Piggy is what Clyde is.

Farcryjj

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It has been a month since I got Clyde, who is supposed to be a 3-and-a-half-month old Russian tortoise.

I was a bit suspicious about his age when I first saw him, because he was 2.5"shell length and weighed in at 65g, as a 2-and-a-half-month old! I thought this is probably the weight for a yearling.

I took him in, feed him, bath him, try to give him everything he can dream of… One month after, I weighed him again. Now he is at 76g! 11 grams in a month? Is this normal, or am I raising a piggy? I even start wondering if Clyde is maybe a Claudette, since a girl is supposed to be bigger. What do you think?

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PJay

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Welcome to the forum! Clyde is a nice looking tortoise, how often do you feed him?
 

Yvonne G

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Welcome to the Forum!

Since Clyde/Clydette is obviously captive bred, I really doubt the breeder would lie to you about his age. He certainly IS much bigger than that age Russian usually is.

He's awfully pretty. Be sure to cover his habitat and keep the substrate SLIGHTLY moist. He's looking a little bumpy and the humidity and moisture help.
 

Farcryjj

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Thanks everyone for the warm welcome!

Pjay, I feed Clyde once a day normally. On the weekends, I would feed him twice a day. Simply because I enjoy watching him to eat. My bf will call him the vicious vegan, since we've never seen anyone so enthusiastic at biting greens.

Yes, Yvonne, he is a bit bumpy. I noticed it when I first got him. That's also why I put a little wet towel on his back when he is taking his daily bath. I also bought a 5.5x2 terrarium, thinking that it would be easier to close it up and raise humidity. It turns out finding a supporting stand for the gigantic terrarium is even harder and more expensive. I'll try to set it up within two weeks.

Do you think he will slow down growing at one point? Or if he should be put on diet at this young age? I picked Russian, one is because "elementary" - Clyde, the other is because it is small…
 

GingerLove

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Welcome to the TFO! Your little piggy is adorable!!!!!!!!!!!! I wish I had gotten my Russian when she was a baby. I would recommend feeding once a day, even if it is a weekend. :) Tortoises technically don't actually even need to eat every day. How much do you feed him? I think he's probably just a SUPER ADORABLE little piggy!! I would love to see more pictures.
 

Farcryjj

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Haha! Thanks GingerLove!

I feed him one piece of leaf per meal. If it is romaine lettuce or kale frisee, it would be a small leaf. If it is mixed spring salade, it would be 4,5 leaves… Clyde is getting picky on what he likes. At first he would also eat hibiscus (my poor tree), but then he discovered romaine lettuce… Now even if I chop bunch of leaves and mix them together, he would only pick out the romaine and kale frisee, and leave everything else. :(
 

Tidgy's Dad

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Farcryjj

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Hello, and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum to you and Clyde.
He is gorgeous.
Have you seen http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/ ?
And http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
I also like http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/nutrientanalysis.htm
the ones in bold are the best.

Thanks Tidgy's dad!

I read them already. Learnt a lot in the past month from the forum, and I'm trying to improve Clyde's life little by little. :)
 

RosemaryDW

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Clyde sure is cute!

It's great that you are mixing up his diet; are you able to provide more variety of non grocery store foods besides the hibiscus? I'm not sure where you are, we are just getting a healthy crop of weeds here, after a deluge of rain!

Romaine is like a drug to many tortoises. While there is nothing wrong with it as part of a varied diet, you'll want to limit it--or any single food he gets stuck on.

You might consider not feeding it at all for a while. He won't starve, even if he goes on a bit of a hunger strike. Tortoises are much more stubborn than you or I; waiting it out will be much harder on you than on him. But you're the parent in this situation and need to insist upon a good diet!

You've probably already read this bit on grocery store variety written by Yvonne G.:

If you must use grocery store foods I like to favor spring mix, endive and escarole heavily. Also add in carrot tops, cilantro, mustard, turnip and collard greens, and lots of other leafy greens.​

I add radish tops to that list.

The Russian care sheets are great but there is a nice list of non grocery "safe" foods developed by our members that I don't believe is included in any of them. There are many food options, depending on where you live, but this is a good start:

Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads

Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard
 

Farcryjj

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P.S., love the video; I didn't realize we could attach them so easily!
Thank you so much RosemaryDW, for the great advice! I live in Canada… It's snow everywhere now, and for the next 3 months. :(
I am going to stop feeding him romaine, until he starts to eat other things. He does eat spring mix, but he doesn't like turnip top. I'm thinking of buying some dandelion seeds and give indoor farming a try.

The little clip I posted is not a vedio. It is a gif file made by Google photo automatically. :) I thought it was cute and tried to post it, and it worked!
 

RosemaryDW

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The little clip I posted is not a vedio. It is a gif file made by Google photo automatically. :) I thought it was cute and tried to post it, and it worked!

Then I shall try to insert my own gifs ASAP!

There are a couple of seed mixes recommended just for tortoises like ours. One is the "Testudo mix" from Tortoise Supply: http://www.tortoisesupply.com/TestudoMix.

The other is the broadleaf seed mix from Carolina pet supply: http://www.carolinapetsupply.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=41&products_id=761.

Both of these options contain a LOT of food potential for one little Russian tortoise!

If you have a good nursery, you might buy packet of chicory or "Italian dandelion" and some radish or crimson clover seeds. (Clover will be listed as a "cover crop" if you find it.) These are plants that will sprout pretty easily and quickly. All are good choices.

If don't know how common these would be near you, but if you have a Mexican or latin market, they will sell cactus pads, labeled "nopales." One is more than enough! I also find "red" or "garnet" dandelions at Asian markets, as well as "natural"-type grocery stores.

No need to do all of these things at once! Just some ideas.
 

Farcryjj

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Then I shall try to insert my own gifs ASAP!

There are a couple of seed mixes recommended just for tortoises like ours. One is the "Testudo mix" from Tortoise Supply: http://www.tortoisesupply.com/TestudoMix.

The other is the broadleaf seed mix from Carolina pet supply: http://www.carolinapetsupply.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=41&products_id=761.

Both of these options contain a LOT of food potential for one little Russian tortoise!

If you have a good nursery, you might buy packet of chicory or "Italian dandelion" and some radish or crimson clover seeds. (Clover will be listed as a "cover crop" if you find it.) These are plants that will sprout pretty easily and quickly. All are good choices.

If don't know how common these would be near you, but if you have a Mexican or latin market, they will sell cactus pads, labeled "nopales." One is more than enough! I also find "red" or "garnet" dandelions at Asian markets, as well as "natural"-type grocery stores.

No need to do all of these things at once! Just some ideas.

Great information! Thanks again! !

I think Carolinapetsupply does not ship Canada… I need to confirm with tortoisesupply to see if they can ship seeds across border. There could be rules against it at Canadian custom. If it doesn't work, I will use your list to try to find them locally. :)
 

RosemaryDW

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Oh drats, I think you're right about the shipping. I almost forget Canada is another country!

Chia is another safe seed you'll be able to find at the nursery. I think they are a little slower to grow and need fairly good light but for $1.29 (American!), it can't hurt to try.
 

Farcryjj

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Oh drats, I think you're right about the shipping. I almost forget Canada is another country!

Chia is another safe seed you'll be able to find at the nursery. I think they are a little slower to grow and need fairly good light but for $1.29 (American!), it can't hurt to try.

LOL! I have to say US is an awesome country for shopping. You got everything, and so much cheaper!!
 
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