Kale is really good! My tort loves them!
But on lettuces, Spring Mix has bits of them, right? Is it alright if I've been feeding mine that for about a week now?
His tank stays 80-85F throughout thr day, but I'm not sure how how his heat lamp is. So it would be better if I don't use a night lamp unless it falls, like, below 60F?
Unfortunately, I don't have much of a choice for his food, so I get him stuff from the grocery store. I've been feeding him...
This is his current tank in my room. It's 20 gallons, but I know I'll have to get him a bigger one when I can. I plan on making him an outdoor place, too.
And here's Claude!
I've actaully been worrying about him a lot lately because he doesn't seem to want to eat anymore! This happened in...
Ah yes, I got him some collards today, but he didn't look interested yet. Maybe when he feels more bungry he'll give them a try. Maybe I should just leave him alone...?
I unfortunately don't have any dandelions growing around my house, and I've read that I shouldn't give him ones from gardening stores because of chemicals. It may be the lack of UV because it has been pretty overcast and more humid than usual for the past few days. Could that affect his behavior...
It's been about 2 days since Claude last ate normally. I feed him when I wake up in the morning and he just goes for his food until it's all gone, but recently he hasn't been going for his food at all. I can hand feed him a few leaves of kale until he becomes disinterested. He even waits by his...
I use loose coconut substrate. One of my friends did tell me that that stuff would get into her tort's eyes, too, so she changed it. Could that just be the problem and nothing too serious? Should I change substrates?
Yes, I've had him for a week and a half. It does sound like he's kind of hissing, but it happens when I'm walking away or not looking. I'll try to leave him alone for a bit so I don't stress him out, perhaps?
My Russian tort has been sneezing, I think. It isn't often, but a few times I've heard him make that kind of sound. Well, it's more like him blowing air out of his nose and then his head goes into his shell, but I haven't seen any bubbles. I'm not sure if this is just a thing or if he has a...
For the past three days, I've been giving him kale. Should I mix other vegetables with it, too, or wait until he finishes the bundle and then switch to a new one?
The temperature has been 85F during the day and then around 80F at night. I live in California, so the temperature is normal for...
Thanks guys! I got a new spray bottle and just replaced all of the substrate this morning. His eyes were getting a little puffy, I thougt, but after a warm soak he looks fine now. Maybe it wasn't anything super serious? He was sleeping a lot yesterday and today, but it seems like he's more...
Luckily I only sprayed the substrate, so I suppose I'll just replace it all with the substrate I have left. Hopefully I can get some more soon.
Thanks for the advice!!
I mist my Russian tort's substrate with water from an old Kaboom cleaner bottle because it's the only spray bottle I had at the time. I washed it many times before using it, but recently I noticed the water smelled weird. I fear that by me spraying his enclosure from this potentially-harmful...
Thanks so much for the info and that link! It's very helpful! He doesn't have the carnations often; only when he happens to wander into that side of my backyard, but I'm glad they're okay for him to eat.
And about the diet, so it's okay to feed him only one kind of vegetable for a few days and...
Hi, my Russian tort is 5 months old, so should I soak him daily or just a couple times a week? I'm just not sure if he drinks or anything, plus his tank doesn't stay humid for very long, so I know soaking will help hydrate him instead. Is it even possible to 'over soak' them?
My Russian tort roams around my backyard and I have a few carnation plants lining the fence. He actually ate a few, like the bulb andnthe petals, and I was wondering if it's safe for him to eat it. Like, could I just give it to him as a treat or mix it in with his other food?
On that note, I...
Thanks for the welcome! I feel like this community is great and I'm glad I decided to come here for some help. Well, it isn't the best story, but my mom just recently got attached to turtles because one of her friends owns some. She liked them so much that she suggested we get our own and her...
Hi everyone! My name is Melanie and I live in California. I'm the new mom of a 5-month-old Russian Tortoise named Claude and I've been learning so much from this site. I have to say that I'm very, very, very new at this since I've only had rodents as pets before bumping up to a reptile. I would...