Greetings from Oklahoma!

[StellaRT]

My tort's name is Stella.
I adopted her from Petco close to two weeks ago because they had her separated from the other torts and price marked down drastically ($100----> $30) because she was being bullied and being this close to Christmas, I knew she would wind up as a stocking stuffer.
Anywho, I adopted the little girl, they say she is approximately 6 years old but they also said the she is a HE (I found out she is a she and indeed NOT a he in another tort forum) so I'm choosing to not trust anything they said. Plus they were feeding her strawberries and kale.
Looking back now, she was probably being "bullied" by an aggressive male trying to mate with her. I hope he didn't succeed!
Today is the first day she ate for me (Kale and Romaine, I will try Collard greens tomorrow) and I was so excited! She seems very shy but today after eating she seemed a little more trusting.
She has a vet visit on Wednesday morning so here's hoping everything checks out and they can give me a true age estimate.

 

[Jacqui]

Hi and welcome! Had you been planning on getting a Russian before you happened upon her?

 

[coreyc]

Welcome to the TFO

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi stellaRT and welcome to the Forum!

Your new tortoise is quite a bit older than what the store told you. She looks like a very old tortoise to me. Can you tell us how long she is in a straight line front to back? She's probably at least 20 years old, maybe more.

It may just be the picture angle, but her front leg looks a bit swollen to me. Something you may want to have the vet take a look at.

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome. That is a beautiful Russian tortoise. I must tell you that I hope the male WAS successful. There is a huge scarcity of captive bred russians and it would be great to see some more. We will help you if you need it. Look for her to be "antsy", pacing around the enclosure like she is looking for something, and digging holes. These are some signs that egg deposition is immanent. The eggs are fairly easy to incubate, and you'd be doing a very good deed.

 

[mainey34]

Hello and welcome

 

[StellaRT]

I said I hope the male didn't succeed because I have no idea what all would come with having a pregnant female tort, she is my first female reptile and the idea frankly scares me! I've read a little stuff on forums and it seems hard! But thank you Tom, if it so happens she lays eggs, you will be the first one I will message! She sort of scratches but I haven't seen any being antsy or looking for something other than food and warmth.
I have wanted an RT for a while but I thought it might be a little while into the future. But when I saw her condition I decided now is the time.
I thought she looked a little bit older but I'm no tortoise expert. When I look at her, her front leg doesn't look swollen so it might be the angle of the camera.
I don't have a tape measure, but just eyeballing it, she looks to be 5-6" from front of carapace to rear of carapace.
I've read some things about RT's not passing eggs and that really scares me. Say the male was successful, how can I tell if she is egg laden? And how could I help it along?

 

[luvpetz27]

Hi and welcome!

Don't be scared! I am sure someone will reply to you and give you advice if she is pregnant and how to tell. I am not familiar with the kind you have or I would be happy to help. Try not to worry and good luck to you and your new tort!