I'm new and in need of some serious help!

Taylor_

New Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2023
Messages
9
Location (City and/or State)
Liverpool
Inexperienced and in need of help!!

Hi there, I'm a 17-year-old living at home with my mum and we have just come into possession of a tortoise. I did not advise getting a tortoise, as we have never had one, but my mother believed it would be fine and said we could rescue her anyway. She will not let us give it up, despite me saying we are most likely unfit to care for her correctly. Her previous owners are clients of my mum's, she does kids' entertainment and we asked about their tortoise when we were packing up our stuff from their home. They explained that it was their son's, who had just turned 10 that day, and that he was the only person responsible for its care. But they were planning to release it into a local park because he no longer seemed interested. We were able to ask a little more about her, they have been feeding her bags of grocery store baby-leaf salad, baby corn, carrots, and sometimes kale or fruits, apples being the main one I think. She has also never been hibernated, they had her for about 3 years. They gave her to us along with the stuff they had for her, which consisted of a small enclosure, a little bit of terrain, a bag of pure pasture meadow hay, a thing of reptile calcium powder, a heat lamp, a heat mat, and 2 dishes that barely fit into her space. I have removed both dishes as they have tall sides and after a quick google, it appears they are a flip hazard? they aren't too deep but I really don't want her falling over.

My mother took it upon herself to offer to take the tortoise, so now it is in my bedroom. They had been calling him Ralfie, but after a vet trip on Friday, we found out that he is actually a she. We then renamed her Myrtle thanks to my niece's suggestion. I did not attend the appointment as I was in school but according to my mum, the vet has said she is underweight, and her nails are overgrown as is her beak. Her beak is also wonky? not sure how but it is longer on one side than it is on the other. The vet also said she looks as though she's been squished, she said it might be a birth defect or that when she was little someone used to press down on her shell frequently. My mother could not remember if the vet said what type of tortoise she was, which wasn't helpful at all, but that she is around 13 years old.

The thing she lives in seems really small in comparison to her though, it has an open top and it was filthy. I believe what she was living in was mostly filled with sand as terrain, it was very very dry and it was not clean at all. When she first got home I just cleaned out any waste that was in the enclosure, it was pretty late so then I just let her chill and I went to bed. This morning she has been quite active, she walks around the little space and likes to peek out of the glass front. I was reading posts anonymously on here yesterday trying to find what to feed her on such short notice and so I gave her some carrot tops, Lettuce, and some zucchini we had in the fridge, all are store-bought and I washed them all before giving them to her. I also sprinkled on some of the calcium stuff her last owners gave me. She didn't seem to want to touch it and I then read a post that mentioned soaking stimulating appetite. Which seemed to work because after I let her roam about supervised in my bathtub she ate it all. I then went to pets at home, which I know probably isn't great as it is a big-name store and likely has questionable animal care advice, but I asked anyway and came home with a replacement substrate that I have pictured below. I put the whole 10L bag in.

As far as getting a new enclosure for her we are a low-income household and with the current cost of living crisis I doubt we could afford one any time soon, but we do have a woodworker in the family! I was thinking if someone gave us measurements of what an ideal size home would be for her we could make her a better living space and then I can save to buy her some hides. She currently only has one built-in shelter, so I feel like she really needs some new places to hide out. I'm currently on the lookout for a more suitable dish I can use as a water source for her, unfortunately, until I can get one she will have to have regular soaks instead.

The point is I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. I don't know what her enclosure is meant to be like, what she's meant to eat, or what type of tortoise she even is! I could really really use some help, I don't want her to be neglected because I am unaware of what I'm doing and my mother has put her foot down that she won't let us rehome her. Here are some pictures!! If anyone can tell me what species she is or kind of mentor me on what I'm doing that would be really helpful! I'm also open to like, brand suggestions of what I should be getting for her, plants, hides, terrain, anything helps really!
 

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wellington

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That is a Russian tortoise. She needs a minimum of a 4x8 foot enclosure.
She needs an incandescent flood bulb for basking that reaches 95-100 at tortoise height
A uvb florescent tube light
And a ceramic heat emitter for heat at night if needed.
Over all day temps should range from 75 to 80 and can be down into the 60's at night.
 

zolasmum

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Joined
May 19, 2015
Messages
2,001
Congratulations on saving this poor tortoise from being released in a park, where she really wouldn't survive for long - weather, dogs, plants with chemical sprayed on them, etc, etc. I think you are making a very good start, and over time, you will find so much that's interesting about her, and so much entertainment, you will wonder how you managed without her.
Best wishes from Angie (in Devon)
 

Taylor_

New Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2023
Messages
9
Location (City and/or State)
Liverpool
That is a Russian tortoise. She needs a minimum of a 4x8 foot enclosure.
She needs an incandescent flood bulb for basking that reaches 95-100 at tortoise height
A uvb florescent tube light
And a ceramic heat emitter for heat at night if needed.
Over all day temps should range from 75 to 80 and can be down into the 60's at night.
Thank you!!
 

