Russian ?'s

[Chadam]

Snappy lost a rear claw, is this normal? Do they Grow back?

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Snappy loves to have us feed him which is very fun to watch, he does not seem to eat very often from his dish though. I also changed his substrate and planted a bunch of seeds in his enclosure to grow fresh food for him. The substrate is Aspen bedding with black dirt is this ok? He seem's to get pretty dirty but would think this is normal in the wild and how moist should i keep the substrate? Is there a good house plant I can put in there for him that will not be bad for him?

 

[TKCARDANDCOIN]

I am not sure on the house plant but I do know some members plant the grasses and seeds in little containers and then put those in the enclosure.It may be a little easier that way.

 

[Chadam]

We planted some Beans, Peas, Leaf Lettuce, Carrots in his enclosure and was wondering if any of these leaves would be bad for him. I heard that tomato leaves are bad but are any of these others bad?

 

[tortoisenerd]

Those should all be fine. So you just have those planted in the dirt in the enclosure? If that doesn't work out, it may be easier to grow them in a tray such as a cat litter box and put the tray in the enclosure, or the tort in the tray. I've heard of seeds either having a hard time growing in and enclosure due to foot traffic, or the tort putting the seedling out so it won't re-grow (as opposed to it being well-started and the tort pulls off the top). I grow tort food in cat pans and cut or tear off the tops of the sprouts to top my little guy's salad.

If you search for tortoise safe plants or similar you will find extensive lists of safe plants. Remember if they are accessible for eating (Snappy can reach them), they should either be organic, or left out of the enclosure for 3-6 months to de-pesticide. Off the top of my head I know some stores sell organic wheatgrass. That is safe for torts and healthy too. My tort didn't particularly like it, but he also had trouble getting enough strength to bite off a piece since he's a hatchling!

How is his rear claw missing? A picture might help. If it just tort of close to the leg (and part is still there), then it should grow back no problem--tort nails grow like ours, and also need to be worn down on a hard surface if you don't want to be trimming them. If the whole nail tore out and none is left, there is a good chance it won't come back.

 

[Chadam]

I have a few old glasses that I put some seeds in and have a couple corners of his home that he cannot get to for the seeds and plants. My battery is dead on my camera so I will post some pics tommorrow. How do you trim his nails and how close should you trim them?

 

[tortoisenerd]

That sounds good for the seeds.

Ideally you should have a hard surface like slate in the enclosure to wear the nails down. Most people recommend against trimming them yourself as it's hard to know how much you can safely do so...it's best to have the vet do them if it is truly necessary. When your battery gets charged, if you take a picture of the nails you could get some opinions as to what needs to be done (or not) from some experiences members...I'm not sure about that. Also depends on the friendliness of the tort.

 

[nrfitchett4]

I wonder if our groomer does torts? A tort mani and pedi!!!

 

[tortoisenerd]

If the groomer is familiar enough with tort nails, why not?

 

[Redfootedboxturtles]

What are the temps inside the cage? Low temps might be a reason for decreased appetite. Also when housing Russians in a smaller enclosure it is best to keep the enclosure on the dry side , with a large humid hiding spot. This might keep him from digging into the substrate. I house my russians outdoors and they dig small burrows they like to have a secure spot to relax = )

 

[TKCARDANDCOIN]

As far as the nails go, the first time i trimmed my russians nails i took her to the vet and had him do it.It was fairly easy with a good pair of clippers.As far as maintenance goes with the nails i feed them on a piece of stone and that keeps the nails and the beak in pretty good shape.I also have a cuttlebone inside the enclosure,also helps with the beak!

 

[Chadam]

Yes I have a piece of stone I could feed him on but where do you find a cuttlebone?

 

[Yvonne G]

Normally tortoises' nails wear down naturally by walking on the hard-packed earth and clambering over the rocky ground outside. And Russians DO seem to have slightly longer-than-normal-looking toenails than other types of tortoises. Also, outside they dig and bury themselves into the dirt every day, which wears down their nails. If your tortoise's toe nail has been pulled out of the nail bed, chances are it won't grow back, but that's quite ok. No harm done. Also, if you think his nails are too long, I would ask your vet to trim them the first time, and have him/her at the same time, show you how to do it next time. You can buy cuttlebone in the bird section of any pet store.

Yvonne

 

[Chadam]

Thanks again Yvonne. We put some rocks in to climb on and changed his substrate to aspen bedding with black dirt so I hope that helps. He really seams to like it all. He seams alot more perky lately.