Where did my Russian Tortoise go?

psutoon

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Tom,

if it does come back then sure, we will have to make arrangements. I am not too worried about that. And still haven't given up looking for it just yet.
 

Russianuncletwo

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Many people have this "I don't take my eyes off of him" stance, but you do take your eyes off of them. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but eventually you will and the tortoise will be gone.

The solution is to have a safe, secure, escape proof enclosure for the tortoise so then when human nature takes over, everything will be fine.

Tortoises should not be out loose roaming outside of a tortoise enclosure. Follow this advice and you won't need superhuman powers of concentration or hawk eyes.
I guess you didn't use bold print here with me. I can't believe this-my Luna is missing now. Left unattended in back yard for technically seconds-unfortunately, instead of in the middle of the lot, too close to an evergreen (??) and not that close. I’m freaking out. (She urinated a bit on my hand so I set her down, thinking she'd head for the fence while I walked over to some rubbing alcohol 50 feet away and raced back.) I looked for hours, past dark and had two people eventually helping me for hours. I put flyers up with more to come. The search resumes Saturday, unfortunately most likely alone. Just when you think you know their patterns, they find a way to dupe you! He's all I have left after 3 human deaths the last 2 years. Reward offered is an understatement.
 

Tom

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I guess you didn't use bold print here with me. I can't believe this-my Luna is missing now. Left unattended in back yard for technically seconds-unfortunately, instead of in the middle of the lot, too close to an evergreen (??) and not that close. I’m freaking out. (She urinated a bit on my hand so I set her down, thinking she'd head for the fence while I walked over to some rubbing alcohol 50 feet away and raced back.) I looked for hours, past dark and had two people eventually helping me for hours. I put flyers up with more to come. The search resumes Saturday, unfortunately most likely alone. Just when you think you know their patterns, they find a way to dupe you! He's all I have left after 3 human deaths the last 2 years. Reward offered is an understatement.

I'm sorry to hear this. All I can do is try to warn people. I've just seen this so many times and I've done it myself too, so I know how quickly it can happen. This seems to be one of those lessons that people just have to learn the hard way.

I hope you find Luna.
 

Yvonne G

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Because you've bought this tortoise at a pet store, I'm going out on a limb here and say he (in fact both of them) is at least 8 years old. Unless you have a certificate from the breeder that tells you the hatch date, there's no way to be sure, but pet stores can't sell tortoises under 4". In order to reach 4", because of their small size, Russian tortoises are usually around 8 to 10 years old by 4".
 

psutoon

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Yvonne,

Yikes then I wonder how old is my new one. Gal said 6 months and it's shell is roughly 3.5'-4" long.
 

WillTort2

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I would try watering along the wall that was shady when your tort went missing. During the heat of the day they will seek shade first and dig in where ever they can find soft dirt. And they like to dig under a rock or tree root in order to protect their lair.
 

Russianuncletwo

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I'm sorry to hear this. All I can do is try to warn people. I've just seen this so many times and I've done it myself too, so I know how quickly it can happen. This seems to be one of those lessons that people just have to learn the hard way.

I hope you find Luna.
Thank you and for people reading this, the shame of it so far was that while I was looking where I feared he may have gone, he ended up right at the area he was obsessed with going back to when with me that afternoon-I found this out by someone who replied by phone to one of the flyers I put out late last night who came across him and apparently nudged him off sidewalk onto grass. (This tip helps.) Bottom line is, if one doesn't have a second party handy to help, it may be a good idea in advance to have a sign saying, "Lost Tortoise" (or something of that nature) and put it front of your home while you are searching. Here I had a rescuer, maybe 70 feet or less from my front door a half hour after Luna was lost and she didn't know the tort was lost-assumed it was wild/stray.
The search goes on, meanwhile.
 

Tom

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Yvonne,

Yikes then I wonder how old is my new one. Gal said 6 months and it's shell is roughly 3.5'-4" long.

This is just one example of the misinformation that is to be found at most pet stores...
 

