Feedback requested -- 1st time Russian Tortoise owner

[Miyu]

Hello All,

I hope everyone and their buddies are doing well ! I'm a first time tortoise owner (decided on a russian tortoise) and I was wondering if I could get some feedback from experienced owners? I would greatly appreciate it! Below is my tortoise and set-up:

I got my tortoise from petsmart (sorry, no breeders near me) about 1 week ago. They told me he is captive bred (true?) and maybe ~6 months - 1 year old (?).

Questions:
1) I'm pretty sure it's a male, am I correct in assuming this?

2) The ~1 year old thing strikes me as odd; I feel like he is older? He's about maybe ~4 inches?

3) Does he look captive bred or wild caught? He appears to have a pretty smooth shell and no visible injuries/scars/etc.

4) I've been soaking him every other day in warm water (just below his chin) for ~20 min each time; is this alright?

5) I've been feeding him a variety of food, mostly (hearts of) romaine lettuce, mixed greens (Brussels sprouts, napa cabbage, kohlrabi, broccoli, carrots, kale), T-Rex tortoise dry formula, and Tortoise Entree (the national geographic one); is this alright?

6) Does his excretions look alright (urine and feces)? His feces tends to smell a bit, but every time I soak him, he does both (at least so far).

7) My enclosure is indoors, but I like to think he has enough space to enjoy moving about. He has a couple of water bowls, calcium free-choice (turtle bone), a few food dishes separated out with different food, a hide-away, will be getting a large bath/dish tomorrow/Monday, and has a flat rock at one end of the enclosure (hottest part). As for the lightling and heating, I have a bulb that only does heat (above the rock & always on) and one that does light/UVB/UVA/some heat about 1/2 way above his enclosure (this light is on a 12 hr on/off rotation). The temperature gradient goes from ~85/90 *F on one end (rock end) to ~ 70*F on the other; I have cordless thermometers at various parts of his enclosures to keep an eye on temperature. The substrate I'm using is coco coir that is ~3 inches deep. The enclosure has bars but I put screen netting in-front of it so he can't get anything stuck or get hurt. He does not appear to try to escape but likes to roam around his place. Does all of this sound alright?

8) I've been letting him wonder in my leaving room after each soaking (once he is dry) and he runs mini-marathons for a few minutes. He appears to enjoy this time and once back in his cage, does not try to escape. Should I continue to do this?

9) He has designated a corner behind his rock as his hole (he dug himself one) and appears to really like it there; is this ok?

10) He looks healthy (been eating every day, seems to enjoy exploring, and doesn't appear stressed);
I'm planning to have his feces looked at for any worms/parasites/etc.

11) Overall, how does everything look? I really want to give him the best I can and would appreciate any and all help/feedback. I really tried to do my research before buying him but I realize I still have a lot to learn, why not ask the experts !

Sorry for the long post but thank you!!!!!! Also, sorry for all of the pictures (not really, he's pretty cute in my opinion!) but I thought that visual representation may help out !

 

[wellington]

He USC much older then they told you and probably wild caught.
He needs at the minimum of a 4x8 foot enclosure. They wander far in the wild.
The diet needs improving. No cabbage, or Brussels sprouts, romaine is okay for a very small part of the diet. Broad leaf weeds and if you need to feed grocery greens then endive, ridicchio, dandelion, mustard and collard greens, spring mix with little spinach, to start, there is more.
Basking spot needs to be 95-100 and humidity around 50% or humid hide.
Wandering your house is a no no. Too much stuff that can hurt him.
Please read the caresheet in the Russian section.

 

[TechnoCheese]

Welcome to the forum! It’s a good thing you came.
1. I’m not sure, but another member will come along with an answer

2-3. Your tortoise is definitely wild caught, and 5-15 or more years old. Wild caught tortoises are the only thing petsmart sells.

4-that’s fine.

5- all of the greens in that diet should never, or almost never, be fed, and cause a variety of problems. He needs to be eating broad leaf weeds, and very few grocery store foods. I’m not sure about the pellets.

6-the poop looks extremely odd, and not normal. It could be because of the poor diet, but I’m not sure. They should be brown or a greenish color, and firm but not hard. The urates look great.

7-I hate to burst your bubble, but your enclosure is much too small. Your tortoise needs a minimum enclosure size of 8x4 feet.
Your tortoise needs total darkness at night, and no lights should be on. Your basking spot needs to be 95-100 degrees.
I can’t see a picture of your uvb bulb, but assuming it’s a coil or compact, it shouldn’t be used. They can cause eye burns, and aren’t efficient enough at producing uvb. I would get a tube fluorescent.
The rest sounds okay.

8-dont continue to do that. On the floor, it is much too cold, and so, SO many bad things can happen.

9-that’s fine.

