Hi everyone! My name is Zach and I am the proud new owner of Boris, my Russian tortoise. I got him yesterday and got him all situated with his new enclosure and a nice soak. I had wanted a tortoise for a long time so i was very excited to get started. I do have a few questions that I would like advice on however. I am a little concerned with his behavior and carapace. I know it has only been a day bit i like to ensure that my animals are happy and healthy. He still is a little shy but I am assuming that will get better with time? He also likes to lay under his heat lamp a lot (but my ideas of his daily routine may be skewed because I have only seen him at the beginning and end of his day since I had class, so he may just be tired). is this type of behavior normal? Should I not bother him so much at first so he has time to acclimate or should i try to interact with him so he gets used to me? Okay, next thing, his carapace. I am not sure if this looks like a normal shell or if it is a little concave and flaky. I am taking him to the vet on Friday so then I will get his full health assessment but i just wanted to see what you all thought. Okay thanks and sorry for the very wordy introduction (those questions probably should have went in another thread).