TammyJ

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Joined
Jun 21, 2016
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7,119
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Jamaica
Welcome and thanks for caring for this little tortoise. You will get excellent help and advice here.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
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Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Inexperienced and in need of help!!

Hi there, I'm a 17-year-old living at home with my mum and we have just come into possession of a tortoise. I did not advise getting a tortoise, as we have never had one, but my mother believed it would be fine and said we could rescue her anyway. She will not let us give it up, despite me saying we are most likely unfit to care for her correctly. Her previous owners are clients of my mum's, she does kids' entertainment and we asked about their tortoise when we were packing up our stuff from their home. They explained that it was their son's, who had just turned 10 that day, and that he was the only person responsible for its care. But they were planning to release it into a local park because he no longer seemed interested. We were able to ask a little more about her, they have been feeding her bags of grocery store baby-leaf salad, baby corn, carrots, and sometimes kale or fruits, apples being the main one I think. She has also never been hibernated, they had her for about 3 years. They gave her to us along with the stuff they had for her, which consisted of a small enclosure, a little bit of terrain, a bag of pure pasture meadow hay, a thing of reptile calcium powder, a heat lamp, a heat mat, and 2 dishes that barely fit into her space. I have removed both dishes as they have tall sides and after a quick google, it appears they are a flip hazard? they aren't too deep but I really don't want her falling over.

My mother took it upon herself to offer to take the tortoise, so now it is in my bedroom. They had been calling him Ralfie, but after a vet trip on Friday, we found out that he is actually a she. We then renamed her Myrtle thanks to my niece's suggestion. I did not attend the appointment as I was in school but according to my mum, the vet has said she is underweight, and her nails are overgrown as is her beak. Her beak is also wonky? not sure how but it is longer on one side than it is on the other. The vet also said she looks as though she's been squished, she said it might be a birth defect or that when she was little someone used to press down on her shell frequently. My mother could not remember if the vet said what type of tortoise she was, which wasn't helpful at all, but that she is around 13 years old.

The thing she lives in seems really small in comparison to her though, it has an open top and it was filthy. I believe what she was living in was mostly filled with sand as terrain, it was very very dry and it was not clean at all. When she first got home I just cleaned out any waste that was in the enclosure, it was pretty late so then I just let her chill and I went to bed. This morning she has been quite active, she walks around the little space and likes to peek out of the glass front. I was reading posts anonymously on here yesterday trying to find what to feed her on such short notice and so I gave her some carrot tops, Lettuce, and some zucchini we had in the fridge, all are store-bought and I washed them all before giving them to her. I also sprinkled on some of the calcium stuff her last owners gave me. She didn't seem to want to touch it and I then read a post that mentioned soaking stimulating appetite. Which seemed to work because after I let her roam about supervised in my bathtub she ate it all. I then went to pets at home, which I know probably isn't great as it is a big-name store and likely has questionable animal care advice, but I asked anyway and came home with a replacement substrate that I have pictured below. I put the whole 10L bag in.

As far as getting a new enclosure for her we are a low-income household and with the current cost of living crisis I doubt we could afford one any time soon, but we do have a woodworker in the family! I was thinking if someone gave us measurements of what an ideal size home would be for her we could make her a better living space and then I can save to buy her some hides. She currently only has one built-in shelter, so I feel like she really needs some new places to hide out. I'm currently on the lookout for a more suitable dish I can use as a water source for her, unfortunately, until I can get one she will have to have regular soaks instead.

The point is I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. I don't know what her enclosure is meant to be like, what she's meant to eat, or what type of tortoise she even is! I could really really use some help, I don't want her to be neglected because I am unaware of what I'm doing and my mother has put her foot down that she won't let us rehome her. Here are some pictures!! If anyone can tell me what species she is or kind of mentor me on what I'm doing that would be really helpful! I'm also open to like, brand suggestions of what I should be getting for her, plants, hides, terrain, anything helps really!
Hello and welcome Taylor. You seem to be a very sensible person. I hope we can help.

Read that thread that Wellington posted for the correct care info and products, and then read this one for more info and a heating and lighting breakdown at the bottom.

