russian tortoise

My RT has a ramp in his enclosure that has a slope of 4:1 because I looked everywhere online and it said that was good. He seemed to be able to get up fine the first few weeks I had him, but now he's struggling. He tries to walk, but the wood is too slick for him to get any footing. Is there any...

I have a russian tort. His heat lamp and UVB bulb are always breaking or coming loose. I'm afraid it will cause a fire. I've had to replace the heat bulb three times, and I've recently learned that coil UVBs can cause eye damage. Which brands (that are available in Florida) would you recommend...

Hi, All! Bit of a long post warning, but I feel that since I've had my Tortellini for a quarter of a year now, and it's Valentines day, that I should commemorate it with a little story (and lots of pictures)... The Beginning: Last year, around my birthday, I decided to research caring for a...

Whenever my RT goes to the bathroom, it is always dry and powdery looking. It's white and it will either clump together with the substrate or it will be loose and have almost no consistency. I don't know if this is normal or if I should be worried. I've had him for 4 days, and he eats a varied...

I have a RT and whenever he eats, he gets substrate on his food. I try to wipe it off as much as I can, but sometimes I can't be home to do that. I have eco earth coconut fiber, and im worried that he'll eat it while I'm gone. I don't know if that could cause impaction or not. Is it safe if he...

Why do tortoises face plant? My little guy, Bean, occasionally does this and I haven't seen much discussion on this and I worry just a bit that when he face plants, some dirt gets in his eye so and so whenever I see him about to face plant, I hold my hand out so that he (or she i dont know yet)...

Has anyone used repti heat cables? It says they can be wound around branches or used under the habitat. I bought a big reflective t5 grow light which is helping, but I'm looking for more options.

The title says it all, but right now since it's the winter, we have been feeding our two Russian tortoises Kale, Collard greens, and diced carrots mixed into the mixture, with occasional vitamin and calcium supplements added about every other feeding. Is this correct? I've heard some plants have...

Hello all! I'll cut to the chase here, my mother recently impulse bought two male Russian tortoises at a local reptile expo, and we're now caring for them and giving them plenty of love, attention, and care. I'll be looking forward to seeing other people's tortoises too!

So my Russian refuses to have the ZooMed Grassland pellets. I have heard that this is a fairly common phenomenon. It makes it easier for me if I just feed him pellets a couple of days a week. How should I persuade him to have it? I moisten the pellets and mix them in with greens, but he will...

So today Rusky decided he was going to try and eat a rock. It's about half his size, but he kept smelling it and opening his jaws and trying to eat it. I sprinkle calcium on his food once in a while and he has a cuttlebone which he took a small bite from about a week ago. What is he up to?

I'm about to add a square to my rectangular RT enclosure to make an L shape. Do I need another UVB strip light for that portion as well, or can I just use a regular strip light to keep it bright?

So my Russian likes to dig... a LOT! When I first built this table, I lined it with garbage bags, but now this is the second time that his claws have shredded it up. Does anyone have some good ideas for an excavator-proof waterproof tortoise enclosure liner?

Hi. I'm a new russian tortoise owner, and I'm doing my best to learn about my new guy, Nicolai. I've done plenty of research, but after being an axolotl owner for 3 years, I know all the research in the world doesn't get you through everything. It's important to have a good network of people...

I've been filtering through the threads but haven't found quite what I'm looking for. We are building our Russian Tortoise a new enclosure and want to include live plants for him to enjoy. 1. What type of dirt would be good for both a plant and the tortoise? We usually use the Eco Earth...

This is an update from my last post: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/tortoise-might-be-sick-or-trying-to-hibernate.162804/ Rusky is now eating just fine, and has been for a couple of weeks. However, he has gone back to his lazy behavior which is honestly how he's been since I first got him. I...

I have recently started a search for a Russian tortoise. I had one die due to medical complication a few years back. It was a very nice experiencing that short time with him. I have all the proper care materials and time for the tortoise so I’m ready to come get them any time.

Hey y'all. I'm Ezra, I have an ~8-12 y o Russian Tort that I've had for roughly 6 years. Her name is TutTut. Unfortunately, she lives in a 100 gal tank until I can move to my own place and get a kiddie pool or something. This isn't the most recent photo of her but here she is!

ALSO POSTED TO CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS SECTION Hey everyone. I haven't been on here in awhile. I adopted a female russian tort. from a friend in March 2017- she was clearly being neglected, and I absolutely fell in love with her. I renamed her Ollie, and I attempted to turn a rabbit hutch into an...

Hi guys, this is my Russian named Ned. I got him from a lovely family on Craigslist who got him from petco. He's a male and he's six years old. I'm worried about his shell, he has white lines along the bottom of his shell and the black part is fading. Is that normal? He feels normal and...