Recent content by Raluca_Schachter

THis is fascinating! They behave much like humans! :)) Thank you all for the suggestions, this sure helps! I did offer a whole variety of greens, lettuces, (and yes, I noticed she doesn't like herbs after all, although she ate oregano once...) the flowers I could find around, hibiscus and grape...

Hello all! I've had my Russian tortoise for more than a week now and she does pretty well in her new home. She's very active, likes to explore and look into everything, roams free on my patio. I give her a variety of lettuce, greens, herbs, plants, flowers; we are both experimenting. So far so...

Thank you all for the offers and suggestions! I'm sorry it's a little too late to have another one, since I got Shelly - a Russian tortoise 4 days ago and the whole family fell in love with her. If I ever decide to have another one I know where to look :)

Awesome!! I knew there was a totally "new world" out there, besides from broccoli, kale, root veggies and fruits! Thanks for your input and suggestions! And I didn't know they eat seeds too? wow! Can't wait to experiment!

As a Nutritionist, I just couldn't blindly go with the pet store's dietary recommendations, especially because after some researching I've just found out that many items are actually not good for them. Like with humans, if they eat it, doesn't really mean it's also good for them. In order to...

Cool idea! I actually tried my very first soak today...:rolleyes: But she stayed in there only for 2-3 minutes and then wanted out...Are Russians ok with soaking every day? I just put her in the shallow water..do I have to make her shell wet too?

Laurie and Jacqui - thanks for your reply, it sure helps knowing what other people would do in this situation, considering I'm a newbie when it comes to tortoise pets. I'm a natural health practitioner and this helps me figure out the most obvious routes pathogens could harm us. Although I...

Hello everybody! I have a Russian (just got her 2 days ago). She's happy and very curious and exploring the patio she stays on. During night she sleeps in her tank, on coconut fiber. Since my family and I are also sharing teh patio, I was wondering which would be the safest and easiest way to...

Thanks. We are cautious about that but I'm not going to go overboard. Although, the main idea here is not to have direct contact to mouth from the tortoise and its feces. By the way, since it's roaming free on my patio, she also leaves droppings all over which I clean right away. I wonder what...

Ok, everything is fine now! She finally got out and ate, is super active and curious, she's exploring everything! There is one thing that drives me nuts though: I think I made my daughter (7) wash her hands a hundred times by now, it's getting really stressful on everybody! I was told by...

Hello everyone! I've just got an adorable Russian from Petco, female, captive bred, about 5 inches long. I've seen her a couple of times before buying and she was always very active, eating and she'd always come to the glass to watch me when I talked to her! The moment I brought her home, all...

Hi everybody! I've just got an adorable Russian tortoise, female and captive bred (at least that I was told..) Her name is Shelly :shy: She's about 5 inches long now. Although she's been very curious and active at the store we bought it from, the moment I brought her home all she wanted to do is...

Thank you all for your input, it will definitely help in finding my little tort soon! :)

Looking to adopt a smaller tortoise in So.CA I'm looking to adopt a smaller sized tortoise (maybe Russian or Greek?..) preferably captive bred. I live in Southern CA. If I don't find something suitable here in about a week then I'd have to go to a pet store and buy it although I don't like this...

Hello everybody! I am looking for the best choice here and have read conflicting information. I'd like a Russian or Greek preferably adopted. I am not sure about the ethical aspect: is it really wrong to have a tortoise for a pet considering many of them are endangered or taken from their...