Please feel free to ask loads of questions. There is a lot of contradictory advice out in the world, and almost all the tortoise care advice on the web, from vets, from pet shops etc... is wrong. We will help you.

That is a Russian tortoise. The beak is over grown, the nails are fine, and the shell compression is normal for the species. Other than the beak, it doesn't look to be in too bad of shape. Priorities are getting it on a better diet, re-hydration with daily soaks, on the right substrate, and under the right heat and UV bulbs. You can get terra cotta saucers for food and water fairly cheaply at any hardware store or garden center. A much larger enclosure is pretty important too. Tell your family wood worker that you need a 4x8 sheet of plywood with 16-18 inch tall walls, and on legs with casters.
 

Lyn W

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Messages
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Hi and welcome.
Thanks for rescuing this little tort, I can't believe how anyone thinks releasing a pet into the wild is a good idea, and expects it to survive - which s/he wouldn't have done for long.

The caresheet linked above will certainly help you put things right and it may all seem quite daunting at the moment, but this forum is a great place to get help and money saving ideas. I knew nothing about torts when my leopard tort adopted me.

Now we're in Spring and on the way to summer with the weeds returning it will be easier to find free food . www.thetortoisetable.org.uk is a good guide to IDing and finding safe foods. Salad bag mixes and shop bought foods are OK when weeds aren't available or in short supply, but they need variety and a tiny pinch of calcium powder a couple of times a week. There are also pellets you can buy which are fine occasionally.

Cheap terracotta plant saucers are great for water and food dishes. You can pick them up for less than a £1 in some places like B&M and Home Bargain stores, Wilkinsons etc.
Soaking is good but they need to have some fresh water daily in the enclosure.

As for enclosure, a carpenter in the family is just what you need, they may be able to make you a secure outdoor enclosure with a cover to make it safe from predators (rats, gulls etc) There are plenty of ideas in the Enclosures thread.
Or just a kiddies or dog paddling pool for supervised outdoor time. I don't know if you have 'What' stores in Liverpool but they do a nice size rigid dog pool for about £12. For indoors see if you can get an old bookcase from somewhere like the Freecycle website - lie on its back, remove the shelves and line with a cheap shower curtain before adding substrate. Use the shelves to cap the corners to stop your tort escaping. (Russians are brilliant climbers and burrowers so well known as escape artists)
Dark plastic tubs with doors cut in them make good hides - again can be bought cheaply or

Best sort of substrate to use is given in the caresheet, . Shop bought bags of topsoil or compost may be cheap but not recommended because you don't know of any plants toxic to torts have been used in it. Also avoid anything sandy or with white bits as both can cause impaction of the gut if eaten with food.

Lamps are probably your biggest expense and they are detailed in the caresheet but shop around for those. Just avoid the cheaper coiled or curly types which can damage tort eyes and the all-in-one MVB types can damage shells. You'll also need a reliable thermometer to make sure your tort is warm enough and not overheating. (the dial types aren't very good)

Pet shops know little about tort care but often sell unsuitable/unsafe equipment for profit so check anything here before wasting money.

If you post some pics of the enclosure and lamps you already have you'll get good feedback on how suitable they are.
 

AmandaF

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Joined
Jul 22, 2022
Messages
161
Location (City and/or State)
Congresbury
Dear Taylor,
You have come to the best site for advice. You sound very sensible & have a beautiful tortoise. Please read the advice guides & ask as many questions as you need to. You will get hours on pleasure from your tortoise. You can buy seeds & grow your own food for her which is also enjoyable.
Ernie 🐢& Amanda x
 

Taylor_

New Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2023
Messages
9
Location (City and/or State)
Liverpool
Hi and welcome.
Thanks for rescuing this little tort, I can't believe how anyone thinks releasing a pet into the wild is a good idea, and expects it to survive - which s/he wouldn't have done for long.

The caresheet linked above will certainly help you put things right and it may all seem quite daunting at the moment, but this forum is a great place to get help and money saving ideas. I knew nothing about torts when my leopard tort adopted me.

Now we're in Spring and on the way to summer with the weeds returning it will be easier to find free food . www.thetortoisetable.org.uk is a good guide to IDing and finding safe foods. Salad bag mixes and shop bought foods are OK when weeds aren't available or in short supply, but they need variety and a tiny pinch of calcium powder a couple of times a week. There are also pellets you can buy which are fine occasionally.

Cheap terracotta plant saucers are great for water and food dishes. You can pick them up for less than a £1 in some places like B&M and Home Bargain stores, Wilkinsons etc.
Soaking is good but they need to have some fresh water daily in the enclosure.

