Rescue Tortoise... Many Questions

[MrIslanders26]

So, I just recently received a tortoise from my neighbor when I didn't know the basics of how to care for one. He fed it only whole pieces of romaine, and the mouth looks to be slightly deformed. There seems to be a part of it's mouth that wasn't there to begin with or was lost somehow. The tortoise doesn't wont to touch the salad with romaine, kale, and other greens I cut up for it. I need to get him onto a salad diet but don't know how to do it.

In addition, I found it hard to sex when I looked it up, I was wondering if anyone could help me with that too.

The setup I currently have for the tortoise is a 20 gallon long (I hope to upgrade soon), with a log hide on one side with a heating pad underneath. There is a UVB bulb that is over the center of the tank, and I have a water bowl big enough for it to soak in. I keep it on reptibark and I change the salad out everyday at around 3 pm. As far as I know, it has been kept in this setup for ten years, including the food, and has minimal interaction for about five years. I have attached pictures below for anyone to look at.

So the four main questions are:
How can I transition it onto a diet of salad, not just whole pieces of romaine?
Is the tortoise deformed or am I going crazy?
What gender is the tortoise?
Is my setup okay for the time being?

Thanks in advance for the help!
MrIslanders26

 

[Toddrickfl1]

I don't know much about Russians but he does look to be in pretty rough shape, and does look like something wrong with his beak. You definitely should get a bigger enclosure too, 20 gallon tank is far too small for that tort to be living in. Hopefully some of the experienced Russian keepers will chime in.

 

[Jodie]

Poor baby! It looks like his lower beak has grown up into the upper one pushing it out. That will take a long time to correct. I would seek a good reptile vet that specializes in tortoises to help this guy out.
I believe it is male.
He may have a really hard time eating with that beak.
Fresh weeds and leaves are the best options. Will he eat from your hand?

 

[Briannesmith1]

Definitely a male. I agree with the above comments. I would give him a couple soaks too. His shell is a little dry. Just slowly introduce him to new foods with the foods he already will eat. Everything takes time.

 

[TechnoCheese]

Please give these a read-
Russian Tortoise Care Sheet https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Russian-Tortoise-Care-Sheet.80698/
Beginner Mistakes https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Beginner-Mistakes.45180/
Thank you for saving him! Please make sure that you get him the correct minimum enclosure size of 8x4 feet

 

[ethan508]

Agree with the above, he's a male, he needs his beak trimmed, and keep offering salad and he will get used to the new food eventually.

As far as your set-up, spend a little more time/money on getting temperature correct. Be very careful with the heat pad under the tank. Tortoises naturally dig down to cool off, so if he gets warm, he will actually be digging down to more heat. Heat from above is a better solution, using something like a 150W Ceramic Heating Element (CHE) or a 100 W light bulb (use the right mercury vapor bulb and you get get heat, light, and UV).

Temperature is one of the major critical factors for proper tortoise health, he won't thrive without the right heating. A temperature gun helps immensely in this regard.

 

[DARKFIRE007]

I had trouble sexing this tort even with a good pic...his tail blends in so well I almost couldn't tell, but yea it is a male. I advise a vet visit, filing THAT beak down yourself would be stressful on you both. It may be why he is shying away from food since it has to be hard to eat with. Try him on shredded greens he doesn't have to rip or tear up. Also looks like he would benefit from daily 15 minute soaks.

Bigger enclosure is a must, and scrap the heating pad...mine have torn a rubber liner to shreds from digging. My guess is it could be dangerous if they dig on it.

Congrats on getting him, I love seeing people rescue them rather than looking for and buying the healthiest one they can find.