10-good idea.

11- it appears you have done lots of research, just maybe not in the best places. Most of the info out there is terribly false and very outdated. When I first joined this forum, I basically had to throw away one and a half years of research, but now I have a happy, healthy tortoise. Believe me, you’ve come to the right place

Please give these a read and come back with questions-
Russian Tortoise Care Sheet https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Russian-Tortoise-Care-Sheet.80698/

Beginner Mistakes https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Beginner-Mistakes.45180/

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hi

 

[Gwen Loves Tortoises]

Hi! I got my Russian tortoise at petsmart too! Based on the pictures you took I’m pretty sure you have a female! My sister works at pets mart and she tells me they lie to customers on their age so they’ll buy them. She also has a female Russian tortoise and the way to tell is their tale males have very long tales and nails and they are much darker in color, they have a profound beak too. My tort is male and he doesn’t look like yours, yours looks like a female also females are larger than the males! I’ll take a pic of Sheldon’s long tale so u can see what I’m talking about tmrw.

 

[Gwen Loves Tortoises]

I read it’s not good to give tortoises too much broccoli because they already suffer from calcium deficiency due to not having natural sun light daily so what happens is when they eat too much broccoli it can have an adverse reaction and instead of absorbing the calcium through the broccoli, it can cause kidney complications over time. Also I believe the species of broccoli has something in it that can cause harm in large amount like a fungi. And my tort loves broccoli so for now I only give him one switch of broccoli once every other week. Here on the tortoise forum for Russian torts the best foods are hearty greens, ( romaine, mustard, collards & kale) spring mix is good, moderate fruits such as bananas, apples, melons ( cantaloupe, watermelon & honey dew) strawberries. I try new veggies here and there like squash or zucchini or cucumbers and carrots ( too much cabbage can be like too much broccoli)

 

[snivloc16]

I read it’s not good to give tortoises too much broccoli because they already suffer from calcium deficiency due to not having natural sun light daily so what happens is when they eat too much broccoli it can have an adverse reaction and instead of absorbing the calcium through the broccoli, it can cause kidney complications over time. Also I believe the species of broccoli has something in it that can cause harm in large amount like a fungi. And my tort loves broccoli so for now I only give him one switch of broccoli once every other week. Here on the tortoise forum for Russian torts the best foods are hearty greens, ( romaine, mustard, collards & kale) spring mix is good, moderate fruits such as bananas, apples, melons ( cantaloupe, watermelon & honey dew) strawberries. I try new veggies here and there like squash or zucchini or cucumbers and carrots ( too much cabbage can be like too much broccoli)

I don’t think Russians are supposed to have any fruit at all.

 

[Rob4923]

It’s a male and he could be anywhere from 5-20 years old

 

[TechnoCheese]

No really it’s his tale very long and he digs it into the ground a marks his territory! My sisters torts has a very short tale and she’s much larger and she’s female.

Yes, that is the main difference between males and females.

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome!

 

[Melis]

I read it’s not good to give tortoises too much broccoli because they already suffer from calcium deficiency due to not having natural sun light daily so what happens is when they eat too much broccoli it can have an adverse reaction and instead of absorbing the calcium through the broccoli, it can cause kidney complications over time. Also I believe the species of broccoli has something in it that can cause harm in large amount like a fungi. And my tort loves broccoli so for now I only give him one switch of broccoli once every other week. Here on the tortoise forum for Russian torts the best foods are hearty greens, ( romaine, mustard, collards & kale) spring mix is good, moderate fruits such as bananas, apples, melons ( cantaloupe, watermelon & honey dew) strawberries. I try new veggies here and there like squash or zucchini or cucumbers and carrots ( too much cabbage can be like too much broccoli)

Hello! Please refrain from giving info stating what the tortoise forum reccommends unless it is info from one of our care sheets. The food you listed is not the “best foods here on the tortoise forum”. Lots of new members come here for info, and it can be confusing to read conflicting information. Lots of people have different practices and opinions, so be sure to state that if you are going against the popular opinions of tort care on here so newbies can make more educated decisions. I encourage you to read through the recommended food list to improve the diet for your little guy as well.

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome.
If you follow the caresheet and the good advice given re the enclosure size and bulbs etc your tort should do well.
Have a look at the Enclosures thread too for good ideas.
www.thetortoisetable.org is also a good guide to what is safe to feed your tort or not and helps you ID plants.

 

[RosemaryDW]

Welcome!

