Russian tortoise

[cindyrae4]

I was given a Russian tortoise to help rehab as her previous owner severely dehydrated her. she ate the first 3 days but has not eaten again for over a week. we soak her 2x daily and have offered her greens,clover & pellets. She sleeps a lot & is very week. Her back legs & neck are peeling. she is severly underweight, so I'm concerned that she hasn't eaten in over a week. I offered her banana & she won't eat that. What else should I do? Any advice?

 

[lynnedit]

Keep soaking her twice per day as you are doing. Have you heard about adding strained carrot or sweet potato baby food the the soaks? About one jar to a small soaking container. Make sure the water is 'baby bath' warm, and doesn't cool off. Usually 10-15 minutes is fine. You can add a little warm water if you need to. They do absorb some of the nutrients through the delicate skin at the tail, and will get some if they drink.
Also, make sure her temps are good. She doesn't need a huge enclosure right now, just a warm one. Basking area (a house bulb, usually 100w,is fine) and a cool side of 70-75.
And make sure the substrate is moist underneath. Not sopping, just add enough water that the underlayers feel moist.

Peeling alone is normal periodically. Not eating right away is normal.

Try the baby food soaks with the above advice for a few days and see how it goes! If no response, a visit to a REPTILE vet may be indicated.

 

[kimber_lee_314]

I was given a Russian tortoise to help rehab as her previous owner severely dehydrated her. she ate the first 3 days but has not eaten again for over a week. we soak her 2x daily and have offered her greens,clover & pellets. She sleeps a lot & is very week. Her back legs & neck are peeling. she is severly underweight, so I'm concerned that she hasn't eaten in over a week. I offered her banana & she won't eat that. What else should I do? Any advice?

 

[JoesMum]

Re: RE: Russian tortoise

I was given a Russian tortoise to help rehab as her previous owner severely dehydrated her. she ate the first 3 days but has not eaten again for over a week. we soak her 2x daily and have offered her greens,clover & pellets. She sleeps a lot & is very week. Her back legs & neck are peeling. she is severly underweight, so I'm concerned that she hasn't eaten in over a week. I offered her banana & she won't eat that. What else should I do? Any advice?

At the moment this tort doesn't trust you and this will take time. Make sure one of the soaks is first thing in the morning before its warmed up properly. Offer food straight after the soak then walk away. It will get used to being handled and to you being around, but it might take a few weeks as they're slow on the uptake. Personally, after only 3 days, I wouldn't start the babyfood soaks yet.

What temperatures do you have in the enclosure? There are four important ones: warm side, cool side, directly under the basking lamp and overnight minimum. If these are wrong, the tort will stop eating. Also, what UVB do you have? UVB is essential for a tort kept indoors as it helps the tort make vitamin D3 which helps the tort digest Calcium

Russians have a diet mostly of leafy greens. They cannot digest sugars properly and fruit, including tomato and bell pepper, could make them sick if fed frequently. Banana is far too sugary and must not be fed. Pellets must be thoroughly soaked.

All reptiles shed their skin visibly. Snakes do it one go; torts do it constantly and have a habit of looking pretty tatty. It's nothing to worry about.

 

[ascott]

May we see a picture of the tort.....sometimes pics are worth a thousand words....

 

[cindyrae4]

Hi! Our RT that we were rehabbing passed away. We tried everything . TY for all the advice . We were heartbroken as we had grown to love her in the short 3 weeks we had her. Vet said her kidneys just gave out from the previous dehydration suffered from previous owners .
So , we really wanted more RT's & 2 weeks ago we purchased 2 from the local pet store. They, Batman & Spock, are about 8 mo old. I have coco coir on top of organic soil for the strata. Batman loves to burrow nightly & Spock goes in the corner. I soak them at least every other to make sure they poop! They love their mixed greens!

 

[Yvonne G]

So sorry that your re-hab tortoise didn't make it. But you gave it a good try. Once the kidneys are gone, there's really nothing you can do for the tortoise.

Your new tortoises are almost full grown. I'd say they are about 8 to 10 years old.

 

[tiff3grl]

Sorry for your loss. It's never easy to loose a pet. Your new torts look very happy and healthy.

 

[Vickie]

Wow those are very good sized if they are 8months! May I ask if you purchased them from a breeder or a pet store? Reason asking is Pet stores a lot of times sort of guess at their ages and ones that don't have as much knowledge can guess their ages WAY off.

Anyway, its nice to see you didn't give up on tortoises! Are turtles and tortoises such great pets?

 

[cindyrae4]

So sorry that your re-hab tortoise didn't make it. But you gave it a good try. Once the kidneys are gone, there's really nothing you can do for the tortoise.

Your new tortoises are almost full grown. I'd say they are about 8 to 10 years old.

That's a close up photo! The pet store said they are 8 mo. old & we measured them; 3" across! They are babies.

---

Wow those are very good sized if they are 8months! May I ask if you purchased them from a breeder or a pet store? Reason asking is Pet stores a lot of times sort of guess at their ages and ones that don't have as much knowledge can guess their ages WAY off.

Anyway, its nice to see you didn't give up on tortoises! Are turtles and tortoises such great pets?

I measured them & they are only 3 in. across!

---

So sorry that your re-hab tortoise didn't make it. But you gave it a good try. Once the kidneys are gone, there's really nothing you can do for the tortoise.

Your new tortoises are almost full grown. I'd say they are about 8 to 10 years old.

That's a close up photo! The pet store said they are 8 mo. old & we measured them; 3" across! They are babies.

---

Wow those are very good sized if they are 8months! May I ask if you purchased them from a breeder or a pet store? Reason asking is Pet stores a lot of times sort of guess at their ages and ones that don't have as much knowledge can guess their ages WAY off.

Anyway, its nice to see you didn't give up on tortoises! Are turtles and tortoises such great pets?

I measured them & they are only 3 in. across! And, yes, I agree! Torts are great pets!

---

 

[lynnedit]

Their shells have a more 'aged' look than an 8 month old Russian Tortoise, but you never know.

The best way (for comparison) to measure a tortoise is the undershell length. Put the tortoise against a flat wall on a piece of paper, head facing wall. Push him up against it and mark the base of the shell with a pencil. Then measure that length in cm or inches and let us know!

Sorry to hear about your first tortoise, he has some comfort at the end.
You new torts look very healthy!

 

[Mrturtle527]

I love that you tried to save the one you were given, it's a hard thing to take on and an emotionally roller coaster. I got my first Russian at the end of may and was also told he was under a year, after much research and help I am thinking he is more like 5 so that is the age I am giving him . I also just bought a baby tort that hatched at the end of may - love these guys and you will so love yours!

 

[cindyrae4]

RE: Anoles

Hi! My rescue Anole lizards, Magnum & Nami, whom I've had for 2 years, are parents! We knew they were male & female, but didn't think they would breed in captivity! Today, we found a baby anole on a leaf in the tank! So awesome! We're so excited!