Nervous New Tortoise Mommy

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cindyloohoo

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Hi There, I am the proud but somewhat nervous new owner of a Russian Tortoise. I brought him home last night and set up his tank then found out that it is not the ideal place for him to live :( I will be purchasing him/her ? ( how does one know ?) a new home or having one built in the near future. I wish the pet store had been a little more informed.
I do have a couple of questions......well maybe a lot of questions but I will go easy for now!
1. if the food is wilted is it okay for him to have it or should I be putting fresh greens in if this happens ? What is a good basic mix of veggies and fruit to feed him on a daily basis ?
2. My lamp has a dimmer on it, I know it will keep him warm in the day but if I dim it down is this sufficient for warmth at night or do i need another sort of bulb for then ?
3. How often do you feed a tortoise in a day ? Is there a time frame the food should be down for or do you just leave it there and wait for him to eat it when he feels like it ?
4. How much space does a little tortoise need in his enclosure ? He fits in my palm now, will he grow quickly ? What is the minimum that he will need to live in ? I want to give him a good space to grow in but I don't want a huge table ( not enough space for that)
5. Do you have any good links you can suggest for basic knowledge and care of a Russian Tortoise ?
Thanks to you all in advance !
 

Jacqui

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Hi and welcome! Welcome not only to this site, but to the wonderful world of tortoises! I am assuming this is your first tortoise? If he is big enough and you take some good pictures of his tail from a few angles, we may be able to sex him for you.

!. Yes he can eat the wilted lettuce or even dried lettuce and weeds. However, some lettuce such as iceburg has no real food value. Romaine falls a little higher in the food value, is great for hydrating an animal, and it seems to be the most often liked green. That's important for folks who have new tortoises who are not eating, because they might want to try some Romaine. The main point is these lettuces should not make up even the main component of the diet, pick better food value weeds and greens for that job. Keep in mind variety is key. Many folks use a lot of what is often called Spring mix because it consists of several types of lettuce. You also can do like a bunch of turnip greens and then when those are all gone, try a bunch of mustard greens, then next may be feed some dandelion. The variety does not have to be every day, they can have the same one item for several days... which is a great help to folks like you with one tortoise. :D

Russians need weeds and greens. Keep fruits to an occasional little treat and veggies pretty much the same. Russians are just not designed to eat the higher levels of sugars associated with those foods. ;)

When you dim the light down, does the bulb still produce light? I would say you may get away with it, depending on how dim it actually goes. They really need their time of darkness for sleeping. A red or black light seems to be okay. How warm do you keep your house? You may be able to get by without any outside heating at night. Do some temp checks to be sure.

You can feed a tortoise once a day or break it down into smaller meals, depends a lot on you. Some folks like the smaller meals, because tortoises learn to "beg" for more food and this way, you can give them more food without the tortoise getting fat or not feeling guilt from thinking the poor tortoise is starving if you don't feed them something.

They grow fairly slowly (and that's another one of those things, that has no real value because what is slow to me may be fast to you.:rolleyes: ) Russians don't get big, so they grow as fast as the much larger sulcata will.

You may (and once more fitting in your palm is a pretty wide size difference possibility :D) still be able for now, to house him in a plastic container that is actually used to store Christmas wrapping paper under the bed or even a large cement mixing tub may still be within your tortoises size. I am sure some one will come on with a link to what I am meaning by the wrapping paper box. Do keep in mind that Russians are wonderful climbers and escape artists.

It's best if possible in the warm summer months, to get him some time outside. Will you be able to build him an outside enclosure at all? If not, then your really going to want to spend some time with him outside when it's warm enough.


Almost forgot... here is a link to a nice Russian information site:

http://www.russiantortoise.org/
 

Zamric

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Welcome to the Forum cindyloohoo!

May I be the second to Welcome you to the wonderful world of Tortoises!

You got all the right questions for a newbie and we have all the right answers to make you a pro! I'm a Sulcata Owner myself but I'm sure our Russian owners will soon have all kinds of links for you. Follow thier lead and your new pet will be happy and healthy!
 

Laura

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i wouldnt stress too much over the tank at this point. do some research and see what will work for you. However.. russians are movers.. and escape artists.. When I had mine inside. he drove me nuts climbing the walls, clunking all day, trying to get out. So I moved him outside to a 4x8 area. He is down under now.. i hope i can find him come spring.. im a bit worried about that this year. Last year I know where he was, this year I thought I knew.. but i went looking for him and cant find him.. ;-( fingers crossed... i will keep looking tho..
oh.. and WELCOME!!
 

Traveller

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Hi there and welcome. You are definitely in the
right place here. Lots of very helpful knowledgeable
people here.
Remember there is no such thing as a silly question,
so ask away.
Cheers
 

babylove6635

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welcome cindy loohoo. this is a really great place to get info. everything they have said is perfict go to that web sight it has a ton of info. judy
 

Yvonne G

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Hi Cindyloohoo:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

May we know your name and where you are?
 

cindyloohoo

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Thank you to everyone for the warm welcome and the great info and links ! I didn't mention that my tortoise is actually a gift to the family for Christmas and is in hiding ! I keep visiting him/her and wishing I could share the secret. Two weeks is going to go by as slow as a tortoise.......haha, just kidding, I am actually amazed at how much ground this little one can cover in a short period of time.
I had some concern because he wasn't eating but today I put down some fresh romaine and when I came back an hour later.....success ! I do have the UVB bulb on but how much of the calcium supplement do I need to dust his food with ? I am afraid of over doing it.
 

jonf1939

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hi!!! I'm still waiting to get my Russian Tortoise. You were wondering about what to feed him, right? Well I dont know too much about fruits and veggies except for dont feed him or her head lettuces such as iceburg. Also, fruits like tomatos should only be given sparingly. here is a list of plants you could give him: dandelion, naturally occuring non-toxic weeds, white (Dutch) clover, rose leaves and petals, sow-thistle, and romaine or red leaf lettuce(in very limited quantities). If you feed them an incorrect diet, their shell will start to pyramid. I hope these tips help with taking care of your tortoise. If yoiu need more, I got them from Tortoises, A Beginner's Guide to Tortoise Care.
Sincerely, Jonf1939 :tort:
 
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