Hey there, so a few weeks ago when I first got my male RT from Petco I noticed that the local guy had a female RT, but he was asking $180. I talked him down to $100. I checked the sex before i made the offer, turned out to be a nice looking female. im not sure if she is naturally just a lighter colored Russian or if it had something to do w/ her poor enviroment. she was in a all glass 40gal breeder tank, no substrate, no heat lamps, the fluorescent tube wasnt even on and i doubt it was even UVB. anyway i couldn't resist buying her, i had 3 extra 50gal tubs and plan on keeping them separate for a while till they both check out to be w/o parasites. so right now they are in tubs next to eachother. when i first got her home i soaked her for a good 20min. she just hid in her shell almost the whole time, then i set her in front of some spring mix but she didnt eat. i took some pics of the 2 of them next eachother, it was like 5min at most just to get some pics. i still dont have names picked out for them really.the white crap on her shell is Vitashell. i noticed that my male has upturned marginal scutes on his rear. the female looks normal i guess. any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.
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good grab , i just got a female from a lady who had hers set up like you said but had 2 RT's in a 50 gal tall tank with like a hand full of substrate and fruit in the food dish i wish i had the room for the male also 
when you get the go ahead to let them be together all you have to do is cut a hole going through the two tubs with a 10 inch peace of pvc piping making a tunnel , how deep is your substrate ? from the pics it didnt look too deep you might want to make it about 6 to 8 inches deep ... and dont worry the next thing you know she will see you coming and come right to you and let you take as many pics as you want lol
when you get the go ahead to let them be together all you have to do is cut a hole going through the two tubs with a 10 inch peace of pvc piping making a tunnel , how deep is your substrate ? from the pics it didnt look too deep you might want to make it about 6 to 8 inches deep ... and dont worry the next thing you know she will see you coming and come right to you and let you take as many pics as you want lol 
Very pretty color and they are both cute...
i measured them both yesterday, and they were almost identical they were within 1/8in of eachother. both are 4-1/2"L X 2-7/8"W X 2-1/4"H havent gotten a weight on them yet. i only used 2 bricks of coir in the left tub, ive got 2 more, the one on the right has repti-bark which i know isnt a great substrate. now i gotta finish my table, it's almost done. she hasnt eaten since i got her home, she was eating apples when i went to pick her up. i dont know where they got their info on care but they were not doing a good job, then when i was walking up to the counter i saw a book on RT. who knows if they even read it
i meant 3-7/8"W
i meant 3-7/8"W
You have a cute pair
Congrats on the new tortoise...
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I see you've got a hide for her. Is it the big tortoise shell type thing that Petco sells? Hope she fits under it
I'd say your little guy needs a hide too!
They both look pretty good actually. I'm not seeing anything that says "sickly" or "poorly." Seems you've done a good job with the boy so far, he's definitely more comfortable with pictures than your girl, and he's only been with you for a few weeks! You must be doing things right
I'd say your little guy needs a hide too!
They both look pretty good actually. I'm not seeing anything that says "sickly" or "poorly." Seems you've done a good job with the boy so far, he's definitely more comfortable with pictures than your girl, and he's only been with you for a few weeks! You must be doing things right
yeah that is one of those petsmart shell/hides. the male never uses it, even at night i just find him in one of the corners of the tub sprawled out head, stickin out of his shell all the way. he definitely feels more comfortable in his new enclosure than the female. she still hasnt eaten, she will sniff at it but was being fed apples when i got her so idk if she's snubbing the food or what, but my male goes nuts, i can feed him at least 2x a day for 5-10min.
ascott said:Very pretty color and they are both cute...
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Try chopping up some apple REALLY fine with some finely chopped spring mix.... when I first got my EBT, she has spent the last year + on a diet of frozen mixed veggies (peas, carrots, corn, green beans) with the occassional fresh thing thrown in (no protein)... when I got her she refused to eat anything, I ended up having to mix frozen mixed veggies in with spring mix and other fresh veggies for awhile and weaned her off that so she now only eats fresh food :-D lol
Great story. I'm very happy for you. In time, I hope they make beautiful Russian babies for you.
So i know my female is still too small to breed from my understanding. what is a rough size/age range that Russian tortoise become sexually mature? im sure it varies, ive read usually 5" for males and 6" for females, but there are reports of females as small as 4.5" laying viable eggs.
Tom- is that what you meant when you said high yellow? does she look like its a healthy yellow color and not bad husbandry?
got the table finished, so i will post some more pics soon
Tom- is that what you meant when you said high yellow? does she look like its a healthy yellow color and not bad husbandry?
got the table finished, so i will post some more pics soon
Great pick up!
Soak the female daily for a few days, they are often dehydrated when they have had good care.
She may take awhile to eat, but that's OK, she has to feel comfortable.
Stick a potted plant in their enclosure like a spider plant (as you get things set up).
Soak the female daily for a few days, they are often dehydrated when they have had good care.
She may take awhile to eat, but that's OK, she has to feel comfortable.
Stick a potted plant in their enclosure like a spider plant (as you get things set up).
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