russian tortiose

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...

Hello, and thanks for the invite. I'm a new tortoise owner and have never had one before so may need some advice from all of you. Recently was given 2 Russian tortoise, 1 male 1 female and 3 Redfoot tortoise , 1 male 2 female. I am currently in the process of building outdoor enclosures for...

Hi, I am a 16 year old boy who lives in Madera California (which is in the central valley) and I have 3 tortoises. I have 2 baby sulcatas that are each about 7 months and a Russian tortoise that I adopted about 2 and 1/2 years ago. Me and my dad are going to start working on a large tortoise...

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...

Hello! I'm Jacob and, with my better half, I am the proud parent of two rescue tortoises. We have an adult Red Foot named the Tortoise (pronounced with a French accent) and a Lil Russian named Sheldon. I'm always up to talk about people's best practices for keeping Tortoises happy year round...

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...

Hello! We are first time tortoise adopters and adopted a female Russian Tortoise this summer. We are unsure of her age but she is an adult. When we first got her this summer she had a healthy appetite and was very active. Lately she has been burying herself in her hide box with hay and hardly...

Hello, I see a lot of posts about lights but I'm still missing one piece. It sounds like I need something that gives UVB for tortoise health (Russian tortoise in this case) and something that allows for a basking spot that gets about 95-100 degrees. It is also my understanding that UVB does...