As for enclosure, a carpenter in the family is just what you need, they may be able to make you a secure outdoor enclosure with a cover to make it safe from predators (rats, gulls etc) There are plenty of ideas in the Enclosures thread.
Or just a kiddies or dog paddling pool for supervised outdoor time. I don't know if you have 'What' stores in Liverpool but they do a nice size rigid dog pool for about £12. For indoors see if you can get an old bookcase from somewhere like the Freecycle website - lie on its back, remove the shelves and line with a cheap shower curtain before adding substrate. Use the shelves to cap the corners to stop your tort escaping. (Russians are brilliant climbers and burrowers so well known as escape artists)
Dark plastic tubs with doors cut in them make good hides - again can be bought cheaply or

Best sort of substrate to use is given in the caresheet, . Shop bought bags of topsoil or compost may be cheap but not recommended because you don't know of any plants toxic to torts have been used in it. Also avoid anything sandy or with white bits as both can cause impaction of the gut if eaten with food.

Lamps are probably your biggest expense and they are detailed in the caresheet but shop around for those. Just avoid the cheaper coiled or curly types which can damage tort eyes and the all-in-one MVB types can damage shells. You'll also need a reliable thermometer to make sure your tort is warm enough and not overheating. (the dial types aren't very good)

Pet shops know little about tort care but often sell unsuitable/unsafe equipment for profit so check anything here before wasting money.

If you post some pics of the enclosure and lamps you already have you'll get good feedback on how suitable they are.
This is incredibly helpful, thank you so much!! i get paid next week and will definitely be on the lookout for plant saucers until then, do you have any recommended thermometers? also I'm not sure what her lamp is but I'll keep an eye out!
 

Taylor_

New Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2023
Messages
9
Location (City and/or State)
Liverpool
Hello and welcome Taylor. You seem to be a very sensible person. I hope we can help.

Read that thread that Wellington posted for the correct care info and products, and then read this one for more info and a heating and lighting breakdown at the bottom.

Please feel free to ask loads of questions. There is a lot of contradictory advice out in the world, and almost all the tortoise care advice on the web, from vets, from pet shops etc... is wrong. We will help you.

That is a Russian tortoise. The beak is over grown, the nails are fine, and the shell compression is normal for the species. Other than the beak, it doesn't look to be in too bad of shape. Priorities are getting it on a better diet, re-hydration with daily soaks, on the right substrate, and under the right heat and UV bulbs. You can get terra cotta saucers for food and water fairly cheaply at any hardware store or garden center. A much larger enclosure is pretty important too. Tell your family wood worker that you need a 4x8 sheet of plywood with 16-18 inch tall walls, and on legs with casters.
thank you for the advice!
I'll make a note of those measurements!! also as far as her beak goes when she was brought to the vet they said they could fix it with an operation, but suggested that it would be a lot of stress for her to deal with and so advised against it. is there anything that can be done to help with it at home? or is it just a matter of bettering her diet?
 

Yvonne G

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Welcome to the Forum! You're to be commended for trying to give your little Russian a better life! Don't worry about upgrading everything all at once. Afterall, she's been living in cramped quarters for three years, she's used to it. Make the changes gradually, as you can afford them.

You can find an old, used, three or four shelf book case pretty cheap. remove the shelves, lay it on its back, add a plastic shower curtain as a liner to protect your floor and voila! you have a nice, large enclosure for Myrtle!!

If you'll post a picture showing Myrtle's tail we can tell you for sure if she's really "Myrtle."
 

Taylor_

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Joined
Mar 26, 2023
Messages
9
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Liverpool
God let's hope she is myrtle, or we'll have to have a naming debate again. I can't seem to get a good picture and I don't really want to pick her up to take one just yet, I'm a little worried I'll freak her out lol- but I can tell you it's kind of bent to one side, if that helps at all? like it sort of curls toward her right leg
 

Taylor_

New Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2023
Messages
9
Location (City and/or State)
Liverpool
Welcome to the Forum! You're to be commended for trying to give your little Russian a better life! Don't worry about upgrading everything all at once. Afterall, she's been living in cramped quarters for three years, she's used to it. Make the changes gradually, as you can afford them.

You can find an old, used, three or four shelf book case pretty cheap. remove the shelves, lay it on its back, add a plastic shower curtain as a liner to protect your floor and voila! you have a nice, large enclosure for Myrtle!!

