Bumping this up, hoping for help on the three questions posted previously:
1. What substrate do I use for a large outdoor Russian enclosure? Is topsoil good enough?
2. This is our first winter - what do we consider when deciding to hibernate or not? Right now, leaning more towards not...
So this is what we have been building him. We let him roam around in there a lot even though its not done yet (still under a watchful eye). I saw a lot of good information in the guide about indoor enclosures and substrate - but would you put outside? I've read stuff like mixing top soil and...
Tom, I've read your guide at least 3 times in the past. This is the single best piece of information I've ever found.
I didn't realize that box would get too hot. I was thinking, with the bottom, I could bring it inside during the winter. Really I think I need to read about the best way to...
So I live in a Rocky neighborhood in the suburbs of San Antonio. Our weather is fairly conducive to outside Russian habitats, so I've heard. I've been planning to build our Russian an outdoor enclosure, as we have a decent amount of land. The problem is that, due to the rocky foundation under...
I did not confirm the sex. And he was about 10" or slightly more, which seems very large for a Texas Tortoise. So I'm not going to lie, after I typed all that up last night and was ready for bed, I was feeling so guilty that I got redressed and drove out to the site at midnight just to see if...
So final update, unless anyone asks any questions. I'm pretty sick to my stomach, as I think I made the wrong decision. I did get to talk to two more people from the list the parks and wildlife people sent me to. The first looked at a map with me around where we found it. She said it could...
Update, in case anyone was curious: Parks and wildlife gave me a list of people to contact for rehabilitators, and a game warden to investigate. Had to leave a message with each person including the game warden, except one of the rehabilitators did answer. He said to leave the tortoise in a...
Sorry to flood the forums on this thread. I found "AustinASU" had posted this in another thread when someone asked why a captive tortoise couldn't be leased back where he was found (thanks AustinASU).
--Not a stupid question at all, the main reason is if he contracted some form of respiratory...
I just want to do the right thing. So if holding him until the morning calling Parks and Wildlife isn't the right answer, please tell me what is. There is a green belt with power lines that goes down the middle of our neighborhood, that would be the safest place within 1 city block from where...
Thank you both. We had no intention of keeping him, just to house him until his owners picked him up. It looks like I should release him where I found him; but since its the middle of a neighborhood, I'm going to call TPWD in the morning to see what I should do (they may take him to a rehab...
I found him walking down a busy street without any fields or wild area in northern san antonio. He doesn't seem like a big city wild animal. Are you sure it is indigenous?
Edit: I looked it up and he DOES look like a Texas Tortoise! but how could he have gotten so large in the middle of the...
Ok, here is the situation. Out walking with my family this evening and we found a tortoise walking down the street. Obviously this guy isn't native to Texas. He looks just like our Russian, only he is at least twice as big. Obviously, we can't put him in with our smaller Russian. I'm making...
yeah mostly grocery store greens. My wife does the feeding, so I'll have to get specifics from her. But we also have a small garden and he occasionally gets some things out of there. When he wanders around the yard there is a specific vine he likes to go find and he'll eat some of that too...
I really appreciate the fast response. In the case he does stop eating and get lethargic, is there something to be done or is that an instant trip to the vet?
While my Russian was out roaming the yard, he sometimes like to pick at the vines and plants on the ground. Today he decided he wanted to try something new I guess, because I wasn't fast enough to stop him from eating a small rock, that I think was a broken off piece of concrete. It was...
I'm struggling a little with the correct UV replacement. Can someone help me identify a correct one? I'm going to transition him outside - but I need to build his outdoor enclosure over the next week or two and then I read the post about gradually transitioning him.
I found these on Amazon...
thanks a lot. Out of the way of people? Do they not like people hanging around them? I had a red ear as a kid and it loved people. Two different animals, I know
Thank you both for the help. I do think I'll have to get to work this weekend building him an outdoor enclosure, as 4' x 8' seems a little big for the inside of the house. Maybe I can move him to a 4' x 8' in the corner of the kid's game room. As for the dried out pond with the mulch, its way...