New to forum

[Ruskietort]

Hi everyone! I am not only new to this forum, but I also am the new owner of an abandoned Russian tortoise. I have never owned a tort before, but have been considering it the past few years. Needless to say, a friend knew I had been considering becoming a tort owner and called me when someone moved and abandoned this believed to be 2 year old female Russian tort to try & survive on her own. I currently live in Phoenix, AZ. I look forward to getting to know you all because I will obviously be asking a tons of newbie questions. The vet gave her a clean bill of health, but I've had her in a new much larger enclosure since 5/5/17 and she still hasn't shown any interest in eating and appears to be pretty shy. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome. Do you have her in an indoor enclosure? If you have her indoors, I would imagine she's not happy after being able to live outside. A Russian adult needs a minimum of a 4x8. Being in AZ you could provide an outdoor enclosure as long as you can give shade and a space she could burrow down into for cooler climate.
If she is indoors, provide a large a area. Check out the Russian caresheet in the Russian section

 

[Ruskietort]

Actually she was left in a very small 20 gallon glass aquarium in a metal back yard shed with no heat or light for about what we think was 2 weeks. I currently have her in a 60 gallon Rubbermaid tote with organic garden soil and coco noir and a uv basking light & heat light on one end for heat with a cool side on the other end with some fake plants and a half log for her. I'm currently working on an outdoor enclosure, but I need about another week to get it finished.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hi
Your Russian tort will be happier in a outside enclosure! Like mine !

 

[Ruskietort]

Thanks for the welcome! I'm definitely working on getting it done! I just want to make sure that it's as cat proof as much as possible because there are some gigantic stray cats wandering my neighborhood. I'm really concerned with her not wanting to eat though. How long is too long?

 

[Stuart S.]

Hello and welcome!

 

[Ruskietort]

Hello Stuart! Thanks for the welcome!

 

[Carol S]

WELCOME TO THE FORUM.

 

[Ruskietort]

WELCOME TO THE FORUM.

Thank you for the welcome Carol.

 

[Ruskietort]

Hello Stuart! Thanks for the welcome!

Thanks for the welcome Stuart.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Thanks for the welcome! I'm definitely working on getting it done! I just want to make sure that it's as cat proof as much as possible because there are some gigantic stray cats wandering my neighborhood. I'm really concerned with her not wanting to eat though. How long is too long?

Yes ! AZ has a real problem with faeral cats ! I wish we could shoot them all .

 

[Ruskietort]

Yes ! AZ has a real problem with faeral cats ! I wish we could shoot them all .

Yes! the feral cats are really bad, and the ones in my neighbor hood all seem to be massive 20 pounders or something! Even my gigantic malamute wont mess with them! Fortunately there is a program in my neighborhood to trap and spay and neuter all these cats so we don't end up with a hundred more!

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Yes! the feral cats are really bad, and the ones in my neighbor hood all seem to be massive 20 pounders or something! Even my gigantic malamute wont mess with them! Fortunately there is a program in my neighborhood to trap and spay and neuter all these cats so we don't end up with a hundred more!

They kill our lizards and our small birds including our great humming birds ! And then someone adopts them to go out and kill some more ! What a waist !

 

[RosemaryDW]

I'm really concerned with her not wanting to eat though. How long is too long?

Five days is definitely not too long, as least not for the tortoise. She can go much longer without eating than you and I. In the best of conditions she'd need some time and she hasn't been in the best conditions, poor thing.

Make sure she's had some soaks if she looks dry or dehydrated. Otherwise, just give her some time and some privacy. I know it's hard when you feel like you can't help them fast enough. You've got her started on the right path.

 

[Ruskietort]

Thank you Rosmary. I've been making sure she has fresh mixed greens and some aloe Vera from my garden every day and fresh water every day. I have given her 2 half hour soaks since I got her home. She's been pooing, peeing, & drinking while she soaks. I suspect she may have been eating the coco noir bedding to survive while she was stuck in that tiny tank in that metal shed before I got her though.

 

[Big Charlie]

Yes! the feral cats are really bad, and the ones in my neighbor hood all seem to be massive 20 pounders or something! Even my gigantic malamute wont mess with them! Fortunately there is a program in my neighborhood to trap and spay and neuter all these cats so we don't end up with a hundred more!

In my area, there is a similar program but the volunteers who trap the cats and take them to the shelter are expected to pay for the traps and the neutering. So it rarely gets done. Since I don't have a dog anymore to keep cats out of my yard, every year several feral cats pick my yard as the place to have their kittens. Charlie, my 18 year old, 100 pound sulcata tortoise, gives them the evil eye, but they ignore him.

 

[Ruskietort]

Oh! He's a big boy!

 

[Alicia Hoogstra]

Welcome from MI!!

 

[Alicia Hoogstra]

We have a HORRIBLE problem with feral cats here in MI too. I believe that vets should volunteer even one weekend a year to doing free spay or neuter s and try and set as many live traps as possible, that would help soooo much!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

Your tortoise's eating problem is because he doesn't recognize what you're giving him is food. Too bad you have no way of knowing what the previous owner was feeding. I suggest you start off by offering him things he's not supposed to have, like iceberg lettuce. Break up a couple leaves of lettuce and pile it up on the feeding station, then spritz it with water. If he'll eat that, then you can start incorporating a tiny amount of good greens into the iceberg lettuce. . . things like turnip greens, endive, escarole. But don't try to use too much at first. Little bit and adding more and more over time. Eventually you can start offering mulberry leaves, grape leaves, etc.

Also, your new tortoise is almost full grown, much older than the two years you figured. Probably more like 10 years or so.