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biochemnerd808

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Hi all,
I am new to this forum, but not new to keeping torts.
I currently own 2 Russian tortoises (a fully-grown female, Timmy, and a younger male, Roz). I got them each as 2nd-hand torts from people who didn't want them anymore. Roz has a little bit of (old) pyramiding, but the growth pattern has evened out since I got him.
I am also fostering a very old male RT (Mo). Mo has cataracts, and a completely black shell - his face looks ancient. He is sweet, and eats out of my hand. I just treated him for a bad worm infestation, his activity levels are increasing.
I have successfully rescued and rehabilitated 2 sick/hurt RTs. One of them (Norbert) was a small malnourished, emaciated male who had lived in a barn without heat or light, and hadn't been fed for 6 months. He had been badly bitten by rats, and had dog-bite scars on his shell. He lost most of one foot to infection, but I was able to prevent it from spreading. I cared for him for about half a year, carefully helping him gain weight. He is now happily and healthily living with one of my friends. Joe the RT was pretty easy to help. I treated him for worms, threw away the cedar shavings he came with, soaked him a lot, and treated his eye infection. He is also happily and healthily living with his new owner.

Today I am picking up a little mystery tortoise that I found on Craigslist. He was listed as a "tahitian tortoise" - which there is no such thing. I suspect he is some kind of Hermann's variety. The previous owner bought him as a yearling from a breeder. They say that they feed leafy greens and the occasional mealworm. I'm going to feed 100% herbivorous diet, I grow my own leafy greens in my garden. I was appalled to see that they drilled a hole in his shell, and attached a ring. The previous owner says that in the summer, they tether the tort to a post in their yard by a chain.

We live in SW Washington State, so my torts spend a lot of the year indoors. I let my torts roam our (organically and safely planted) side yard under my supervision during the warm months. I have 2 large tortoise tables - one is my rehab table, 1 is for my RTs Timmy and Roz. The little mystery tortoise comes with a small glass tank... I will build him a tort table that is about 4'x2'. All the torts have good 10.0 UVB tube lighting, basking lamps, and ceramic heat lamps. Their basking spots are 95-100 degrees, the coolest area is room temp (68-72 degrees). I bed the torts in a 1:1 mix of coconut coir (from a brick that you add water to) and playsand. I exclusively feed dark leafy greens that I grow myself, and I add TNT and have a cuttlebone in each enclosure.

Not sure what else folks want to know. We have a long-term foster Veiled Chameleon, too.
 

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Yvonne G

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Welcome to the Forum, biochemnerd808!
 

kanalomele

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Welcome to tfo. Russians are great torts, I'm crazy for mine!
 

Irwin4530

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Welcome......I sure would love to see a pic. of this mystery tort of yours :)
 

biochemnerd808

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Ok, attached are 2 pics of the mystery tort - taken by the old owner. She called him a "tahitian" tortoise, I suspect it's some kind of Hermann's tort. Any other ideas?

Just for the record, I did NOT attach that horrible ring to his shell. We just picked him up this afternoon, and I am going to borrow a good tool to carefully cut that ring on Monday.

Mystery tort side.JPG
Mystery tort top.JPG

Irwin4530 said:
Welcome......I sure would love to see a pic. of this mystery tort of yours :)
 
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DesertGrandma

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Hello and welcome to the forum. I have heard of people tethering tortoises in their back yard. Ughhhh. Seems so barbaric.
 

Irwin4530

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Wow! Sure am glad you got him/her
And that you will be removing that horrid ring!!!
 
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