Looking for a Russian

[Emerie Belda]

Hi I’ve been recently interested in getting a Russian tortoise but I didn’t want to get a new born. Looking for an old Russian tortoise in need of a rehoming I have been doing a lot of research have all the equipment needed and have all the knowledge needed for this pet. I also have lots of pet experience so this would be my first pet. I’m located in Annandale VA thanks

 

[wellington]

Be sure to get the enclosure inside and out set up and running with correct info from this forum, temps, substrate, etc.
An adult Russian needs a minimum of a 4x8 foot enclosure larger if possible.
Check your local Craigslist as there are usually some needing to be rescued from their tiny enclosures.

 

[Tom]

Hi I’ve been recently interested in getting a Russian tortoise but I didn’t want to get a new born. Looking for an old Russian tortoise in need of a rehoming I have been doing a lot of research have all the equipment needed and have all the knowledge needed for this pet. I also have lots of pet experience so this would be my first pet. I’m located in Annandale VA thanks

Most of the care info found for tortoises from most sources is old, out-dated and just plain wrong. Many people do months of "research" only to come here and discover that all that source material was repeating the same old wrong info.

Go over these two threads at least a couple of times each to make sure you've got the correct care info:

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

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

Sourcing an adult tortoise in need of rescue won't be difficult, but be aware that it will most likely be a wild caught, and that most pet stores will tell you that a wild caught tortoise is captive bred or "farm raised", which is a silly bunch of non-sense, but they don't know any better. WC torts are a big gamble and often come with latent diseases and parasites. Some of them live for years and are fine. Some of them are not fine and can run up thousands of dollars in vet bills trying to diagnose and treat them.

CB adults are seldom seen for sale, but occasionally pop up here and there. I don't know what you opposition is to getting a well started CB baby, but that is the safest and best option. Many breeders here start them right and don't sell them until they have months of time into them and all is obviously going well.

 

[SinLA]

I strongly recommend a rescue. The vast majority of Russians have already been imported through places like Petco and Petsmart so almost any you get is going to have come from there. Meanwhile, take a look at this listing in the Pittsburgh area. Overpriced for sure but you may be able to offer for less.

Testudo Tortoise - general for sale - by owner - craigslist

$175 for everything OBO

pittsburgh.craigslist.org

This poor guy has lived his whole life in a tank 1/8 the size of what he probably needs. You have the opportunity to rescue him and give him the proper space and care he needs. There is no feeling better than that.

But DO be sure to read the care sheets provided as most people do not give them enough space so make sure you’re able to provide a better set up than the life he has now. This would be true for any rescue you get.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I’d always encourage rescuing! Just maybe prepare yourself for some potential health issues depending what kind of listings you look at! Feel free to check I out this thread I recently made too for the set up and diet side of things

Housing adult Russian and Hermans indoors

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information an example of an appropriate indoor set up for an older Herman/russian. As much as it’s encouraged to have tortoises in a safe outdoor enclosure, I understand being from the uk myself, that some climates make it difficult to...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Emerie Belda]

I strongly recommend a rescue. The vast majority of Russians have already been imported through places like Petco and Petsmart so almost any you get is going to have come from there. Meanwhile, take a look at this listing in the Pittsburgh area. Overpriced for sure but you may be able to offer for less.

Testudo Tortoise - general for sale - by owner - craigslist

$175 for everything OBO

pittsburgh.craigslist.org

This poor guy has lived his whole life in a tank 1/8 the size of what he probably needs. You have the opportunity to rescue him and give him the proper space and care he needs. There is no feeling better than that.

But DO be sure to read the care sheets provided as most people do not give them enough space so make sure you’re able to provide a better set up than the life he has now. This would be true for any rescue you get.

I have contacted him about the Russian but do you think you could help me find a Russian closer to where I live? I live in Annandale VA

 

[SinLA]

Scales, Fins, & Others for Adoption Near Annandale, VA | Petfinder

Search for scales, fins, & others for adoption at shelters near Annandale, VA. Find and adopt a pet on Petfinder today.

www.petfinder.com

this information may be outdated, but there’s a couple in Norwalk, Connecticut and one in North Carolina listed here, but I would check craigslist every few days as that’s where they tend to pop up most…

 

[cannonfodda]