 

[Miyu]

Hello all,

Thank you so much for all of the replies; I truly appreciate it! Since we've established he's most likely male, I've decided to name him Turbo (he's a speedy little guy, always zooming about !!!). I've switched his diet to endive and spring greens (I tried collard greens and cilantro --> he is not a fan of these). His poop has also firmed up (it's been about 2 weeks since I brought him home) and is now comfortable pooping/peeing in his cage (which I clean 1-2x daily). He also enjoys his soaks (every 1-2 days in which he usually poops, sometimes urinates too), but at times he gets really huffy/annoyed (not sure why, maybe interrupting his fun?). Anyways, he appears to have a ravenous appetite and doing well. Only thing is that I haven't seen him touch his ad-lib calcium but I'm assuming that's fine (he'll know if he needs it?).

Thanks for everything! I'll keep checking back to see if any new info pops-up !

 

[Gwen Loves Tortoises]

Hello! Please refrain from giving info stating what the tortoise forum reccommends unless it is info from one of our care sheets. The food you listed is not the “best foods here on the tortoise forum”. Lots of new members come here for info, and it can be confusing to read conflicting information. Lots of people have different practices and opinions, so be sure to state that if you are going against the popular opinions of tort care on here so newbies can make more educated decisions. I encourage you to read through the recommended food list to improve the diet for your little guy as well.

My my my everyone on here thinks they know everything about everyone else’s tortoise! Just FYI I read that very info I wrote right here on the tortoise forum, I did not just make that up all by myself. And further more the bottom line is everyone has their own opinion on how to properly care for tortoises and all of that info is very confusing because one person will say yes and then a know it all person like yourself will say no. I’ll go with my gut intuition and what’s called common sense!

 

[daniellenc]

My my my everyone on here thinks they know everything about everyone else’s tortoise! Just FYI I read that very info I wrote right here on the tortoise forum, I did not just make that up all by myself. And further more the bottom line is everyone has their own opinion on how to properly care for tortoises and all of that info is very confusing because one person will say yes and then a know it all person like yourself will say no. I’ll go with my gut intuition and what’s called common sense!

I think you completely took what @Melis wrote incorrectly. She was referring to your sentence of “here on the tortoise forum” where you stated your opinion as the opinion of the forum and not yourself. Russians need the bulk of their diet to be weeds. They should never eat fruit or carrot because they lack the ability to metabolize sugars properly. Broccoli also is not exactly great. Mustard, collards, and kale are right up there with broccoli and kale are actually both in the brassica family. This forum is definitely about sharing opinions but just remember that if your opinion is adverse to what has been proven as optimal to state it as YOUR opinion and not the forums.

 

[Melis]

My my my everyone on here thinks they know everything about everyone else’s tortoise! Just FYI I read that very info I wrote right here on the tortoise forum, I did not just make that up all by myself. And further more the bottom line is everyone has their own opinion on how to properly care for tortoises and all of that info is very confusing because one person will say yes and then a know it all person like yourself will say no. I’ll go with my gut intuition and what’s called common sense!

Please show me where “here on the tortoise forum the best foods for Russian torts are hearty greens and moderate fruits” so that we have a chance to point that person in the direction of the proper foods. I will end this by just suggesting you take a look over the caresheets again for your little one.

 

[Melis]

I think you completely took what @Melis wrote incorrectly. She was referring to your sentence of “here on the tortoise forum” where you stated your opinion as the opinion of the forum and not yourself. Russians need the bulk of their diet to be weeds. They should never eat fruit or carrot because they lack the ability to metabolize sugars properly. Broccoli also is not exactly great. Mustard, collards, and kale are right up there with broccoli and kale are actually both in the brassica family. This forum is definitely about sharing opinions but just remember that if your opinion is adverse to what has been proven as optimal to state it as YOUR opinion and not the forums.

Thank you for helping explain. I can’t win here lately. Lol.

 

[Gwen Loves Tortoises]

Please show me where “here on the tortoise forum the best foods for Russian torts are hearty greens and moderate fruits” so that we have a chance to point that person in the direction of the proper foods. I will end this by just suggesting you take a look over the caresheets again for your little one.

Oh gosh I was surfing through tons of peoples convos and pages when I came across that info and as soon as I read it I paniced because my tort loves to eat broccoli so then I researched it online and I found that same similar info. So then I felt as if the info I read here on the tortoise forum was correct. I’ll try and find that convo again and thank you!

 

[Gwen Loves Tortoises]

Ok than

I think you completely took what @Melis wrote incorrectly. She was referring to your sentence of “here on the tortoise forum” where you stated your opinion as the opinion of the forum and not yourself. Russians need the bulk of their diet to be weeds. They should never eat fruit or carrot because they lack the ability to metabolize sugars properly. Broccoli also is not exactly great. Mustard, collards, and kale are right up there with broccoli and kale are actually both in the brassica family. This forum is definitely about sharing opinions but just remember that if your opinion is adverse to what has been proven as optimal to state it as YOUR opinion and not the forums.

ok thank you for your opinion