Hello! Introduction/asking for advice

jharrris

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Hello! I recently discovered this forum and it seems very cool :)

I've had a Russian box tortoise for about 4 years now and I love her a lot. But I'm am amateur and now that I've discovered this forum I'd like to know if she looks healthy and if her enclosure/lighting looks good. I have two videos showing the enclosure and showing her but it won't let me send them here. My email is [email protected] if anyone could have me email them to them, thank you!

Also, the enclosure is the ZooMed tortoise house and it's 3 feet by 2 feet. I also let her walk around the apartment a lot (supervised), hang out and crawl in the blankets on my bed, and walk around outside every once in a while
 

Ray--Opo

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Welcome, if you transfer the videos to YouTube then look for your library on YouTube. The video will be there and you can copy link. Then paste on your thread here.
 

Lyn W

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Hi and welcome.
It is indeed a very cool forum and you'll not find any better or more up to date information anywhere else.
Start checking that your tort has everything he needs by reading this
and this (which is probably part of the above anyway)

If you've been following pet shop advice you'll probably find you have a few changes to make - they know very little about tort care and often sell unsafe and unsuitable equipment for profit only. There is also a lot of old information still being passed around on places like FB or other websites so read then ask as many questions you like there's always someone here to help.

I think at 4 years of age your tort probably needs a bigger enclosure now (smaller species need a min. of 4 x 8 feet) but post pics etc and you'll get good feedback to help you.
 

Tom

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Hello! I recently discovered this forum and it seems very cool :)

I've had a Russian box tortoise for about 4 years now and I love her a lot. But I'm am amateur and now that I've discovered this forum I'd like to know if she looks healthy and if her enclosure/lighting looks good. I have two videos showing the enclosure and showing her but it won't let me send them here. My email is [email protected] if anyone could have me email them to them, thank you!

Also, the enclosure is the ZooMed tortoise house and it's 3 feet by 2 feet. I also let her walk around the apartment a lot (supervised), hang out and crawl in the blankets on my bed, and walk around outside every once in a while
Hello and welcome. I agree with everything Lyn said. Please read those threads.
 

jharrris

Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2023
Messages
84
Location (City and/or State)
Greenville
Hello! I recently discovered this forum and it seems very cool :)

I've had a Russian box tortoise for about 4 years now and I love her a lot. But I'm am amateur and now that I've discovered this forum I'd like to know if she looks healthy and if her enclosure/lighting looks good. I have two videos showing the enclosure and showing her but it won't let me send them here. My email is [email protected] if anyone could have me email them to them, thank you!

Also, the enclosure is the ZooMed tortoise house and it's 3 feet by 2 feet. I also let her walk around the apartment a lot (supervised), hang out and crawl in the blankets on my bed, and walk around outside every once in a while
Thank you guys for the advice! I read up on that thread and I'll see if sending the videos as a google drive link will work.


 

jharrris

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Joined
Jan 27, 2023
Messages
84
Location (City and/or State)
Greenville
Hi and welcome.
It is indeed a very cool forum and you'll not find any better or more up to date information anywhere else.
Start checking that your tort has everything he needs by reading this
and this (which is probably part of the above anyway)

If you've been following pet shop advice you'll probably find you have a few changes to make - they know very little about tort care and often sell unsafe and unsuitable equipment for profit only. There is also a lot of old information still being passed around on places like FB or other websites so read then ask as many questions you like there's always someone here to help.

I think at 4 years of age your tort probably needs a bigger enclosure now (smaller species need a min. of 4 x 8 feet) but post pics etc and you'll get good feedback to help you.
Thank you very much for the advice, I read the threads and will work on changes I can make (I'm a teenager and I live with my dad who is the only source of income. He bought Shelly at a reptile show and ordered the current enclosure, but he hasn't done much research himself)

Please see the reply I made with the google drive links :)
 

methos75

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Where did the name Russian Box Tortoise or Turtle come from? I have seen this term incorrectly thrown around decades now, even seen petsmart improperly label Russian tortoise as such. How did this get started?
 

jharrris

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Where did the name Russian Box Tortoise or Turtle come from? I have seen this term incorrectly thrown around decades now, even seen petsmart improperly label Russian tortoise as such. How did this get started?
Oh I'm not sure, I guess she's just a Russian tortoise then
 

TammyJ

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Saw the videos . Your Shelly is very cute! Follow the care sheets to make the necessary changes to keep her healthy and comfortable.
 

TammyJ

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I am not an expert, but I noticed that her beak could do with a trim.
 
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