just adopted a russian tortoise 2 days ago

[smylemaker]

Hello from Boston,
Just adopted our very first Russian Tortoise 2 days ago, we were told it is a male @ 3-4 years old. So far so good, he seems to be adjusting well, but I am so new to everything I was hoping to find People to ask questions and who have any info they want to share to make our new friend a happy guy . we have him in a 20L tank for now (plan on building a bigger enclosure) have a cypress media ( same as he had before we got him) all the heating elements and stuff we were told he needs to thrive...

here is my questions>

#1 feeding> 1st day we had him he wasn't to interested in eating, but I figured when I picked him up he was eating out of my hand, so maybe he had his fill for the day, next day he seemed to not be too interested, but did chomp on a cherry tomato we offered, today I gave him a little tortoise kibble (and greens, watermelon) and he did eat very little. how much do they eat daily that is normal?
#2 do you take food out of enclosure at night or after a while?
#3 are there toys or things that your turtle likes to help keep s/he happy

 

[stinax182]

Re: RE: just adopted a russian tortoise 2 days ago

hey there! this is a great place to research anything your tort needs everyone here wants to help!

first, here is a caresheet that is a guideline on caring for your specific tortoise http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-80698.html

it may take weeks for your tortoise to settle down and be comfortable enough to eat, that is normal. just offer fresh greens (listed on the care sheet, also, fruit should only be a special treat) daily and remove at night or whenever the food is bad. tortoises don't like change; so when we move them and totally change everything they know, they put the brakes on. he may hide and not poop but i suggest giving him a warm bath in a bucket for 20 mins every other day until you see him eating regularly. most tortoises eat everyday but it's not uncommon for them to skip days.

and the best you can do for your tort is make him feel like a tortoise; make his enclosure as much like the wild as possible. dirt to dig in, logs and pots to hide in, live and fake plants to explore, fresh water, ect.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Smyles, and welcome to the Forum!!

It may take a few days for the tortoise to feel safe enough in his new environment to come out and eat on his own.

Also, if you got him from a pet store, he's probably around 8 to 10 years of age.

It's nice to have some visual barriers in the habitat so that it breaks up the line of sight, however, tortoises don't really like to 'play' with toys.

I don't take the food out until I put in new food the next morning. But its up to you and the bug situation in your home.

 

[wellington]

Hello,and Welcome

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello Smyle from Boston and welcome
To the TFO from AZ

 

[CLMoss]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[mainey34]

Hello and welcome...

 

[smylemaker]

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome...
He seems to be eating and exploring his home, when we got him the girl gave us some turtle chow, I didn't want to give him the chow, but fresh greens . worried he wasn't eating enough, we gave him the chow and now that seems to be all he wants. I still try to give him greens, figure it is better for him? feels weird to be calling him him him.... we are still trying to find the perfect name... Fred seems to be the one my kids like the best <3 exploring the web I read some PPL put balls or other stimulating things in enclosure ? I put a small stuffed frog and he (Fred) seems to push it all over.. I guess I am just a newbie and want to make my new friend as happy as possible.. I dont have a clue except what I read and am hungry to learn what responsible tortie owners experiences have been... I am so excited to have found this place... and look forward to getting to know you

 

[smylemaker]

Hi Smyles, and welcome to the Forum!!

It may take a few days for the tortoise to feel safe enough in his new environment to come out and eat on his own.

Also, if you got him from a pet store, he's probably around 8 to 10 years of age.

It's nice to have some visual barriers in the habitat so that it breaks up the line of sight, however, tortoises don't really like to 'play' with toys.

I don't take the food out until I put in new food the next morning. But its up to you and the bug situation in your home.

wow 8-10 yo? I had wondered how to tell his age, is it like a tree and the rings in his shell (LOL) or how do we know if he is a wild caught turtle? the ppl at shop where we got him are so young and although the girl was very smart and gave us great info, I had no idea what kinds of questions to ask.. I plan on going back to ask more.. I have a log he hides under and a pretty big water hole if he wants to soak, also hay, and his food dish. I do take food dish out at night, mainly b/c I want to watch him eat in the morning . I love watching him eat.

