Greetings

[Wulfric]

hello! I have just come to own a Russian Tortoise.

He was a petting zoo tortoise who lived in a small habitat (mostly outside) for the past 4 years

He is being a bit shy, and hides all day, and trys to dig at the ground (which isn't suited for digging, but i am working on a new habitat at the moment)

he doesn't eat alot, but has had some small poops

i tried soaking him, and also tried new lights. i gave him a small shaded area that he seems to enjoy.

the heat is around high 60's - 70 degrees

i think he may be stressed. is there anything that anyone suggests i do to help make him be a bit more healthy

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Wulfric, and welcome to the Forum!

If the tortoise has come from a petting zoo, it's going to take a long time for him to realize he's safe now and there's not going to be little fingers poking and prodding at him. Just leave him alone and let him be a tortoise.

Tortoises need to be able to get their inner core body temperature up to at LEAST 80F degrees in order to digest their food. Think about it: YOUR inner core temp is 98.6F. So 80F isn't all that hot. Of course warmer, is even better. Fix it so that directly under the light is about 100F then it fades to about 80F on one end, and down to room temp on the other end. Russian tortoises can withstand cooler temperatures than other species, so you probably won't need night time heat.

Try to have your new habitat be a big as you possibly can. Even outside if possible. Russian tortoises are used to doing quite a bit of wandering and they get stressed if they're stuck in a small habitat.

One thing on the heat you've mentioned. If the 60's and 70's are outdoor temperatures, that's ok. A tortoise can sit in the sun and raise his temperature up to where it needs to be.

 

[tortadise]

Welcome

 

[pam]

Welcome Russians are awesome

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome to TFO!

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello and welcome to the TFO from AZ. I would call the zoo and ask what and when they feed the tort ? And if everything is ok I would feed twice aday and maybe he will learn faster that your the food god . But have a great tort day !


Sent from my iPhone using TortForum

 

[Wulfric]

thank you so much for all the advice! he is really starting to warm up and actually eat now.

they fed the Tort fruit alot, and veggies. i understand fruit should not be a staple so i am cutting back on that.
he is slowly opening up, but im sure it will be better once i have his habitat ready!

 

[mojo]

Hello and welcome. Sounds like he is going to have great life now, probably just settling in. Horsefields are lovely tortoises.

 

[Tyanna]

Welcome! He just needs time to adjust. I'm sure he will loosen up soon! Like said before, make sure one side has a temp of 95 degrees +, he needs to be able to get warm!

 

[smarch]

They put tortoises in petting zoos!? that's got to be just awful for the poor little guys so many hands coming at them especially a Russian being so small! So its a good thing he has you now!
He'll start opening up quite fast once he starts, and then all the weird antics start My franklin's a Russian, and its never a boring day with him around!

 

[Wulfric]

Here is a pic of my little guy in his habitat