We brought our three-year-old Russian home two days ago and she hasn’t eaten anything yet. We put her in a little bath and she was fairly active, but only wants to burrow in the tank. Should we be concerned yet? We’ve offered greens, chopped carrots & a tiny piece of apple?
New tort parents
- Thread starter LisaB254
- Start date
nicoleann2214
Well-Known Member
Tortoises need time to adjust to their new environment, also what’re your temps and enclosure like?
Hi thanks for the Reply! The pet store sent us home with no thermometer so I just ordered one from Amazon, and a 20 gallon tank. Zoo med light & heating lamp we’ve been keeping on the one end. Had it on for 13 hours today. Frankly, disappointed in the pet store as the originally gave us the wrong lamp & a day later I had to run back for the exchange. She’s 3 they say and supposedly the tank would be ok for awhile? In time we will build a big box.
nicoleann2214
Well-Known Member
I dont know much about russians but I know they require a lot of space as they love to roam. @Crush da Baum might have some good advice. 
@Yvonne G
@Yvonne G
Minority2
Well-Known Member
Adult Russian tortoises require a minimum of at least 8ft x 4ft of enclosure space. Practically just about everything they sold you was either not right and or safe for the tortoise.
1. The dual lamp fixture you have is not effective in spreading heat and or light.
2. The light bulbs you have may cause more harm than good to your tortoise. Please link or show us a clear picture of each individual bulb so you can help you verify. Incorrect bulbs can cause blindness and pyramiding in tortoises.
3. Both resin plastic bowls are flipping hazards. They're too light but can still cause injuries when trapped under it or flipped over because a tortoise slips on them. Terracotta plant saucers on the hand or heavy, durable, and much safer in comparison.
4. What kind of substrate is that? A lot of substrate choices are in fact unsafe for tortoises in captive environments. Coco coir and orchid bark are the safest recommendations which we highly encourage you switch to. Be sure to get enough to create an enclosure with a relatively deep substrate level. 4+ inches at the minimum.
5. Please read and follow this guide to the letter. It is the most up to date guide for Russian tortoises. Be sure to get the temperature and humidity levels on point to prevent your tortoise from catching an unwanted infection:
The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise
I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...
tortoiseforum.org
Hello and welcome Lisa. I'm sorry you got the usual wrong care advice for your new tortoise. This is always a bummer, but hopefully we can get you on the right track. Read that care sheet and feel free to ask questions.
That is good, but some major changes are still needed.
Golden Greek Tortoise 567
Well-Known Member
She looks more then 3. Pet stores don’t know tortoise ages. Usually they are wild caught and at least 10-15 yrs of age. How big is she in length? Just to be sure, do you mind taking pictures of her plastron and carapace?
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