What have you been feeding your Russian. They should have vegetables only and no fruit. When was the last time you soaked him? Also has there been any change in eating, sleeping or moving around.
he’s not really active I kinda have to wake him up to get him to get up unless I’m giving him a bath or he’s outside he’ll be awake for a while. And not a strong appetite he’s earn in front of me only a handful of times and I got him about 3 or 4 months agoHow is he otherwise? Appetite, activity level? I want to say just ignore it, as I don't see anything wrong, but I really don't know.
He looks a bit sleepy, when did he come out of hibernation?Help my turtle is turning red and I have no money to take him To the vet, is he gonna die? What should I do to help him
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He’s always above 80 sometimes it gets up to 90 and at night it’s around 60, one of the lights is for night time, it’s purple but it’s the one that gives off heat the other one is for vitamins or something like thatI'll bet he's not warm enough. Please post pictures of the enclosure where he lives, with him in it in the pictures. What kind/brand of lights/heat do you have for him?
He’s always above 80 sometimes it gets up to 90 and at night it’s around 60, one of the lights is for night time, it’s purple but it’s the one that gives off heat So I keep it on all day the other one is for vitamins or something like that
I don’t think he has yet he doesn’t get up a lot I’m gonna try to not touch him I fear I was handling him to much and I’ll see if he wakes up on his own in the next few daysHe looks a bit sleepy, when did he come out of hibernation?
he’s always around 80 degrees sometimes 90 and at night around 60, he’s in a a pretty big bin, I posted a picture of it before replying to someone else if you can find it. I have a little dog that got him, I had them outside for a while to get him some sunlight and yeah definitely not doing that again when I take him outside the dog will be away. I think his temperatures are alright I use a night heat lamp for reptiles I got at pet smart and the woman said I could leave it on all the time along with some kind of UV that gives him vitamins that I leave on all day, I have been turning the lights off at night though. I’m concerned because he’s not getting up, I’ve barley met his personality, I took him to the vet once and it was nearly 300$ to get him antibiotics that the vet said might help Because all he was doing was sleeping and not wanting to eat and I just dont think I can afford to do that again, he has since eaten quite a few times but I feel like it should be more. thank you for your concern though, do you know of anything I can do besides take him in? I’ve also been checking the pink about everyday to see if it’s gotten worse and it doesn’t appear to be growingHow are you heating, lighting and housing him? What size enclosure? What substrate? What are your four temperatures? Warm side, cool side, basking area and overnight low? UV? What type of bulb?
Tortoises are all about their environment and temperatures. If your dog stepped on him, that tells me you've got him out loose somewhere. This is a big mistake, and he's already been injured because of it. They need to be kept in their enclosures with the correct temperatures. Its too cold down on the floor.
Something to keep in mind for the future is that vet bills are part of pet ownership. If you can't afford vet bills, then you can't afford to have a pet.
Hopefully we can help you figure out what is going on before its too late.
Pet stores sell you the wrong products and tend to give bad advice.he’s always around 80 degrees sometimes 90 and at night around 60, he’s in a a pretty big bin, I posted a picture of it before replying to someone else if you can find it. I have a little dog that got him, I had them outside for a while to get him some sunlight and yeah definitely not doing that again when I take him outside the dog will be away. I think his temperatures are alright I use a night heat lamp for reptiles I got at pet smart and the woman said I could leave it on all the time along with some kind of UV that gives him vitamins that I leave on all day, I have been turning the lights off at night though. I’m concerned because he’s not getting up, I’ve barley met his personality, I took him to the vet once and it was nearly 300$ to get him antibiotics that the vet said might help Because all he was doing was sleeping and not wanting to eat and I just dont think I can afford to do that again, he has since eaten quite a few times but I feel like it should be more. thank you for your concern though, do you know of anything I can do besides take him in? I’ve also been checking the pink about everyday to see if it’s gotten worse and it doesn’t appear to be growing
yeah I’m gonna try to get him a different thermometer and something to check the humidity and try more often soaks for longer, thank you, I did take him to the vet once and he was givin 2 weeks of antibiotics that didn’t really do anythingThe first winter I had my Russian tortoise he decided to go on some type of a hunger strike right at the very end of winter. I tried everything, even leaving him romaine since that’s one of the leafy greens that aren’t a tomato he’ll go nuts for (romaine isn’t good for a diet but when he wouldnt eat anything else it’s something). I couldnt figure it out and did take him to the vet after a week. They gave him a shot of fluids and the vet told me proper husbandry (which I already had from here and his temperatures were good), after the fluids he perked up, but I did do daily soaks for over a week. also it had turned out I had his temperatures lower than I thought as the dial thermometers aren’t exactly accurate.
I’m gonna try to get him something bigger soon and go to the store tomorrow to check out how I can check his humidity and try to get a better thermometer, I’m soaking him now, it’s almost been 40 minutes and he seems to be perking up a bit, but not opening his eyes to much, he is oddly spinning is circles a lot rather then just walking around. I’m not sure of the exact name of the night time bulb I use for him for heat but the other is “10.0 UVB reptisun” and it says it’s 13 watt mini compact fluorescent for small desert terrariums, this light didn’t give off heat so I got mad at that pet store Who said this is all he would need and had to go get the night one that gives off heatPet stores sell you the wrong products and tend to give bad advice.
Bins are too small for an adult Russian. He needs an indoor enclosure of around 4x8 feet, and a larger enclosure outside for fair weather.
When sunning him outside, he needs to be in an escape proof enclosure. Loose in the yard is a recipe for disaster.
No night lights. They need it dark at night, and a temperature drop into the 60s is helpful for this species at night.
Are you soaking him? Try soaking for 30-40 minutes in warm water every other day for a couple of weeks. Sometimes this will wake them up and get things moving in the intestinal tract. Keep the water warm, not hot, through the entire soak and don't worry about it if he's trying to climb out. Let the water be as deep as the lower one third of his shell.
Which type of UV bulb? Is it the compact type that screws into a dome fixture? Those often burn their eyes and shouldn't be used.
Unfortunately, the vet may have done more harm than good. This is commonly the case. Time will tell.
Read these and follow the guidelines, and his health should improve:
Beginner Mistakes
To comment on Tom's article, go here: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-split-Beginner-Mistakes#axzz1tG8s05M5 Over the years many of us, myself included, have made many of these mistakes, and we have certainly seen them made many times by others. With springtime upon us and many new...tortoiseforum.orgRussian Tortoise Care Sheet
Russian tortoises have great personalities, are very hardy, tolerate a wide variety of enclosure parameters, stay small, and are generally a good "starter" tortoise in my opinion. Here is how I like to set them up: Indoor Enclosure type and size: Most people want to know the minimum size...tortoiseforum.org
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