Hi I’ve been recently interested in getting a Russian tortoise but I didn’t want to get a new born. Looking for an old Russian tortoise in need of a rehoming I have been doing a lot of research have all the equipment needed and have all the knowledge needed for this pet. I also have lots of pet experience so this would be my first pet. I’m located in Annandale VA thanks

Hi I just joined for one reason I'm trying to rehome my Russian tortoise he's 10 years old but I wouldn't know how to get him from Florida to Virginia. Let me know if you're interested in a road trip

 

[SinLA]

There are other threads where people on here have shipped rescues. @DoubleD1996! has done it with several rescue Russians. I am not a fan of shipping in general, but it is very hard to find good rescue homes so can be worth it if needed

 

[cannonfodda]

Thank you, but shipping Rafael doesn't give me the warm and fuzzies. I am in Florida, maybe I give it a bit and find someone within a reasonable drive.

 

[SinLA]

Thank you, but shipping Rafael doesn't give me the warm and fuzzies. I am in Florida, maybe I give it a bit and find someone within a reasonable drive.

Good luck!

 

[Anastasia 22]

I have contacted him about the Russian but do you think you could help me find a Russian closer to where I live? I live in Annandale VA

Hello!
You can check Petco stores around. I rescued a Russian tortoise from Petco two months ago. Since the tortoise wasn't in a good condition I got a discount $100.00 ( but I was going to get her anyway).

 

[SinLA]

Hello!
You can check Petco stores around. I rescued a Russian tortoise from Petco two months ago. Since the tortoise wasn't in a good condition I got a discount $100.00 ( but I was going to get her anyway).

Just to be clear, you are definitely "rescuing" any animal you get from a petco from a probably miserable life, but you are also contributing to the "machine" that takes the tortoise from the wild, packs them in shipping containers, sends them overseas, and assuming they survived, pushes them out to the retail trade where most of them will end up having those miserable lives.

Just like buying a puppy mill puppy at a pet store is not considered rescue (yes you gave it a good life, but you also paid for its parents to be damned to eternity in their horrid lives), buying from petco is not really a rescue either.

If you are going to buy one that's not from someone trying to rehome them, best get one from a breeder.

 

[DoubleD1996!]

Thank you, but shipping Rafael doesn't give me the warm and fuzzies. I am in Florida, maybe I give it a bit and find someone within a reasonable drive.

I could send you some detailed/safe instructions to do so, and then you could see if it sways your decision or not.
I've shipped many out over the years to my home, and even have a rescue western hermanns tort coming in the morning. Just let me know and maybe you two could work something out.

 

[Anastasia 22]

Just to be clear, you are definitely "rescuing" any animal you get from a petco from a probably miserable life, but you are also contributing to the "machine" that takes the tortoise from the wild, packs them in shipping containers, sends them overseas, and assuming they survived, pushes them out to the retail trade where most of them will end up having those miserable lives.

Just like buying a puppy mill puppy at a pet store is not considered rescue (yes you gave it a good life, but you also paid for its parents to be damned to eternity in their horrid lives), buying from petco is not really a rescue either.

If you are going to buy one that's not from someone trying to rehome them, best get one from a breeder.

How to know that a breeder is good. And a tortoise would be shipped in a container anyway.
Just like cannonfodda said she doesn't want her tortoise would be shipped. It's a living being not a Christmas card.

 

[SinLA]

How to know that a breeder is good. And a tortoise would be shipped in a container anyway.
Just like cannonfodda said she doesn't want her tortoise would be shipped. It's a living being not a Christmas card.

All true and I would not want mine shipped either. But there are a lot more tortoises in need of homes than good homes out there.

This forum can give advice on how to tell if a breeder is good and can even recommend members here who breed. But one thing is for sure, buying from a big box store is not a good practice as a whole.

 

[dbatsch]

Hi I’ve been recently interested in getting a Russian tortoise but I didn’t want to get a new born. Looking for an old Russian tortoise in need of a rehoming I have been doing a lot of research have all the equipment needed and have all the knowledge needed for this pet. I also have lots of pet experience so this would be my first pet. I’m located in Annandale VA thanks

Hi Emerie, We are looking to find a new home for our Russian. We adopted her from a family member who had her for about 17 years. They purchased her from a pet store. We are unsure of her age. She had a checkup at the vet a year ago and she has a vitamin A deficiency so we feed her carrots and occasionally put her in a carrot juice bath. Please let me know if you may be interested. I'm happy to send photos/videos.
We are located in St. Louis but could arrange to meet half-way.
Dianna