russian tortiose

Small white rings on all of my tortoises.. And they are all over the shell!!

Hi all! I'm still new to the forum, but I have posted a few threads and have received very helpful responses! So I'm hoping I can get more advice on another concern I have. I got my baby RT about a month ago, and from the beginning, he has been sleeping a lot. I know that babies sleep a ton...

Sorry in advance for the length! I've had my baby Russian tortoise for about a month (he's about 6 months old), and for the past few days he's been passing fairly gritty urates. And today, he seemed to strain for a few minutes before passing a pretty large chunk of gritty ones. Afterwards...

You guys fight.. meanwhile I devour the lettuce..

I am currently using the ZooMed 10.0 T8 18" tube light for my baby Russian tortoise's enclosure. It is about 15" away from him, which is as close as I can get due to the size of the tank. Is that an ok distance or too far? Would a reflector help if it's too far? Thanks!

Ive had my russian for a little over three years, Ive been under the impression that most types of leafy greens are the way to go but recently he's had some problems that are probably linked to too much calcium/his diet. The vet suggested i move to a spring mix but other sources say to avoid...

The Doctor was here!!

Hi all, I'm new to the tortoise scene but I'm loving being a tortoise mummy. When I bought Rupert, I was told he was born in the back end of 2016 early 2017 which would make him at least a year old. He sleeps ALOT and he really doesn't eat all that much, maybe a few bits of leaves. Also when...

So I am planning on making Tino her first outdoor enclosure this Summer and was looking for some advice/tips. She's a ten year old Russian tortoise and has had to live inside up until now because of my inability to stay in one place long enough to build a suitable outdoor enclosure! I now have...

Hello, I'm a long time lurker, first time posting. We brought our little Russian Tortoise home on Thursday night. The first thing he did was head straight to the basking rock and warm up. Then he headed to the back corner on the hot side and buried himself in the substrate. where he stayed...

I've heard that Russian torts can climb gates, edges, etc.? (I'm new to turtle owning) Is climbing a natural thing? or are they just adventurous? is it a sign that they need a bigger enclosure? ( it doesn't have to be just Russians, just any turtle/tortoise in general :) )

Hi what's the minimum age I should hibernate my tortoise? If so, how long for and when in the year? Is it necessary to hibernate my Tortoise. I'm not planning for her to have babies.

So, I accidentally spilled some water in Lucky's bedding, when I saw a huge swarm of ants come running out of the wet substrate. The nest is right where he eats, and I don't want the ants stealing his food or scaring him (he doesn't want to come out of his burrow.) My mom started setting out...

Hello. Cocoa, my male young adult RT got sick this week after coming out of hibernation, he stayed Oct17-Mar18. I was afraid he was gonna be weak after a long hibernation so I set myself to find him for 2 days (as he moved from where I knew he was) and actually he found me! I was very happy to...

Hi I have a large enclosure for my 2 year old, built it with wood, has open top, and many interactive things to do. The vet said "to get the shell smooth, around edges so they're not sharp, and to get rid of the dry skin around her neck, she needs to dig deeper with children sand mixed with top...

I have never had a tortoise before and am really appreciating the depth of experience on this forum, including and especially the Beginner's Mistakes. I am debating whether to go for a Russian or a Hermann's tortoise at a fair this weekend. I live in Minnesota, so the tortoise will need to be...

I recently got a tortoise about 6 months ago from someone who couldnt take care of them anymore. He came with a female they were housed together, and i could only buy them if i got both. They were kept in a clothes drawer with rabbit bedding and no light, so Leonardo, my Russian Tortoise, got...

I got a RT 2 days ago and I'm using an 8" terracotta saucer for water for him to soak in and drink from. I notice that after several hours, the water gets absorbed by the saucer and leaks through to the coconut fiber underneath. I know RTs need dry substrate so I'm wondering if there is any way...

How many years does it take for a wild caught Russian female at 5" take to reach breeding size or 6"? And how long would it take for a baby captive bred one take to reach adult size also?

I am planing on making it 2x5 feet and the walls are 12 inch high. got all the lumber plans should cost about 140$ with substrate and nails and tarp for lining and wire mesh and staples and 2 clamps and some brackets. It will be for my russian haven't asked parents yet but i got the money. Tell...