If you'll post a picture showing Myrtle's tail we can tell you for sure if she's really "Myrtle."
Also! i've just been looking on ebay and came across this bookshelf! do you reckon this was suffice for now? i'd have to remove the shelves but it's way bigger than her current home
 

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Tom

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thank you for the advice!
I'll make a note of those measurements!! also as far as her beak goes when she was brought to the vet they said they could fix it with an operation, but suggested that it would be a lot of stress for her to deal with and so advised against it. is there anything that can be done to help with it at home? or is it just a matter of bettering her diet?
Vets don't know tortoises very well and often do more harm than good. Sounds like you found a bad one. Beak trimming is a simple procedure much like trimming toe nails or coping a bird beak. The trick is to just do a little at a time. You can do it yourself with human toe nail trimmers or with a dremmel tool.

Don't be afraid to pick up your tortoise and handle it. They are not fragile, and you are not going to freak it out.
 

Tom

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Also! i've just been looking on ebay and came across this bookshelf! do you reckon this was suffice for now? i'd have to remove the shelves but it's way bigger than her current home
The problems with book shelves are that they are made from the wrong material that will disintegrate with the needed substrate moisture, the sides are too low, and the backs are not ever meant to hold weight, so they require significant reinforcement to keep them from sagging or coming apart. You almost need to build a table to set it on. Like most things for tortoises, I have found it easier to build what you need to make it suitable, than to buy some other product and try to retro-fit it to make it work for tortoise needs.
 

Yvonne G

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The problems with book shelves are that they are made from the wrong material that will disintegrate with the needed substrate moisture, the sides are too low, and the backs are not ever meant to hold weight, so they require significant reinforcement to keep them from sagging or coming apart. You almost need to build a table to set it on. Like most things for tortoises, I have found it easier to build what you need to make it suitable, than to buy some other product and try to retro-fit it to make it work for tortoise needs.
This is a young kid with little to no resources. A book case will do as an interim measure. The shower curtain will protect the flimsy wood for a while. It will lay on the floor, not requiring a table. In my opinion, this youngster can jury rig it to make it work temporarily.
 

Taylor_

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Joined
Mar 26, 2023
Messages
9
Location (City and/or State)
Liverpool
The problems with book shelves are that they are made from the wrong material that will disintegrate with the needed substrate moisture, the sides are too low, and the backs are not ever meant to hold weight, so they require significant reinforcement to keep them from sagging or coming apart. You almost need to build a table to set it on. Like most things for tortoises, I have found it easier to build what you need to make it suitable, than to buy some other product and try to retro-fit it to make it work for tortoise needs.
ah alright! we think it is a few inches too big to fit in our van anyway! we'll just have to make one instead, no biggie
 

zolasmum

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May 19, 2015
Messages
2,001
One thing you can do gradually is to get her used to your hand, and to being handled generally - it will make things a lot easier if you do ever have to take her to a vet - and of course it is lovely to find out how she likes being stroked and being able to feel that she enjoys it. You will soon get confident about holding her- if you offer her some food she likes (romaine lettuce seems to be very popular and has a big leaf , so you can keep your distance from her beak ) Then you can try touching her shell a bit. A lot of tortoises like being tickled on the back end of the shell, and will do a little dance.
We have had Zola for 22 years, and had to handle him quite a bit from the start - he is totally unafraid of anybody or anything now.He is a Hermanns tortoise, but they are similar to Russian ones - just not as good at climbing and escaping as Myrtle will become !!
By the way if Myrtle is a boy, how about Merlin for a name?
I hope you will keep us informed about her/his progress.
Angie
 

Taylor_

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Joined
Mar 26, 2023
Messages
9
Location (City and/or State)
Liverpool
One thing you can do gradually is to get her used to your hand, and to being handled generally - it will make things a lot easier if you do ever have to take her to a vet - and of course it is lovely to find out how she likes being stroked and being able to feel that she enjoys it. You will soon get confident about holding her- if you offer her some food she likes (romaine lettuce seems to be very popular and has a big leaf , so you can keep your distance from her beak ) Then you can try touching her shell a bit. A lot of tortoises like being tickled on the back end of the shell, and will do a little dance.
We have had Zola for 22 years, and had to handle him quite a bit from the start - he is totally unafraid of anybody or anything now.He is a Hermanns tortoise, but they are similar to Russian ones - just not as good at climbing and escaping as Myrtle will become !!
By the way if Myrtle is a boy, how about Merlin for a name?
I hope you will keep us informed about her/his progress.
Angie
I will!!
Also, she doesn't seem afraid of hands at all!! I've been feeding her today and she can't quite get some of the carrots to stay still, they just slide across the soil away from her so I've been holding them for her. She just walks right up to my hand, even if I'm not holding the food. she also let me gently pet the top of her head and just didn't seem to care whatsoever? Then again I suppose having been with a much smaller kid before me she was probably handled quite a bit!
 
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