Humidity

[HermanniChris]

Yes yours is without a doubt a Russian.

 

[ascott]

What a lovely chunky chub tort...( I say that in a good way, healthy looking legs and such)....have you offered the tort a nice long warm water soak? How does he like the soaks?

 

[Elnewman622]

There is quite a lot of variation in russian tortoise appearances. From the single front on view I am pretty convinced that is a russian tortoise. Perhaps it was mislabeled at the pet store? Maybe you could show a few more pics to us to be certain. Profile, top and bottom views?

can tortoises get fat i know that's a stupid question

 

[Elnewman622]

What a lovely chunky chub tort...( I say that in a good way, healthy looking legs and such)....have you offered the tort a nice long warm water soak? How does he like the soaks?

I give him soaks about twice a week and he loves them but only likes it for a short amount of time until he goes to the bathroom for a little I thought he was fat in a bad way

 

[ascott]

If it were "me" , I would fill a jug with warm water and have it at the ready....then once the tort handle big business, you can simply pour it out and then add new clean warm water and plop him back in ---and I would let him soak for a good 20-30 minutes....making sure that the water does not get cold....and the girth of the legs and around the front arms is good....this is a species that is wired to gorge themselves for a few months out of the year in preparation for brumation...so they can easily get fat....but to have a bit of weight is good...have you decided what you will do about the tort if/when it shows the desire to slow down and brumate? I mean, if you have had the tort for less than a full year---I would wait and this will allow you the entire winter and next spring and summer to keep him bulked up and also will allow you to figure what method you will use to support brumation....that is if you decide to do that....it will also give you ample time to seriously research the process so it does not seem so scary.....which it can at first...beautiful tort.

 

[Elnewman622]

If it were "me" , I would fill a jug with warm water and have it at the ready....then once the tort handle big business, you can simply pour it out and then add new clean warm water and plop him back in ---and I would let him soak for a good 20-30 minutes....making sure that the water does not get cold....and the girth of the legs and around the front arms is good....this is a species that is wired to gorge themselves for a few months out of the year in preparation for brumation...so they can easily get fat....but to have a bit of weight is good...have you decided what you will do about the tort if/when it shows the desire to slow down and brumate? I mean, if you have had the tort for less than a full year---I would wait and this will allow you the entire winter and next spring and summer to keep him bulked up and also will allow you to figure what method you will use to support brumation....that is if you decide to do that....it will also give you ample time to seriously research the process so it does not seem so scary.....which it can at first...beautiful tort.

Thank you for reassuring me that he isn't fat in a bad way ! I will definitely think about brumating him next year I've only had him since June . I am actually soaking him right now . And he has been eating like a pig !

 

[Jabuticaba]

Nice looking tort! And that's not a stupid question at all. Yes, the can get obese, which can have a negative impact on their health.


May
THBs: Darwin & Merlin
Aussies: Dax, Vegas, & Cricket
IG: @AUSSOMEAUSSIES

 

[Tom]

can tortoises get fat i know that's a stupid question

Not a stupid question at all. They certainly can and do get fat. Its actually quite common in russians. They need the right diet and large enclosures for lots of exercise to prevent obesity.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Tell your folks a meter is cheap. A vet visit is never cheap. YOU NEED a meter.

 

[Elnewman622]

Tell your folks a meter is cheap. A vet visit is never cheap. YOU NEED a meter.

That's a very good point

 

[ascott]

Also, you have a tort that does not require high levels of constant humidity....so the meters and stuff are fun, but if you offer up a warm humid hide for the tort to access when it wants to --then you are offering another micro climate within the enclosure....with this species you don't want wet and cold....you can offer warm and humid with good health results.....others will disagree and that is fine, but there is not only one way to do things...tweak the enclosure a bit and fine tune what works for your tort and you...