Need help worried about my new Russian tortoise

[Carley]

I have bought a Russian tortious yesterday from petsmart and after how long iv waited hes so cute!!!!he was kinda active he looks really healthy we have named him reznov. Im kinda worried about him he isnt very active and he hasnt tried to eat yet. he had a whole plate of food and didn't touch it. tired to give him an apple and nothing tried to give him a strawberry and nothing. he just Barrows and goes to sleep. so I put him in the bath tub to soak he looked pretty dry. let him walk around my room he did walk around but also tried to hide in my arm but as soon as he was back is tank just went right back to hideing and sleeping. I want to be a good mommy for him am I just freaking out?

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome. Congrats on the new tortoise! We need to know more about the equipment you are using for heating, lighting and UV, and what sort of enclosure you've got going. Pics help too.

He should never be loose on the floor. That is an accident waiting to happen. Keep him in a properly designed and maintained tortoise enclosure at all times, indoors or out.

Take a look at these and see if any changes need to be made:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

 

[Carley]

I would post a picture but im at work so far I just have one light is 150 watt light blub its the one that heats up the whole habait I have him in a 50 gallon tote I will post pics later I have never owned a tortious before and I have read alot of things on this site im worried that the tote isnt big anoffe

 

[Jodie]

Hello. A tortoise from the pet store is likely a wild caught adult. It takes some time for them to adjust and feel safe. Read the care guides, build the biggest enclosure you can and provide lots of cover and hides. Get the temps and UVB all right, and he will settle down and eat.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello, Carley and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum.
Please read the links Tom posted above.
Apple and strawberry, indeed any fruit, are not good for Russian tortoises.
Have a look at http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/nutrientanalysis.htm for good food ideas, the ones in bold are best.
He will take a while to adjust to his new home. It is quite normal for him to be afraid, he is unaware if he is on another's territory, if there are predators about or even if you are going to eat him.
Get the set up right and he'll soon come to see you as the food god and start to explore

 

[Carley]

Ok so how menny lights should I have ? And he is about 6 months would it be ok if I put him in a really big tote like one u could hide a dead body in would that be big anoffe for now?

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

You can get an MVB (mercury vapour bulb) which provides heat, light and UVB in one or you can get a strip UVB light and a basking bulb.
You may need a CHE, for night heat if your temps drop too much at night.
Don't buy any coiled or compact bulbs as these have been known to cause eye damage and often don't produce enough UVB anyway.
I doubt the tortoise is 6 months old. Most Petsmart Russian's are wild caught and maybe 8 to 10 years old on average, it seems. The shop often tell people they're young because Russians are such a small species.
So 8' by 4' would be a minimum for an adult.

 

[Tom]

Ok so how menny lights should I have ? And he is about 6 months would it be ok if I put him in a really big tote like one u could hide a dead body in would that be big anoffe for now?

How much experience hiding dead bodies do you have?

No tote is big enough for an adult russian tortoise. It will work for a while as a temporary measure, but he will need something much larger as soon as you can make it. I recommend 4x8' as a minimum. Like a sheet of plywood with walls. Unlike some reptile species that do fine when confined in a smaller space, tortoises, especially russian tortoises, need a lot of room to roam. It helps to keep them healthy and it is also part of their digestion process. Like a horse, locomotion helps to move the food through the GI tract. More space also makes them generally feel more comfortable, less stressed and it keeps them in better shape too.

Plan on making a really large outdoor enclosure for fair weather too. Outside time for them is really beneficial.

 

[Tom]

Ok so how menny lights should I have ? And he is about 6 months...

If you bought him at Petsmart he is likely more than 6 years old, not 6 months. Pet stores are notorious for misinformation.

There are many ways to accomplish the needed heating and lighting. I like to use a regular incandescent bulb from the hardware store set on a timer. I raise or lower the bulb to get the correct basking temperature under it. Then I use a long florescent tube for UV and light. A 10.0 tube can be left on all day, and if you amount it 10-12" above the tortoise, it will also meet your UV needs. It can run on the same timer as you basking bulb. If you must mount the florescent bulb higher than that, you can pick from an array of other tube type florescent UV bulbs that will suit your needs.

