My Russian Tort is eating me out of house and home!

[AriNass]

Gertie is between 8-10 years old. She is growing like a weed and seems to be eating more and more. Getting a bit of an attitude. She has started waking up in the morning and then sitting in her food dish not very patiently waiting on me to feed her.
She is cracking me up. Her diet consists of tort pellets soaked in water with dried flower topping, broccoli, apple, romaine lettuce, zucchini, and her all time favorite baby bok Choy. She will fight me for baby bok Choy!
She eats daily and poops during-after every day.

Do I have a sulcata wanna be? How often do you all feed your Russians?
I’m uploading her house and some pics. (Che k out her growing scutes)!
And yes she lives in a giant watermelon box.

 

[wellington]

Stop the apples, they should not eat fruit. Get her out of a cardboard box and into a proper 4x8 foot enclosure with some humidity 50% is added.
She needs a basking spot of 95-100 and the rest of the enclosure should be 75-80 and no lower then 60 at night.
Without proper heat and uvb she is not able to digest her food properly.

 

[AriNass]

Thanks. She has a basking lamp and area. Ive got the temperature controlled. They can eat fruit (rarely) she had a chomp of an apple maybe once a month. She also has a UVB lamp. Not that I need to explain my entire setup for you.
The box is huge and awesome. She is super active in it because of the size. She is thriving and exotic vet said very healthy. Have a good day.

 

[wellington]

Okay, you know more than us. So read the caresheet at least!

 

[wellington]

Thread 'Russian Tortoise Care Sheet' https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

 

[AriNass]

Thanks. I had read it prior to getting itt and have referred to it many times. It’s been very helpful. I appreciate it.

 

[Yvonne G]

Eating one out of house and home is what they do! In the real world (not the captive, pet world) Russians live in an area called the steppe. Conditions are harsh and food is scarce. Weather is only warm enough for them to be active for less than half the year. This means they have to "make hay while the sun shines". . . or, they have to eat as much as they can find in a short amount of time.

So, your tortoise is doing what comes naturally.

They don't find fruit in the wild, and their systems are not set up to assimilate it. Fruit disrupts their gut and may cause a parasite bloom. A bite of apple every so often as a treat would be ok.

 

[AriNass]

Eating one out of house and home is what they do! In the real world (not the captive, pet world) Russians live in an area called the steppe. Conditions are harsh and food is scarce. Weather is only warm enough for them to be active for less than half the year. This means they have to "make hay while the sun shines". . . or, they have to eat as much as they can find in a short amount of time.

So, your tortoise is doing what comes naturally.

They don't find fruit in the wild, and their systems are not set up to assimilate it. Fruit disrupts their gut and may cause a parasite bloom. A bite of apple every so often as a treat would be ok.

Thanks I was more joking about house and home but she’s has a healthy appetite for sure. I’m proud that she is growing so much. It means she is pretty healthy. So I’m thrilled. Thanks for your comment. It’s good to hear and yes to the fruit I am hearing you. It’s very very random that I’ve offered it to her and she’s not really into it. She loves her greens. .

 

[Cathie G]

🤗 Sapphire eats a pile of greens way bigger than the house and home he carries around 😂 and he's just doing maintenance 😊

 

[Tom]

Thread 'Russian Tortoise Care Sheet' https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

That is the old care sheet. Here is the new one:

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

 

[AriNass]

🤗 Sapphire eats a pile of greens way bigger than the house and home he carries around 😂 and he's just doing maintenance 😊

How big is he? I think Gertie is going to be on the big end of the Russian size.

 

[SinLA]

Do they still grow at 8-10 years old? I'm surprised. Mine is we think around 4-5 years old and i thought was basically done growing in terms of length/width. He's putting on weight for sure, though has slowed down now. I got him in April and he was 436 grams, and now is 492, but has only put on 8 grams since early August.

