russian info

[oscar]

I have been going to our local Lowes and getting plants that are on clearance anyway the guy working in the plant section said today that he has had a Russian
tortoise for 9 years and uses ripped up newspaper for the substrate and
feeds it a lot of mixed vegetables, I told him about the tort forum and he
said he didn't have a computer, so I was going to print up some information
on Russians and give it to him next week when I stop in there. I don't have a Russian so don't know what substrate, food ect they need does anyone
know what the best sites would be for me to print him up some information
on his tortoise, also do russian owners feed mazuri to them?

 

[lynnedit]

Try http://russiantortoise.org/ and print up the care and edible plant sections.
Some Russians eat Mazuri, some ignore it. They seem to go primarily for weeds and flowers and greens.
You can mention that Pet stores often don't provide the best info.
Hopefully the poor little guy is getting some sun or UV, nice of you to do this!

 

[Jessie]

Heres my opinion and what i do for my russian tort shakespeare...
Mixed veggies are a good diet as long as it's not things high in protein and such. I feed my guy a mix of spring mix with mustard greens, freshly grown mixed gourmet lettuces and kale added (I dust the veggies with calcium plus D3 twice a week). When mother nature likes me I also pick him some fresh weeds and clover and such. I have recently added Mazuri to my torts diet and he seems to enjoy it but some don't. He also gets a carrot a month to keep his beak short, I keep a cuttle bone in his enclosure at all times since they are very intelligent creatures and know when they need that boost of calcium. I keep my little guy in a 4.5 by 3.5 enclosure with 3 inches of dirt (without fertilizer of any kind in it) and 2 inches of Cyprus mulch on top. He has a hide which all torts should have and has UVB/A and basking light. He always has clean water and a "cool" side to his room. The warm side gets up to 95 degrees F and the cool side never drops below 70 degrees F. I also try to bathe him once a day for hydration but sometimes don't get home until after he has gone to bed so it usually ends up being more like 3-4 times a week. I also let him roam the house a bit once a week seeing as though it's winter here and he can't be outside and exercise is always good.
I hope this covers the basics. Hopefully somebody more experienced can help you a little more. Just remember not everybody does things the same way and the doesn't always mean their way is wrong. I'm sure my version of a good life for my little guy is very different from somebody else's opinion.

 

[lynnedit]

That looks pretty good to me!!!

 

[Kerryann]

I keep mine on coconut coir.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

That looks pretty good to me!!!

 

[Jessie]

That looks pretty good to me!!!

Are you talking about my post?