New to community - please help (Russian Tortoise)

[sarahandshelldon]

Yes if you thought you had a baby Russian I can see why you would misread the post. You absolutely 100% have a wild caught fully adult Russian. when you get a chance show us a photo of his backside and tail to confirm it’s a boy but based on the size it probably is.

You can keep him in that box for now until you get things sorted but he will need more space. When I first got mine he lived in 2‘ x 6‘ space for a few weeks until I got my outdoor enclosure built.

You can get about six of those Tortoise houses and string them together and you get pretty close to what you would need for their space indoors, but that is a bit of an investment. Just so you have a frame of reference here is my set up.

The good news is Russians are fairly hearty and fairly forgiving so you have some time to get things right. You definitely want to get rid of the plants and the water dish because that is instant problems, but you have a little bit of breathing room to get everything else right.

what are you feeding him?

i’ve been feeding him kale, some tomatoes, and i put some of the turtle food from the pet store in a tiny bowl for him mixed with some calcium supplement since that’s what he’d been getting at the pet store. but i haven’t noticed him eating. but i think y’all are right that he needs to adjust. i found a mini green house online, do you think this would be big enough for him? i took your advice and trashed the plants i planted from the department store, i think i’ll start growing my own on my porch so i can feed him some natural food.

 

[sarahandshelldon]

Hello and welcome. Good advice from everyone so far.

Congrats on the new tortoise. It will likely take at least a few days for the tortoise to settle in and start eating good.

The basking light is a must, but what type of UV bulb did they sell you?

Questions and conversation are welcome!

Hi! I got a 100watt basking light from the pet store, but I ordered incandescent flood bulb lights like you said to in the introduction forum so i’m going to switch those out as soon as they arrive. I also got a lamp with a timer so I can set it on a 12 hour timer for when i’m working and not home to turn it on and off for him. Also - I soaked him last night in warm water and at first he acted like a total diva and pretended to hate it (typical russian, smh) but then when I put him back in his enclosure he fell asleep look at how cute he was with his little eyes closed!
I’m going to plant some of my own plants and grow them naturally for him, are there any recommendations of certain plants for me to grow? I was planning on growing spinach, kale, and some marigold but i’m open to suggestions. Thanks guys!

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello!
You can get the list of plants to grow here:
https://www.tortoisesupply.com/TestudoMix (or just order the ready seed mix).

 

[SinLA]

Ok stop the tomato immediately, also the turtle food.

For the moment from the supermarket do radicchio, endive, frisée, escarole, dandelion greens, and cactus pad if you can find it.

Kale is ok but in small portion of a larger diet. Variety is the key.

Garden grown weeds are ideal, using a testudo seed mix is a good idea and the link you were given above is a good start, but grocery store is OK until you get yourself sorted. I still feed them to my Russian as a supplement.

Look up “the tortoise table” app for you phone as a way to look up what’s ok to eat. It’s on the conservative side.

Can you show the bulb you got from the pet store? Mercury bulbs are not OK

 

[sarahandshelldon]

Ok stop the tomato immediately, also the turtle food.

For the moment from the supermarket do radicchio, endive, frisée, escarole, dandelion greens, and cactus pad if you can find it.

Kale is ok but in small portion of a larger diet. Variety is the key.

Garden grown weeds are ideal, using a testudo seed mix is a good idea and the link you were given above is a good start, but grocery store is OK until you get yourself sorted. I still feed them to my Russian as a supplement.

Look up “the tortoise table” app for you phone as a way to look up what’s ok to eat. It’s on the conservative side.

Can you show the bulb you got from the pet store? Mercury bulbs are not OK

this is the light i got. it’s on for the day until i get the new lights from amazon that i ordered (incandescent flood bulbs 45 watt). they’re expected to be delivered later today so i’ll switch them out when i’m home from work. and okay, i’ll stop the tomatoes and the turtle food. i’m not sure if my local grocery store has any of the produce you mentioned but i’ll look into it

 

[Tom]

View attachment 370106
this is the light i got. it’s on for the day until i get the new lights from amazon that i ordered (incandescent flood bulbs 45 watt). they’re expected to be delivered later today so i’ll switch them out when i’m home from work. and okay, i’ll stop the tomatoes and the turtle food. i’m not sure if my local grocery store has any of the produce you mentioned but i’ll look into it

That bulb is fine as long as you are using it in a fixture with an aluminum dome that directs the heat and light downward to the tortoise. Check the temperature by laying a digital thermometer on its back directly under the bulb and letting it cook for an hour or more. Adjust the height or the wattage to get the correct temperature of around 95-100 degrees directly under the basking bulb.

