fast they eat. For a growing hatchling, egg laying female, or outdoor grazing tort, I would let them eat as much as they want. If the tort is overweight, then limit the food such as the 20 minute rule. If in between, you may want to get an idea if the amount you are feeding is appropriate or not with the following McIntyre ratio, based on SCL. People suggest to limit food because captive torts, especially Russians, can easily become overweight when fed a nutrient rich diet (more so than the weeds they get in the wild when not hibernating) and in a small enclosure (not much exercise). If the tort is visibly hungry (and not a hatchling, which I would just let eat as much as they want), why not try letting it eat as much as it wants until it walks away? That is a nice compromise between 20 minutes and as much as it wants.


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## Cameron (Apr 6, 2010)

i feed mine every other day. but i keep timothy hay in there all the time. don't think they care for it much, but if they are really hungry i'm sure they will eat it.


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## Tom (Apr 6, 2010)

I like to let them graze at will, all day, but this assumes a large outdoor pen with warm weather and lots of exercise. I used to underfeed in a futile and ignorant attempt to stop pyramiding. When I turn any species of tortoise loose in a large area with lots of weeds they eat a little and walk a little in intervals all day long.

Because of the way they graze all day in the wild, I think the best strategy for a relatively small (you know, less than an acre) indoor pen would be several small meals a day. This is not convenient for most so I think Cameron's method of constant access to some grass hay is a good strategy.

This is also what I do for my big outdoor sulcatas. They have a flake of bermuda grass hay at all times, plus whatever weeds sprout up in their pen, but I only actually "feed" them two or three times a week most of the year.

I've always fed Russians as much as they want, daily.


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## Cameron (Apr 6, 2010)

Tom said:


> I've always fed Russians as much as they want, daily.



have you ever had a problem with them getting "fat"? my biggest female bulges at the front of her shell by her front legs. she also has a lot of space between scutes where her new groth is. last summer she grew so fast that there was actually a small amount of blood where that new growth was. that's why i started doing the every other day thing. i'll take a pic of my biggest female and post it here to show you.


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## Tom (Apr 6, 2010)

Red Earth Exotics said:


> Tom said:
> 
> 
> > I've always fed Russians as much as they want, daily.
> ...



No, but that where the preface of a large outdoor pen, with warm weather and sunshine comes in. I would certainly modify my plan if I had an obesity problem, but under normal circumstances, I like to feed all day every day and let them pick and choose. It just occurred to me that maybe my circumstances aren't "normal".

How about, IF they gets lots of exercise and sunshine, then daily free feeding is what I recommend?


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## Cameron (Apr 6, 2010)

here is the pic of her shell, you can see all the new growth there. i'm by no means an expert but it looked to me like she may have been growing too fast. 




they seem to get plenty of exercise and sun, they are always making laps around their enclosure. i probably should let them roam the yard more often when i'm out there, though.


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## tortoisenerd (Apr 6, 2010)

What are you feeding? Wow that is a lot of growth! I'd rather feed daily instead of every other day, and just feed half the amount to keep everything steady, if you have already figured out that is a good amount of food. Are you feeding plus letting them graze? If you have the yard space and the weather, I would just plant it all with weeds and yummies and let them graze only. More exercise never hurts as long as they have shade and water as they won't walk around if they don't want to. I'd love to have a yard!


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