My new Baby!

[Kayti]

I had no idea how tiny she would be!!

I met the breeder, and he was very tolerant of all my questions. He had a huge outdoor enclose, and tons of happy adult Russians. My favorite part was, upon hearing I was worried about finding a good brand of vitamins, he said “Welcome to Tortoise-nerddom.”

I have named her Mo-Nellie. So when I can finally tell if she is a he, she will be called either Mo or Nellie. Right now, I’ve decided she’s a girl until proven otherwise, and am calling her Mona.





She hasn’t eaten yet, except she put her mouth around the chopped up sunflower leaves, she just didn’t swallow. When I first put her in her enclosure, she trundled around for awhile, exploring every corner. She sat under the light for awhile, and then she went into her hide, and started digging into the corner of it. She was digging for a really long time (my friend and I were watching a movie next to her, and were slightly shocked by some of the noises she created) and then she went to sleep. She hasn’t woken up yet today, but I turned on her light only about 30 minutes ago.

Do tortoise hatchlings always breathe with their whole bodies? I can see her chest seem to heave with every breath. And for while she seemed to bob in and out of her shell slowly. Are these signs of stress? She slowed down a lot since when I first put her in the enclosure.
Since the coconut is still sort of damp, her hide can get really cool. Should I worry about her freezing herself in there? Or should I just let her work it out?
Are there any foods other than sunflower leaves and chopped sunflower leaves I should try to get her to eat?

I’m sorry I’m such a worry-wart! But she's my baby!
Thank you!
-Kayti

 

[Yvonne G]

Did the breeder tell you to only feed her sunflower leaves? Russian tortoises will eat any broad leafed weed...chia, dandylion, clover, etc. You can also feed her Spring Mix. That's a packaged greens mixture that you can buy in the produce section of your local grocery store. As for the breathing, they do sort of look like a bellows when they breathe. Its normal.

Yvonne

 

[Jacqui]

They are tinier then you expect aren't they? Looks like a little cutie!

Hmmm never tried sunflower leaves myself. You need to keep rotating her food, using as wide of a variety as you can, so she won't become fixated on just one thing.

More common things to add to what Yvonne said are: collard greens, raddiccio (sp), endive, escarole, cactus pads, cactus fruit, mulberry leaves, grape leaves, Hen and chicks, plantain, hostas, hibiscus blooms and leaves, the vines of things like squash, pumpkin, and cucumber, the pumpkin and squash itself (tho a little hard for a baby unless you grate it). The list goes on and on. Check all the plant and food lists and see what you have in your area. Just remember variety is the key and fruit is a very rare treat for the Russians.

So far things look and sound great! Now relax and enjoy her/him.

 

[Kayti]

She ate! A whole leaf!

And when I said Sunflower, I meant Dandelion! My bad.
I know diet and everything, I was just wondering if there were any kinds that are especially temping. But now that she’s eaten, I guess I know!

I’m glad the breathing is normal- it kind of freaked me out at first. What about the bobbing in and out of the shell? She did that again this morning. I’ve never actually seen her go completely inside her shell. Her head always pokes out a bit.

She’s warming up under the light, and looking full. And adorable.
Thanks for all your help everybody!

 

[Crazy1]

Kayti, congratulations Mona is adorable. My Greek Babies really like radicchio, Grape leaves, Geranium leaves, wandering Jew leaves, rose leaves and pedals, Hibiscus flowers and leaves dandelion, parsley, basil, cilantro and cactus. Heck they like everything. I do try and stay away from the squashes, carrots and aloe at their age (3 months). I do give it to Comet who is now 7 months and about 7 cm long and 77 grams in wt. I just go outside and pick a variety every morning and dice it up. Also if you cut it up fairly small it's easier for them to eat that way. Their beaks are not as strong as an adults at the tender age of Mona. Again congrats.

 

[Lil' Tortie]

She's a darling! congrats!!!

I had no idea how tiny she would be!!

I met the breeder, and he was very tolerant of all my questions. He had a huge outdoor enclose, and tons of happy adult Russians. My favorite part was, upon hearing I was worried about finding a good brand of vitamins, he said “Welcome to Tortoise-nerddom.”

I have named her Mo-Nellie. So when I can finally tell if she is a he, she will be called either Mo or Nellie. Right now, I’ve decided she’s a girl until proven otherwise, and am calling her Mona.





She hasn’t eaten yet, except she put her mouth around the chopped up sunflower leaves, she just didn’t swallow. When I first put her in her enclosure, she trundled around for awhile, exploring every corner. She sat under the light for awhile, and then she went into her hide, and started digging into the corner of it. She was digging for a really long time (my friend and I were watching a movie next to her, and were slightly shocked by some of the noises she created) and then she went to sleep. She hasn’t woken up yet today, but I turned on her light only about 30 minutes ago.

Do tortoise hatchlings always breathe with their whole bodies? I can see her chest seem to heave with every breath. And for while she seemed to bob in and out of her shell slowly. Are these signs of stress? She slowed down a lot since when I first put her in the enclosure.
Since the coconut is still sort of damp, her hide can get really cool. Should I worry about her freezing herself in there? Or should I just let her work it out?
Are there any foods other than sunflower leaves and chopped sunflower leaves I should try to get her to eat?

I’m sorry I’m such a worry-wart! But she's my baby!
Thank you!
-Kayti