 

[stinax182]

Re: RE: just adopted a russian tortoise 2 days ago

if you bought your tort from a pet store at that size, it is definitely wild caught. pet stores don't have the time or money to raise hatchlings. and if they did it would mean they've had that tortoise for maaaaany years, ha.

try to look at things from your torts point of view: he's been living in the wild for 8+ years, gets thrown into a cage, flown over seas, plopped into a tiny cage with 4 other torts and given food and everything that he's not use to. then you come and it starts over again.

and please, do not go back to the pet store for advice. we will do our best to help you here!

your tortoise will more than likely not eat hay.....if he does, that's good. the link i posted previously has a good list of what foods to feed. and yes, fresh greens are better than the tort chow. if you have the little colored pebbles, those are not a good source of food. there are other brands of tort chow that are really popular here, mazuri and zoomed. i use both and my torts love them. just offer fresh greens dally.

 

[smylemaker]

Great info stinax182. yes I did get him at a store in NH, they specialize in reptiles. however I am not sure just how much I trust completely trust what the very young sales ppl tell me, or how much of what they say is true, just to get a sale...
I didnt go into store thinking I was even gonna buy a RT, but to get prices on equipment for a shelter.. (LOL) little did I know I was gonna fall in love with this little guy... kinda sad that these torts are taken from their natural homes... I would think they would be less friendly. this little guy lets me rub his head and is just the cutest thing... I am def hooked. this is his forever home so I want to make no mistakes..
I have a small bunch of Timothy hay, but was told alfalfa is a better type to give him . The tort chow I have is in a big bag but no name brand on it.. it is not colored pebbles but more like a biscuit. the greens I got are of a spring mix , I also went to a salad bar and selected organic greens that look like sprouts, and dandilion leaves.. I feel like such a nervous new momma... dont even know what to ask, unless random thoughts count?

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BTW ... when I post . do I create a new thread for each topic or do I stay here and ask my random Newbie questions?

 

[smylemaker]

took a pix of Fred he looks more yellow in this photo then normal (maybe the flash?)

 

[stinax182]

if you poke around the forum a bit you will find that there are areas specialized for tortoise anything (lighting, substrate, food and specific tortoises) depending what your question is regarding, you can post it in the matching thread. and honestly if you browse a little bit and read other peoples threads, you will likely find your answer without having to ask it

and does the food look like this
http://m.ebay.com/itm/260859270936?nav=SEARCH&sbk=1
that's mazuri and that's good to feed

 

[smylemaker]

yes the food looks just like that.. I soak it till it is a mush and Fred loves it... he wont eat the greens at all.. I still put greens in his dish but it just wilts and looks gross so I remove it a few hours later... I really have been trying to explore, there is so much info here. Today just to make life a little more interesting I set up a large gated pen in my sunroom and let Fred have free roam in a safe place, put a few hiding places in, but he is just enjoying the sunshine & freedom, yesterday I didnt really get to take him out to explore, and he was sleeping alot.. kids said he was digging alot during the night, they asked me to entertain him while they were in school... LOL bet he sleeps well tonight...

 

[stinax182]

that's fun just make sure the spot in your house is really clean, a tortoise will eat anything it's not suppose to (like hair which could cause major problems)

i also have the problem of my tort only eating the mazuri...it's not an ideal diet. try chopping up the greens into tiny pieces and mixing it all up. you could try not feeding him for a day or two then offering some greens.

 

[smylemaker]

I took ur advise and chopped up some greens and I think it is purely accidental that Fred will eat them, he doesn't seem to be eating much, but what do I know ? he is pooping so he must be getting food in his tummy.. I gave him some rasberries, cantaloupe , watermelon and OMG he just loves it, but those are suppose to be a treat only, so he is def a spoiled boy... I tried to practice tough love and give him greens only, but he won b/c he refused to eat at all... when you give the mazuri do you also put sprinkle vitamins too, or does that have everything in it ? today I soaked Fred and I have been soaking a few times a week, that seems to make him poo, and today alot of white stuff came out (I assume it was urine)? I feel like I did when my kids were newborns, so nervous that I am doing something wrong...

