Thank you for the add!

i am the new owner of a Russian tortoise. I work at a animal shelter and he came in as a stray. The shelter wasn’t able to house him the proper way so I did a lot of research and adopted him. I look forward to learning a lot from this forum.

Welcome!!! Check out our Russian section so you can help Sheldon be his happiest.

Welcome to the forum! I have rescue Russians too. Here is some good info for getting started:

https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

Beware of lots of conflicting and wrong information out there on the web. All the info on this forum can be trusted so when in doubt check here.
If you want help getting his enclosure right you can post photos of it and we can help.
Have any photos of Sheldon?

I will take some pictures so I can upload them. I have read both the care sheets and I have already learned some new things, thank you!

Welcome

Sheldon’s mom said:

I will take some pictures so I can upload them. I have read both the care sheets and I have already learned some new things, thank you!

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Here are some pictures, let me know if you have some suggestions. Thank you!

The first thing that I noticed and many will also suggest is a larger enclosure. An adult Russian needs a minimum of 8x4 enclosure. Also, start learning about the weeds in your area. If your yard is untreated, you can get weeds for him to eat. It will be much better for him. I think there is a list of great food in the links provided earlier.
Also, what lights are you using? Do you have UV?

Sheldon looks like a grumpy old man. My Russian does too. I can’t see his beak too well, but it looks like it could use a trim. An experienced vet can do that. You can keep it trimmed by feeding him on a rough stone, like slate.

I’m so excited for you. Being a tortoise owner is so rewarding. Congrats!

Hi, thank you for the advice. We will be moving to Utah in a couple of months and I want to build him an outdoor enclosure that I can plant some weeds in his enclosure. I have a UV and a heat lamp. Maybe I can feed him on the rock until I can get a piece of slate? Thanks again!

Sheldon’s mom said:

Hi, thank you for the advice. We will be moving to Utah in a couple of months and I want to build him an outdoor enclosure that I can plant some weeds in his enclosure. I have a UV and a heat lamp. Maybe I can feed him on the rock until I can get a piece of slate? Thanks again!

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The lamps need to be pointed straight down. Check the temps underneath the heat lamp to make sure it is the right temp and adjust if necessary. He needs 95-100° for his basking spot. Use a digital temp gun to check temps. At night, as long is it doesn’t dip below 65, you won’t need a heat lamp. Just keep it bright 12-14 hours a day to keep him from wanting to brumate.

I will adjust the lamps and check the temp. Thank you

Hi, and welcome!

Hello and welcome. Thank you for the rescue.