As long as you house stays above 60-ish at night, you should not need night heat for a russian tortoise.

All of this is explained in the care sheet.

 

[Carley]

How can u tell how old they are? And u dont no what I got in my basement lol so the sooner I upgrade him the happyer my little reznov will be? I really appreciate u guys helping me I thought I read anoffe to no what im doing but now looking at all of this I no nothing it seems lol I just want to be a good mommy to my baby I wish I could post pics of him but my phone wont let me

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

You cannot tell the age of a tortoise by looking at them.
We may be able to tell if it's a juvenile or adult or very old but nothing more than that without the hatch date.
And, yes, the sooner you get the set up right the happier that Reznov will be.

 

[Carley]

Hes still pretty small tho im going to post pics of his cuteness when I get home im forsure makeing a trip to walmart or home depot today

 

[Tom]

How can u tell how old they are? And u dont no what I got in my basement lol so the sooner I upgrade him the happyer my little reznov will be? I really appreciate u guys helping me I thought I read anoffe to no what im doing but now looking at all of this I no nothing it seems lol I just want to be a good mommy to my baby I wish I could post pics of him but my phone wont let me

You can't tell how old they are by looking. Only if you know the hatch date.

But there are some things we do know. Petsmart and Petco sells wild caught imports. They can not be imported unless the carapace is at least 4" long. It takes a wild tortoise at least a few years, even under ideal conditions, to reach 4". Under less than ideal conditions, it could take more than 10 years to reach that size. It is physically possible that your tortoise is only 2 or three years old, but it is more likely that he is 6 to 10 years old, or older. We are just guessing based on these facts. A captive hatched 6 month old russian tortoise raised and fed here in the USA under absolutely perfect conditions would be under 2 inches and weigh less than 100 grams.

 

[Carley]

Oh wow I didnt no that I really appreciate u guys helping me im sure im going to be posting alot on this cuz I just want my little rez to live a happy life and im worried about everything

 

[Carley]

How long does it take for them to get fully grown

 

[Yvonne G]

Ok so how menny lights should I have ? And he is about 6 months would it be ok if I put him in a really big tote like one u could hide a dead body in would that be big anoffe for now?

There's a regulation in the U.S. that tells businesses that they can't sell tortoises that are less than 4" from front to back. The Russian tortoise is a small species, and in order for it to reach 4" to be sold legally, he has more than likely been around for at least 5 years. And since you bought him from a pet store (wild caught) you can assume he's at least 8 or 10 years old. What I"m saying is, he's not 6 months old, he's full grown.

Yes, a dead body tote would be plenty big enough for now.

(I'm VERY curious to know what's hiding in your basement.)

 

[Carley]

So hes not getting any bigger cuz hes pretty small I thought they get up to 10 inches? And trust me u dont want to no whats in my basement im not even sure what's in there half the time lol

 

[Yvonne G]

This is a Christmas Tree Storage Bin mfg'd by Iris. It's about 4' long. It's about the biggest plastic tub you can buy, and it's still not big enough, but will do until you can build something bigger.

Next - substrate:



or:

(You put it in a bucket of water and it falls apart, then you drain off the water)

Then you'll need feeding tile/slate/cement and waterer:

You can decorate the habitat with plastic plants like these:




Indoor tortoises MUST have a good UVB light. You can use one or the other of these (not both):

If you house gets colder than 65F at night, you'll need night time heat like this:

This is not the only way to set up your new tortoise. It is just examples of what you can do. Take a look through our enclosure section for ideas.

 

[Yvonne G]

So hes not getting any bigger cuz hes pretty small I thought they get up to 10 inches? And trust me u dont want to no whats in my basement im not even sure what's in there half the time lol

A healthy full grown female will be about 8" front to back in a straight line. Most don't get that big, but it's a possibility. A healthy full grown male will be about 5" in a straight line, front to back.

 

[Carley]

Is there anything I could do to help him get bigger?