rescue tortoise, inexperienced

[flyingsqueak]

Hello!

I work at a pet store and occasionally people abandon their unwanted pets there. Well, today somebody left a russian tortoise with me. It was in horrible condition. The poor guy was stuffed into a 20 gallon aquarium, the bedding (pine!) hadn't been changed in months, there wasn't anywhere for him to hide, and there was actually tons of rotten food!!! I really wish I had taken a few pictures of how bad it was, but when I saw all that I had to get him out of that disgusting tank instantly. Anyways. . .he's now in a large plastic tub (34in x 20in) with about 4-5 inches of fresh reptile bark substrate, a dark little hide, clean water and fresh food. There's also a heat bulb and a uva/uvb bulb.

I have extremely limited experience with tortoises though. Is this set up okay for a russian tortoise? He also passed a pretty runny stool--about half solid and half liquid. Could this be simply caused by the bad food and stress or should I be worried about something more serious? I'm feeding him mixed salad greens and a raspberry.

He isn't showing signs of pyramiding (that I can tell), but his scutes are a pale greenish color. All the russian tortoises and pictures of russian tortoises that I've seen are a more tan/golden color. Is the green color a sign of illness or is it just his natural coloring?

Please, any help would be greatly appreciated.

[/url] IMAG0083 by flyingsqueak, on Flickr[/img]

[/url] IMAG0053 by flyingsqueak, on Flickr[/img]

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Flyingsqueak:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

May we know your name and where you are?

Actually that's a VERY PRETTY Russian tortoise. All the light colored parts on the shell are new growth that happened indoors (as opposed to outside). If it were outside, it wouldn't look so light and pristine. You got a very nice tortoise. Because of the poor living conditions it would behoove you to get the tortoise de-wormed. (I just love using that word - behoove! )

 

[Jacqui]

Glad you were there for him. He doesn't look that bad. Looks like lots of new growth, but rather uneven growth. The stools could be stress and/or diet. Really won't hurt if you could take a stool sample into your Vet to check for worms too. (stress will also make worms more of an issue). ... and by the way, Welcome!!!

 

[zoogrl]

Poor thing! Thank you for taking the steps needed to find out what he needs. I would go to www.russiantortoise.com for some great info on care. There are also some great care sheets right here on TFO, just go to the russian tortoise section and read away. I would get some heat & humidity gauges, those are important things to know in general care of these guys. I'm not certain about the stool or color of his scutes, those might be better answered by someone more experienced here on the forum. Is the water dish big enough he can get in it if he'd like? It's a good idea to have 2 hides, one on the warmer side & one on the cool side so he can still hide according to his temp preferences of that particular day. A trip to a reptile vet wouldn't be a bad idea either. Keep us posted on how he does for you!

 

[chase thorn]

he looks very nice :] better home now and with the help of the forum, he will live a wonderful life! in my opinion, i do not like the bark. i use cypress mulch and coco coir :]

 

[flyingsqueak]

That's such a relief! I felt really bad for thinking that pale green color was so beautiful because I thought it was also a sign of some sort of illness or vitamin deficiency

I'll take in a stool sample later this week if things don't get better--or sooner if they get worse. He's quarantined in a completely different apartment from my other animals, so if he's getting better there's no rush. Is there a way I can tell if he's getting dehydrated though? If he is dehydrated should I put him in his water dish, or will he find it on his own?

(I'm Kae, or Squeak, from Chicago btw)

 

[chase thorn]

soak him a couple times a week for 15-20 min. helps with hydration and helps shell moisture :]

 

[flyingsqueak]

Ack! Now I just find out that although the raspberry is typically a decent treat/enticement right now is not the time to be giving him one since the sugars can lead to more parasite problems. So no raspberry tomorrow.

 

[lynnedit]

Yes, you could even soak him daily for a few days he can catch up a bit. Then 2-3x per week is fine.
Make sure the water dish is big enough for him to get in, although they don't usually, it gives them the option.
Stick to mostly greens and weeds; fruit is not usually recommended.
The above web site is very good.
The fecal check is a good idea.
Is he ever a lucky tort to have found you!

 

[Lulu]

He just looks too clean to me. Mine is always filthy dirty from digging in the dirt.

Glad he found you. My husband had a friend that worked at a pet store, and that's how he got his Russians. They were left overnight in a cardboard box outside the pet store, and the friend gave them to my husband.

 

[flyingsqueak]

There was solid poop!

 

[chase thorn]

There was solid poop!

thats a good sign!

 

[lynnedit]

Yep, he is on the road to better health!
Welcome to the strange and wonderful world of torts: weeds, poop, urates...

 

[AnthonyC]

Welcome to the forum! Good luck with your tortoise!!

 

[flyingsqueak]

Right now Orrin (the tortoise) and I are spending some time at the park across the street from my apartment soaking up the last of the good weather. This almost certainly is the first time he's seen the outdoors in over a year. I don't really know what a contented tortoise looks like, but this has to be it