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We should re-name the RT group, the "Russian Tortoise Owners Support Group". My three have kept me guessing, that's for sure! My little female Daisy, is the wayward and adventurous girl of the bunch. She just doesn't want to listen to me! I wouldn't be surprised if she really went nuts and...

I got my three RTs at approximately the same time you did, last year. I went ahead and let them hibernate that following summer. I knew that this was not recommended but all three of them seemed to be eating voraciously for several months and it was obvious they were growing and were noticeably...

As some of you may have read, this same female vanished for three months last year. Now I know that it was practically impossible for me to have found her back then. There is something quite unique about her. She has always seemed a bit more non-domesticated than the other two. She eats more...

Final chapter in the burrowing/missing RT saga. I went out to start digging a few hours ago. To my absolute shock, my male Boris was also missing! I picked up both of the hides and yes he was nowhere to be found. It would be easy to get in my backyard and steal my torts so I figured someone...

I'm saving this thread for the spring. Great advice and ideas.

Great responses. I am going on a job interview this morning, but will dig around a bit to find her when I get back. I will keep all of you up to date.

How the hell do they breathe if they are in a completely covered up hole? Why haven't the other two done the same? Remember that last year this same female absolutely dissappeared for three months, until we got a major rain storm just before New Years Eve. If she has dug down and is still in...

When RTs burrow down into the ground, do they leave an obvious entrance? Is it easy to figure out where they dug in? I went out to my enclosure this morning to put my three back in hibernation, and only two are there. It has been so warm they wouldn't settle down when I put them down a couple...

I boxed my RTs up yesterday. I noticed that none of them pooped or peed while soaking. They were clearly ready to hibernate. I hibernate them because my enclosure is outside and I actually like that they are doing what they would naturally do in their native habitat. While they sleep I am going...

They are all in the same box. The box I used I bought at Home Depot on sale last year. It is similar to the one in the link below, but it is made of much heavier plastic and it is not see through. I bought several of them for our general storage needs, and then thought they would be great for a...

The coldest my garage gets is probably down in the low 40s, but that would be pretty unusual. I understand that this is no problem as long as they are kept dry. I checked on them a couple of times and soaked them twice, and they came through with flying colors. They were down for at least four...

I am in the Los Angeles area (San Dimas area) and it has been cold and even rainy the last few days. I seem to recall last year that my torts were hibernating by now. I hibernated them last year in my garage, in a nice sturdy plastic storage bin. I tore up bunches of newspaper into long strips...

Trentlee, I did post the finished enclosure, but not the instructions. I thought about several way to build it, and decided to use redwood, concrete, and galvanized wire. I needed mine to be very secure because we just adopted two dogs, we have coyotes in our area, and Russian Torts are escape...

That’s what I get for answering a question and trying to post it late at night! The project cost me about $20.00. If you don’t have some of the concrete tools and cement color it could add another $20.00 or so. The hide is approximately 4 feet long, 17 inches wide, and 10 inches tall at...

I responded to Jacqui's questions, but my answers did not appear in the thread. I guess I'll have to respond from the "Post a New Reply" tab from now on. Oh well, lesson learned. Jacqui, if you read this, would you please post my response to your questions here? It would save me the time of...

I posted pictures and explanations about this project in the enclosures section. It is for my three RTs, so I figured I would encourage all of the RT people to go check it out.

Here is the concrete tortoise hide I have been working on for the past couple of weeks. It is actually a mortar hide (concrete wouldn't work), just in case that causes any confusion. I took a couple of weeks to get this completed but that is because I had a bunch of other projects going on at...

You need to keep looking and look more dilligently. RTs are incredible at hiding right under your nose. One of my females vanished for three months after I searched over and over for her. She finally appeared after a really heavy rainfall that flooded the area she was hiding in. They are one of...

I bread Hissing Roaches for my classroom a couple of years ago. Very easy to breed in a ten gallon aquarium with a simple reptile heating pad underneath. You only use the medium and small roaches as feeders, and keep a population of breeding adults. I never fed an adult but I would imagine it...

RE: Article: steppe tortoise diet in the wild Great article. Amazing little creatures.