 

[SinLA]

View attachment 370106
this is the light i got. it’s on for the day until i get the new lights from amazon that i ordered (incandescent flood bulbs 45 watt). they’re expected to be delivered later today so i’ll switch them out when i’m home from work. and okay, i’ll stop the tomatoes and the turtle food. i’m not sure if my local grocery store has any of the produce you mentioned but i’ll look into it

Most grocery stores should have what I listed above with the possible exception of the cactus pads. If you have any local Hispanic food markets, you might be able to find it there.

 

[Anastasia 22]

Hi! I got a 100watt basking light from the pet store, but I ordered incandescent flood bulb lights like you said to in the introduction forum so i’m going to switch those out as soon as they arrive. I also got a lamp with a timer so I can set it on a 12 hour timer for when i’m working and not home to turn it on and off for him. Also - I soaked him last night in warm water and at first he acted like a total diva and pretended to hate it (typical russian, smh) but then when I put him back in his enclosure he fell asleep look at how cute he was with his little eyes closed! View attachment 370099
I’m going to plant some of my own plants and grow them naturally for him, are there any recommendations of certain plants for me to grow? I was planning on growing spinach, kale, and some marigold but i’m open to suggestions. Thanks guys!

Hello!
I grow oats from the organic seeds. My Russian boy is not crazy about this grass but he eats it sometimes.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

i’ve been feeding him kale, some tomatoes, and i put some of the turtle food from the pet store in a tiny bowl for him mixed with some calcium supplement since that’s what he’d been getting at the pet store. but i haven’t noticed him eating. but i think y’all are right that he needs to adjust. i found a mini green house online, do you think this would be big enough for him? i took your advice and trashed the plants i planted from the department store, i think i’ll start growing my own on my porch so i can feed him some natural food.

8 by 4 feet is the recommended size, the bigger the better but in my opinion the greenhouse doesn't need to cover the whole enclosure, just most of it. So yes this would be a good size.

 

[Tom]

Hello!
I grow oats from the organic seeds. My Russian boy is not crazy about this grass but he eats it sometimes.

Russians are not grass eaters and have a tough time digesting grasses. This is not an appropriate food for your species. Look for broadleaf weeds to grow, or scrounge them from outside. Grape leaves, mulberry leaves, hibiscus or rose of Sharon leaves, etc...

 

[sarahandshelldon]

do

That bulb is fine as long as you are using it in a fixture with an aluminum dome that directs the heat and light downward to the tortoise. Check the temperature by laying a digital thermometer on its back directly under the bulb and letting it cook for an hour or more. Adjust the height or the wattage to get the correct temperature of around 95-100 degrees directly under the basking bulb.

do you think this would be a good enclosure for my russian? i probably wouldn’t put the divider in or i’d cut a hole so he could move through

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

do

do you think this would be a good enclosure for my russian? i probably wouldn’t put the divider in or i’d cut a hole so he could move through

It's very shallow - only 9 inches high, with 4-6 inches of substrate he will be escaping all the time. Maybe you can get another old book case to extend the existing enclosure?

 

[sarahandshelldon]

It's very shallow - only 9 inches high, with 4-6 inches of substrate he will be escaping all the time. Maybe you can get another old book case to extend the existing enclosure?

okay that’s not a terrible idea, i’ll take a look and see what i can find that’s similar. or i could get something to put over the top to add on to the 9 inches so he won’t crawl out?

 

[Tom]

do

do you think this would be a good enclosure for my russian? i probably wouldn’t put the divider in or i’d cut a hole so he could move through

The length is good, but its half as wide as it needs to be, and the walls are too short. I don't know of anything you can buy. Much better to just make it yourself out of plywood and 2x4s.

 

[sarahandshelldon]

The length is good, but its half as wide as it needs to be, and the walls are too short. I don't know of anything you can buy. Much better to just make it yourself out of plywood and 2x4s.

okay, i’m going to work on building one tomorrow so we will see how that goes. i still can’t tell today if he has eaten anything, i had kale and some tortoise feed in his cage and he hasn’t seemed to touch it. i know it’s only the second day and he might be stressed but i’m getting nervous about him not eating. i have sweet potatoes i could feed him, i read online that they like sweet potato and squash but i’m unsure if it needs to be cooked first so it’s soft or if i can feed it to him raw. same thing for carrots. i set up a tort cam so i can watch him in his enclosure to see if he eats anything.

