Adopted neglected tortoise - help please!

[newtortoisemum24]

Hi all,

I’ve just adopted a neglected tortoise - long story short my husband was at a bird auction and someone was trying to sell said tortoise, then he was told that his poor little guy hasn’t been fed or watered for months!!

He has no heat lamp (I’m going to get one as soon as the shops open in the morning), I’ve given him a long soak in the sink and have put some fresh leaves and strawberries in with him now.

Does anyone have any advice please on nursing him back to health?

Also have no clue whether he is a he ! Also what breed / age so any info would be helpful, TIA

 

[wellington]

That is a Russian tortoise. They should not have fruit.
Get a incandescent FLOOD bulb for basking of temps that reach 95-100.
The rest of the 4x8 minimum enclosure should range from 75-80 and nights can be all lights and heat off as long as the house temp stays in the 60's
A straight tube flourescent for uvb.
A clay saucer for water and orchid/fir bark for substrate.
Broad leafy weeds or grocery greens of escarole, arugula, endive, some kale, mustard and collard greens can be added. Spring mix too without most of the spinach.
Soak him daily for an hour each time in warm water to get him hydrated.

 

[S2G]

Thats a russian (horsfields). Looks like a sub adult. Id have to check the tail from this pic to be sure on sex. Id get it in a decent enclosure quick & let it warm up. To see how it does. Theyre incredibly tough. So some hydration & a warm up will prob get it going. If it starts wondering around try to find some safe weeds forgaging if you can. You want a 95-100F basking spot & day/night temps listed in this sheet....send a pic once he/she comes out of their shell so we can check it out.

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

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