 

[Marmar#1935]

Gertie is between 8-10 years old. She is growing like a weed and seems to be eating more and more. Getting a bit of an attitude. She has started waking up in the morning and then sitting in her food dish not very patiently waiting on me to feed her.
She is cracking me up. Her diet consists of tort pellets soaked in water with dried flower topping, broccoli, apple, romaine lettuce, zucchini, and her all time favorite baby bok Choy. She will fight me for baby bok Choy!
She eats daily and poops during-after every day.

Do I have a sulcata wanna be? How often do you all feed your Russians?
I’m uploading her house and some pics. (Che k out her growing scutes)!
And yes she lives in a giant watermelon box.

😆 We have a tortoise She's marginated and her name is Bertha for a reason. She has been starting to attack my other marginated tortoise bubba in regards to food. We think we should separate them because bubba tends to go back into his log when she does this. She also is growing very quickly but bubba's not far behind. You're supposed to have two starve days a week and they only eat as much as the size of their shell.. highly unlikely! All she needs is to be fed once a day and then 2 starve days! If they overeat they'll get fat lol

 

[SinLA]

😆 We have a tortoise She's marginated and her name is Bertha for a reason. She has been starting to attack my other marginated tortoise bubba in regards to food. We think we should separate them because bubba tends to go back into his log when she does this. She also is growing very quickly but bubba's not far behind. You're supposed to have two starve days a week and they only eat as much as the size of their shell.. highly unlikely! All she needs is to be fed once a day and then 2 starve days! If they overeat they'll get fat lol

I'll let others like @Tom or @Yvonne G talk about the food strategy as that doesn't sound correct me (sounds like old wives tale stuff), but please do separate them. Bubba is being bullied and possibly has been for a long time based on what you are describing.

 

[Tom]

😆 We have a tortoise She's marginated and her name is Bertha for a reason. She has been starting to attack my other marginated tortoise bubba in regards to food. We think we should separate them because bubba tends to go back into his log when she does this.

Tortoises should never live in pairs, and marginated usually have to live alone. You need to separate them ASAP. Bulb is in a living hell right now stuck in the territory of the dominant tortoise with no way to escape.

You're supposed to have two starve days a week and they only eat as much as the size of their shell.. highly unlikely! All she needs is to be fed once a day and then 2 starve days! If they overeat they'll get fat lol

This old incorrect info. They do not need starve days, and they will not get fat if fed the correct foods and housed correctly. Tortoises are grazers and should be allowed to graze freely, on the right foods, all day every day.

Here is the correct care info for your species:

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

Please feel free to ask questions, bu you need to make some immediate changes.

 

[Marmar#1935]

I'll let others like @Tom or @Yvonne G talk about the food strategy as that doesn't sound correct me (sounds like old wives tale stuff), but please do separate them. Bubba is being bullied and possibly has been for a long time based on what you are describing.

Well, it is to my understanding that It's not an old wives tale. You're free to think what you want or find out from other users. I'm taking bubba from the situation. I have 11 different species so I am not ignorant to some facts about tortoises. JS

 

[Marmar#1935]

Tortoises should never live in pairs, and marginated usually have to live alone. You need to separate them ASAP. Bulb is in a living hell right now stuck in the territory of the dominant tortoise with no way to escape.


This old incorrect info. They do not need starve days, and they will not get fat if fed the correct foods and housed correctly. Tortoises are grazers and should be allowed to graze freely, on the right foods, all day every day.

Here is the correct care info for your species:

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

Please feel free to ask questions, bu you need to make some immediate changes.

Thank you! I know they prefer to be alone so I will pass this information on to my girlfriend so that she takes the

 

[Cathie G]

How big is he? I think Gertie is going to be on the big end of the Russian size.

Sapphire is only 5" x 5" and that's what he's been since I got him in May of 2007. So he's on the small end. He still eats good though.😉 He doesn't eat that much every day but I always put out that much just in case. I get upset with myself if there's no scraps. I feel like I haven't fed him enough.🤔 and he had to stop eating because there was no more.