The Lost Russian - still wondering

Owllea

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Joined
Jun 20, 2022
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18
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NE Kansas
Hey community of turtle and tortoise lovers. I was feeling nostalgic and sad for my lost Yevgeny, so felt inclined to share.

A few years ago, someone had to rehome a male Russian tortoise and a female ornate box turtle. Both adults. They had been housed together in a 20 gallon tank… I know, not great for them. They were separated, and I ended up finding a lovely home for the Ornate, as we already had a juvenile male. We kept the Russian.

Fast forward a year and a half. I had overwintered him in brumation in the basement and he was doing well. His outdoor enclosure was working fine for the second season, so I thought. And then one spring day, he was gone. There was no sign of a struggle. It is likely he climbed up the corner and took off for greener pastures.

We live near some nice brome hay fields and keep about half an acre in prairie grass growth which we scythe for hay for chickens. There are many burrowing rodents in our clay soil and a creek is just across the field.

The question: could a Russian tortoise survive NE Kansas winters in a nice thick grass covered clay burrow?

We haven’t seen any sign of him (there is so much space, it’s unlikely we will find him). I can’t help but hope to stumble upon him one day. Anyway, I’ve enjoyed reading some personal stories on this forum, so this is just one of mine.

And, if anyone has some miraculous lost tortoise stories, feel free to share!
 

wellington

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Sorry to hear of you losing your tort. Russians do hibernate in the cold winter months. So I would guess he likely can survive. Don't give up hope and you should if you didnt back then, inform neighbors, vets, rescues in your area.
We have had lost tortoises on this forum found after months and even a year. There is always hope.
 
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Kybry00

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Joined
Dec 6, 2020
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41
Location (City and/or State)
Oxnard
Hey community of turtle and tortoise lovers. I was feeling nostalgic and sad for my lost Yevgeny, so felt inclined to share.

A few years ago, someone had to rehome a male Russian tortoise and a female ornate box turtle. Both adults. They had been housed together in a 20 gallon tank… I know, not great for them. They were separated, and I ended up finding a lovely home for the Ornate, as we already had a juvenile male. We kept the Russian.

Fast forward a year and a half. I had overwintered him in brumation in the basement and he was doing well. His outdoor enclosure was working fine for the second season, so I thought. And then one spring day, he was gone. There was no sign of a struggle. It is likely he climbed up the corner and took off for greener pastures.

We live near some nice brome hay fields and keep about half an acre in prairie grass growth which we scythe for hay for chickens. There are many burrowing rodents in our clay soil and a creek is just across the field.

The question: could a Russian tortoise survive NE Kansas winters in a nice thick grass covered clay burrow?

We haven’t seen any sign of him (there is so much space, it’s unlikely we will find him). I can’t help but hope to stumble upon him one day. Anyway, I’ve enjoyed reading some personal stories on this forum, so this is just one of mine.

And, if anyone has some miraculous lost tortoise stories, feel free to share!
P like one of my Russians was wild caught and he was always trying to get out and he didn't get very far and I have another Russian she does not go very far at all and then I had another Russian and he escaped for 3 weeks and he did not go very far either she was close by so what I'm trying to say is I would do some looking around in your area he might just be close by and how cold does it get over there
 
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Tom

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P like one of my Russians was wild caught and he was always trying to get out and he didn't get very far and I have another Russian she does not go very far at all and then I had another Russian and he escaped for 3 weeks and he did not go very far either she was close by so what I'm trying to say is I would do some looking around in your area he might just be close by and how cold does it get over there
You need to seriously reconsider how you are housing them. The pen(s) should have been re-built and corrected after the FIRST one escaped.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
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Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
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Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Hey community of turtle and tortoise lovers. I was feeling nostalgic and sad for my lost Yevgeny, so felt inclined to share.

A few years ago, someone had to rehome a male Russian tortoise and a female ornate box turtle. Both adults. They had been housed together in a 20 gallon tank… I know, not great for them. They were separated, and I ended up finding a lovely home for the Ornate, as we already had a juvenile male. We kept the Russian.

Fast forward a year and a half. I had overwintered him in brumation in the basement and he was doing well. His outdoor enclosure was working fine for the second season, so I thought. And then one spring day, he was gone. There was no sign of a struggle. It is likely he climbed up the corner and took off for greener pastures.

We live near some nice brome hay fields and keep about half an acre in prairie grass growth which we scythe for hay for chickens. There are many burrowing rodents in our clay soil and a creek is just across the field.

The question: could a Russian tortoise survive NE Kansas winters in a nice thick grass covered clay burrow?

We haven’t seen any sign of him (there is so much space, it’s unlikely we will find him). I can’t help but hope to stumble upon him one day. Anyway, I’ve enjoyed reading some personal stories on this forum, so this is just one of mine.

And, if anyone has some miraculous lost tortoise stories, feel free to share!
Yes they can survive your winters. Your climate is less harsh than where they come from.

It is very likely that your tortoise shimmied down into the dirt in its own pen. They don't "burrow" like a sulcata or gopher tortoise. They shimmy down into the dirt much like a stingray in sand, but deeper. Sometimes more than a foot deep. For a time, I had three groups going totaling 20. They were housed in a giant 32 x 30 foot cage that they could not escape from. It was made of 1 inch by 2 inch welded wire that went 18 inches down into the ground. Every night I would make sure they were all locked up in their night boxes to keep them safe from rats and ants, and any other predators. Raccoons can reach in and grab them even if they can't get into the cage. I would "lose" one about once a week. It was very perplexing and upsetting at first, but I just had to learn what they do and how to look for them. I always found them, always inside their cage, but I would have sworn they were somehow gone sometimes.

With that in mind, make sure your enclosure remains fully intact in spring time, so that when the tortoise wakes from brumation and digs its way up, it cannot escape because a wall or the whole thing was taken down, or a leaf pile near an edge serves as a walk way out, etc... Russians can walk around in near freezing temps sometimes, so keep an eye out early in spring.
 
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