Russian shell help

Angiecee22

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I've had my Russian 11 months now. Before I got him I did months of research and built him a 3'x4 tortoise table with a ramp for climbing, and a hide away underneath. He has a basking spot under his UVA&UVB lamps. At night he has an artificial moon light heat lamp to keep his table at the proper tempature. When I first got him we used substrate, but quickly "Gunner" began getting it stuck in his eyes and food, causing a digestive blockage and an eye infection. We switched to putting fabric on the bottom and a space filled with hay that he likes to sleep on and burrow in.
I did a lot of research on his diet, I didn't take advice from the store I got him (petsmart, which in my opinion has a better grip on things, and treats animals better than Petco). We feed him many different greens, and occasionally fruit like cantaloupe. We feed him in the morning and at night. I always have multiple greens for him in stock, so he isn't eating the same thing every day. Some of the things we give him are dandelions, kale, turnip greens, collard greens, bok choy, and mustard greens. We try to give him calcium supplement on his food but he refuses to eat it when we put it on. He poops on his table regularly, sometimes in the bath. We bathe him and let him soak his shell 10-15 min every week. He doesn't like the water very much.
He has grown a lot since I got him, my guess was he was still a rather young tortoise when I got him, he was about 4 inches long. I don't know if I'm doing something really wrong, sometimes its hard to tell because you ask 5 people the same question and you get 5 different answers. He seems very healthy, hes friendly and active. We live in New England so he can't go outside year round, but when its the summer and warm enough we'll let him run around in the grass for a little. I don't know if this shell growth is normal, I love this little guy and I want to make sure hes healthy.
The first two pictures are when I got him, the second two are more recent. 1533944_591855610890718_1394794564_n.jpg photo 1.JPGphoto 2.JPG photo.JPG
 

Reptilelove

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I think there is a possibility that he has grown too fast and caused the deformity... I don't have a horse field so I could be wrong :)
 

yillt

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Either way he still looks beautiful. I don't know the answer though. Sorry.
 

johnsonnboswell

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You need to figure out how to make a proper substrate work for you, what to add to the coir & how much water. He needs that to keep him healthy, legs, feet, nails, shell, lungs. Fabric is only appropriate as a hospital measure, not long term.

No fruit. No cantaloupe. No bok choy unless its in spring mix.
 

johnsonnboswell

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A cool down period at night is good. If it's not going below 60 at night, don't use night heat. Don't use night light.
 

Wanda

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I think this is rapid growth. I don't know about your different stores over there but if he was wild caught he will be used to foraging for his food and then suddenly there it is literally on a plate! Horsfields/ Russians are well known for eating everything they can find because in the wild they are only active for comparatively short periods compared to some other breeds.

I am not saying what I do is the best way, but it works for me. What I do is feed normally for a few days and spread it all around their enclosure so they have to hunt for it. But then I will follow that with a day where they get much less, particularly if it is cooler. If they made the rules they would eat everything I put down and then still demand more!
 

Tom

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1. What type of UV bulbs and what is the temperature in the basking spot?
2. What substrate did you use that cause those problems? It could have been due to the unneeded colored night light.
3. I agree with everything Johsonboswell said, but to add my own words: Grocery store greens are not the best diet. They need fibrous weeds and leaves. Here are some suggestions for better food, and yes, skip the fruit entirely:
Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads

Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard

Other good stuff:
"Testudo Seed Mix" from http://www.tortoisesupply.com/SeedMixes
Pasture mixes or other seeds from http://www.groworganic.com/seeds.html
Homegrown alfalfa
Mazuri Tortoise Chow
ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food

4. I would soak twice a week.
5. If he's not eating the greens with the calcium, you might be using too much. You only need a tiny pinch a couple times a week. He also might not be hungry enough and I'd keep feeding him the same kind of food with a tiny bit of calcium on until he did eat it. Hunger will eventually overcome pickiness. Its not like you are depriving him of food. Its sitting right there in front of him and he just has to eat it.



After all that, here is what I think you need to do differently:
1. Much more outside time in the sun (shade should always be available too) in a large, safe, escape proof enclosure.
2. Your indoor enclosure was a good size to start with, but its time to start thinking about going larger.
3. Diet need much improvement, but this will take time and the slow tedious process of getting them to eat good things instead of lettuce from the grocery store. Hunger will be your friend in this endeavor, and don't worry. Your tortoise is not wanting for food.
4. Your tortoise needs a deep damp substrate that he can burrow into and a humid hide. All of these things are factors, but THIS, more than anything else, is probably the reason for your distinctly different growth. Coco coir does not cause impactions or eye irritations. Neither does orchid bark. Many sites and people tell you to use sand or a sand mixture. I disagree. Sand CAN cause impaction and eye issues and it often does.


Here are a couple of threads for you:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
 

Yellow Turtle01

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Yes, think he grow way too fast, causing the new growth to be wrongly colored! Yep, Tom's got it down!
 

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