 

[SinLA]

No sweet potatoes, no squash. Just let him settle. Mine took WEEKS before he got comfortable eating. Plus you are making constant changes and they need a long time to get used to each one.

A great piece of advice I got when I started and was really worried was, stop thinking of them like a dog where are you give them a new toy and they get super excited. Every single time you make a change, even a small one, Tortoise says to itself: OMG WHAT THE @#@$@%! IS THAT?!?!?! and then it has to take a lot of time for it to understand whatever this new change you made is not going to hurt it. Time moves very slowly for a tortoise. They have to adjust and feel comfortable.

It took literally a year or more before my Tortoise got fully comfortable in his outside enclosure.

just give him time esp when you are making a lot of changes at once. He can go a while without eating, they are not like mammals…

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

okay, i’m going to work on building one tomorrow so we will see how that goes. i still can’t tell today if he has eaten anything, i had kale and some tortoise feed in his cage and he hasn’t seemed to touch it. i know it’s only the second day and he might be stressed but i’m getting nervous about him not eating. i have sweet potatoes i could feed him, i read online that they like sweet potato and squash but i’m unsure if it needs to be cooked first so it’s soft or if i can feed it to him raw. same thing for carrots. i set up a tort cam so i can watch him in his enclosure to see if he eats anything. View attachment 370131

Sweet potato is toxic and shouldn't be fed at all

Browse and Search the Tortoise Table Plant Database

Browse and Search the Tortoise Table Plant Database

www.thetortoisetable.org.uk

Squash is not toxic, but should only be fed sparingly as a part of a varied diet if at all https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/plant-database/viewplants/?plant=627&c=8

 

[Anastasia 22]

okay, i’m going to work on building one tomorrow so we will see how that goes. i still can’t tell today if he has eaten anything, i had kale and some tortoise feed in his cage and he hasn’t seemed to touch it. i know it’s only the second day and he might be stressed but i’m getting nervous about him not eating. i have sweet potatoes i could feed him, i read online that they like sweet potato and squash but i’m unsure if it needs to be cooked first so it’s soft or if i can feed it to him raw. same thing for carrots. i set up a tort cam so i can watch him in his enclosure to see if he eats anything. View attachment 370131

okay, i’m going to work on building one tomorrow so we will see how that goes. i still can’t tell today if he has eaten anything, i had kale and some tortoise feed in his cage and he hasn’t seemed to touch it. i know it’s only the second day and he might be stressed but i’m getting nervous about him not eating. i have sweet potatoes i could feed him, i read online that they like sweet potato and squash but i’m unsure if it needs to be cooked first so it’s soft or if i can feed it to him raw. same thing for carrots. i set up a tort cam so i can watch him in his enclosure to see if he eats anything. View attachment 370131

I started to pet my boy since the day I got him. He didn't like it first (hissed at me every time I picked him up) but now he is all about touching and rubbing. I could be wrong but I believe that when your tortoise feels safe he will act differently and he will eat better (Mine loves when I feed him from my hand. But he didn't take any food from me the several days).

 

[sarahandshelldon]

I started to pet my boy since the day I got him. He didn't like it first (hissed at me every time I picked him up) but now he is all about touching and rubbing. I could be wrong but I believe that when your tortoise feels safe he will act differently and he will eat better (Mine loves when I feed him from my hand. But he didn't take any food from me the several days).

is he a russian? did you pet his shell? maybe i’ll start doing that

 

[sarahandshelldon]

No sweet potatoes, no squash. Just let him settle. Mine took WEEKS before he got comfortable eating. Plus you are making constant changes and they need a long time to get used to each one.

A great piece of advice I got when I started and was really worried was, stop thinking of them like a dog where are you give them a new toy and they get super excited. Every single time you make a change, even a small one, Tortoise says to itself: OMG WHAT THE @#@$@%! IS THAT?!?!?! and then it has to take a lot of time for it to understand whatever this new change you made is not going to hurt it. Time moves very slowly for a tortoise. They have to adjust and feel comfortable.

It took literally a year or more before my Tortoise got fully comfortable in his outside enclosure.

just give him time esp when you are making a lot of changes at once. He can go a while without eating, they are not like mammals…

thank you so much, this was really comforting. i definitly needed to hear this so thank you! i was getting so worried about him