 

[johnsonnboswell]

RTs are not equipped to eat fruit - even though they'll eat it if you give it to them. So don't feed it. It upsets their digestion, and that in turn makes them less inclined to eat.

Variety is good, too.

 

[stinax182]

Re: RE: just adopted a russian tortoise 2 days ago

I took ur advise and chopped up some greens and I think it is purely accidental that Fred will eat them, he doesn't seem to be eating much, but what do I know ? he is pooping so he must be getting food in his tummy.. I gave him some rasberries, cantaloupe , watermelon and OMG he just loves it, but those are suppose to be a treat only, so he is def a spoiled boy... I tried to practice tough love and give him greens only, but he won b/c he refused to eat at all... when you give the mazuri do you also put sprinkle vitamins too, or does that have everything in it ? today I soaked Fred and I have been soaking a few times a week, that seems to make him poo, and today alot of white stuff came out (I assume it was urine)? I feel like I did when my kids were newborns, so nervous that I am doing something wrong...

haha, no worries!
one important thing though: your specific tortoise really shouldn't eat ANY fruit. his digestive tract is not built for that and it will cause diarrhea. not to mention, he'll stop eating the other foods you're offering. give him a small strawberry twice a month. it's like candy to him so of course he won't eat the icky greens it's not a big deal if your tort doesn't eat for a couple days, he can actually go months without eating in the wild. i would continue mixing his greens, HE NEEDS GREENS. mommy can't cheat though! no fruits, no veggies just fresh greens until he eats, and he will!

and there supplements out there like calcium and multivitamins. these are sprinkled LIGHTLY on the food every other week, that's what i do. many owners have different schedules on applying these supplements so that's your call.

 

[smylemaker]

UT OH NO fruit ??? I def did a no no... no wonder he is a poopin expert lately.... I got both calcium & multi vits, but the multi vits have calcium added so I use only that... I sprinkle it on the greens that he refuses to eat.. guess I wont worry if he refuses to eat for now, guess it is like when I try to get my kids to eats greens , he will eat when he is hungry ... who knew being a tort owner could be so challenging & fun.. gosh (picture my face glued to the food dish) "Fred eat Please eat ! " alot of the foods lists I see dont have pumpkin listed I often have that on hand for my pups diet and if it is ok I would like to feed Fred that as a treat . (when he gets better at eating his greens) all I can do for now is what ur doing (chopped (hidden) greens to the chow) I am guilty of hiding greens to my kids diet too... who knew torts are just like kids....

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"HE NEEDS GREENS. mommy can't cheat though! no fruits, no veggies just fresh greens until he eats, and he will!"



I just went to check on Fred and looking at his little brown eyes, how am I gonna stick to the greens diet if he looks at me this way Stinax you said you are having an issue like this too, I think thats what you said ? do I NOT give him the chow either ? LOL bet you will regret posting after I hound you for answers to all this (LOL) I am already a sucker for Fred...

 

[stinax182]

Re: RE: just adopted a russian tortoise 2 days ago

haha i honestly enjoy it

and veggies are definitely more acceptable than fruits. and pumpkin is used as a natural dewormer by many users on this site. just blend up everything (skin, seeds and gunk) and feed it a small piece of green pepper, zucchini, cucumber OR carrot are okay more often than fruit.

and my 2 year old leopard tortoise has been stuck on mazuri since i introduced it to her during the summer. she will always eat every piece of it but refuse days worth of greens to get it. your tort is probably full grown so him missing meals is no big deal but my tort is still growing ): so i know the struggle of seeing those puppy dog eyes! my zula literally tramples her enclosure when there's only greens, THEY ARE JUST LIKE CHILDREN so I've been sticking to the half and half and at least i know she's getting something. i use more of the zoomed grassland tortoise chow than mazuri because i feel it has better ingredients. i would try a legit food strike but she's too young. maybe once you know your tort is comfortable in his new home and isn't stressed you can try this. i wouldn't suggest it with him newly moved in.