I need reassurance as a first time Russian tortoise owner.

[Ellie933]

*Possible TW for people with severe anxiety disorders*

Hello everyone, I got my tortoise (Pebble) about a month ago. I have emotionally invested everything into her, she is my entire world. I love her with all my heart, and she is so important to me. I keep worrying over the stupidest little things though... I am a person with an anxiety disorder, and she really calms me down. I can't stand the thought of losing her. I keep breaking down over small things, like that I might be using the wrong light or that I skipped one soak or that she bumped her head. But over all of that I just worry about her health. I see people all over the internet talking about how their tortoise died from MBD, or how pyramiding is terrible and if they show any sign of it you are giving them a bad diet. I see people saying to feed them every day and some saying only twice a week. I am trying so hard to do everything right but I am just paralyzed with the fear that one day I will wake up and she will have passed. What if she flips over while I am at school? What if she chokes on her food in the middle of the day when I'm not there? What if she accidentally eats her substrate? What if she eats a piece of my hair by accident and chokes? What if her soaks are too hot? And then I get people telling me that "only one out of every ten tortoises survives during the first year." "You can't feed her something you bought from the grocery store." "If you don't brumate her she'll die" and "you have to weigh her every day so you know if she is getting sick."
And I am just so overwhelmed with fear that I feel incapable of doing things right

I am just so worried about what people are calling the "fragile hatchling stage". I don't think I could live with myself if something happened to her and it was my fault. I just want her to be as happy and healthy as possible. I am trying so hard and honestly I just really need support and encouragement from you guys...

I hope you have a wonderful day, Ellie + Pebble

 

[Tom]

*Possible TW for people with severe anxiety disorders*

Hello everyone, I got my tortoise (Pebble) about a month ago. I have emotionally invested everything into her, she is my entire world. I love her with all my heart, and she is so important to me. I keep worrying over the stupidest little things though... I am a person with an anxiety disorder, and she really calms me down. I can't stand the thought of losing her. I keep breaking down over small things, like that I might be using the wrong light or that I skipped one soak or that she bumped her head. But over all of that I just worry about her health. I see people all over the internet talking about how their tortoise died from MBD, or how pyramiding is terrible and if they show any sign of it you are giving them a bad diet. I see people saying to feed them every day and some saying only twice a week. I am trying so hard to do everything right but I am just paralyzed with the fear that one day I will wake up and she will have passed. What if she flips over while I am at school? What if she chokes on her food in the middle of the day when I'm not there? What if she accidentally eats her substrate? What if she eats a piece of my hair by accident and chokes? What if her soaks are too hot? And then I get people telling me that "only one out of every ten tortoises survives during the first year." "You can't feed her something you bought from the grocery store." "If you don't brumate her she'll die" and "you have to weigh her every day so you know if she is getting sick."
And I am just so overwhelmed with fear that I feel incapable of doing things right

I am just so worried about what people are calling the "fragile hatchling stage". I don't think I could live with myself if something happened to her and it was my fault. I just want her to be as happy and healthy as possible. I am trying so hard and honestly I just really need support and encouragement from you guys...

I hope you have a wonderful day, Ellie + Pebble

Ellie, Stop reading all the ridiculous info on the internet and FB, and stop talking to pet stores and stop watching tortoise videos on YT.

Take a deep breath, and read through this thread at least a couple of times. I had to go through a lot of years, a lot of problems, and a lot of experimentation to reach these conclusions. You just have to read it to save yourself all of that trouble:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[SinLA]

Agree with Tom, you're going to suffer from analysis paralysis if you look in too many places. Pick one place (TFO!) and stick with it. I literally had a Russian dropped in my lap without knowing squat about tortoises, and he's doing great! Its wonderful you care about Pebbles (love the name!), and while it is a LOT to digest at first, just follow Tom's advice and you'll do fine.

Why don't you post some photos here of Pebbles and their enclosure and the great people on this form can help you focus on which things need improvement and how to do it.

Just bear in mind - a) Russian's are about the hardiest torts out there, its why so many people have them, and b) many many many people keep them in ways that aren't good for them and they make it through. The fact that you are looking for ways to do it right means s/he will be just fine.

Add some photos and we'll see how we can help you

 

[Ellie933]

Agree with Tom, you're going to suffer from analysis paralysis if you look in too many places. Pick one place (TFO!) and stick with it. I literally had a Russian dropped in my lap without knowing squat about tortoises, and he's doing great! Its wonderful you care about Pebbles (love the name!), and while it is a LOT to digest at first, just follow Tom's advice and you'll do fine.

Why don't you post some photos here of Pebbles and their enclosure and the great people on this form can help you focus on which things need improvement and how to do it.

Just bear in mind - a) Russian's are about the hardiest torts out there, its why so many people have them, and b) many many many people keep them in ways that aren't good for them and they make it through. The fact that you are looking for ways to do it right means s/he will be just fine.

Add some photos and we'll see how we can help you

Here are some photos!

 

[Ray--Opo]

Welcome, Pebbles looks to be a very curious tort. I have a sulcata and was listening to pet stores, YouTube and anything I could find. I picked the things that were suggested by pet stores or what I thought would work.
It seemed everytime I googled a question about sulcata's. One of my choices would be the Tortise Forum. I really didn't know what a forum was, but I started reading. Found out I could register and then started realizing all the knowledge that was here.
When Tom suggests something it's usually from his years of working with different species of torts and finding what's best. So staying on TFO is your best bet to raise Pebbles correctly. And without a doubt will save you some money. Buying the correct equipment the first time.

 

[SinLA]

Pebbles looks adorable. Read Tom's sheets and then come back with questions.

Let us know what size enclosure you have, what substrate you are using, and light setup and foods