New to the Site

[Vladimir's Mom]

hi! My name is Crystal and I am new to this forum, and newish to being a Russian Tortoise mom. I am a huge animal lover, and I always adopt or rescue pets. I currently have a 7 year old cat, a 1 year old dog, a hamster, and the newest addition...Vladimir a Russian Tortoise.

Vladimir has been with us since late May and he is an absolute delight!! He is very sweet and has a big personality. He loves to climb! He is always climbing the log in his room, or the plants, or when he is out for play time he loves to climb people.

He has a 60 gallon home, which is great for him right now as he is about 5" long. He also gets to come out and play in the house with me every day. I work from home and so my morning routine is to let out the dog, feed the cat and the hamster and then go let Vladimir out for his first play time. He is usually waiting for me to come get him. I am so in love with this little guy! I never knew how active they were, and how sweet Russian tortoise's could be!!

I didn't really have a specific reason for joining the site. I have a vet for Vlad, but I also just wanted to have a place where I could talk with other RT pet owners.

I guess my only current question is how do you determine your tortoise's age?

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome

 

[kanalomele]

Hello and welcome! We are thrilled you joined! I also am a Russian lover with now 6 of my own. I started with torts about 14 years ago now and just crazy for them. You will definitely find lots of ruskie enthusiasts here on TFO!

 

[Utah Lynn]

Welcome to TFO.

The only way to know the actual age of your tortoise is if it was captive bred and you know it's birthdate.

If it is WildCaught, at 5", it's probably 5-8 years old.

Steppe Torts (Russian) max out at about 9".

My avatar is full grown and 14 years old, female.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Crystal and Welcome!!

 

[kathyth]

Welcome Crystal?

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome!

 

[pam]

Welcome

 

[Arizona Sulcata]

Welcome!