Yvonne G

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Thank you and for people reading this, the shame of it so far was that while I was looking where I feared he may have gone, he ended up right at the area he was obsessed with going back to when with me that afternoon-I found this out by someone who replied by phone to one of the flyers I put out late last night who came across him and apparently nudged him off sidewalk onto grass. (This tip helps.) Bottom line is, if one doesn't have a second party handy to help, it may be a good idea in advance to have a sign saying, "Lost Tortoise" (or something of that nature) and put it front of your home while you are searching. Here I had a rescuer, maybe 70 feet or less from my front door a half hour after Luna was lost and she didn't know the tort was lost-assumed it was wild/stray.
The search goes on, meanwhile.

Aw, dang. He's off the property then. I was hoping he was still contained in the back yard. They can travel quite far in just a very short time. Good luck. I hope he comes home.
 

Russianuncletwo

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Meanwhile, when he was lost in past under another's care a few years back, was usually within 20 or 100 feet; the last time, after 9 days about 200 feet. I still can't believe I let this happen. Have the "whole town" involved now. Flyers, networking and concentrated search w/rake lifting every bush I can get my hands on. If found by someone else, will probably be during a feed, basking or going from point A to point B. I'm still concerned he's OK (not stuck someplace) or in the rear of some 500' deep backyard where the owners are on vacation. Real worried, real pessimistic, but... doing everything possible. I consider myself expert at this but not keen on the environment on my block-too many hiding spots, too much lush greenery and w/one exception, all private homes/yards.
 

silvisgirl

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Oct 12, 2015
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Hello,

I am new to this site. I just bookmarked it and will use it for all future reference. I need your help in locating my missing Russian tortoise Joe. I live in Phoenix, Arizona and he has been missing for about 20hrs.

I just purchased 2yr old Joe from Pets Mart a few days ago. I have it kept in a small, glass cage with all the essentials the Pets Mart associate suggested.

For about 30min or so, I will let him loose in the back yard so he can move more freely, exercise, and to just get "fresh air". Once I get him, I let him soak in water for abut 20min to help pass stool and for hydration purposes. Yesterday, I ran a little late and left him outdoors for about an hour or so. The temperatures were in the high 90s, low 100F rage. I went to find him and he was no where to be found.

Enclosed are two pics of the garden which I left him in. I doubt he escaped through the gate. The gap, under the gate, I stuffed with an old towel. I am confident he could not have pushed his way through let alone even fit through the small gap. I checked in the mini utility room on the back left corner of garden and he is not hiding anywhere in there.

My only theory I have here is that it was too hot, after awhile, and he must have dug himself under ground. Now how would I go about finding him? Since I am in the summer, it cannot hibernate now correct? Therefore if he is indeed burrowed underground, he would have to come up for food/water/heat correct at some point?

Please help....

Sincerely,
Nate

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Hi Nate,

I hope by now that you've found Joe and that he's doing just fine. I read your post about a week ago when I was worrying about our Mac, a 22yr old Russian tortoise. We had a nice surprise yesterday so I thought I'd share our experience here to give others hope.

We bought a home in Gilbert, AZ in April of 2015. The home seller asked if we'd be interested in their Russian tortoise, Mac, who lived in the backyard. They were crazy about him but didn't want to remove him from the area he knew. We happily agreed. Our yard is about 60% grass with the border being rock and shrubs. Mac seemed to like resting under nearly every desert bush that lined the backyard. In early June Mac went missing and we didn't see him for 2 weeks. He surfaced for 2 days and disappeared again. We didn't worry at first, but as September came and went we feared the worst. We had looked under EVERYTHING in the yard and figured that somehow he had either escaped or been taken. Yesterday, October 11th, Mac surfaced and looked as healthy as ever. He ate some greens but didn't have a huge appetite. Apparently Mac knows how to take care of himself.

Since we took over guardianship of Mac we didn't do anything to upset his habitat when we moved in. He is a small guy with a shell length of about 6 inches. He has free reign over the entire backyard, but can't access the gate area. We allow some of the leaf debris to build up under the bushes so that he can hide and keep cool. We have yet to build him a hide but will do that for the winter. The previous homeowner told us that Mac would disappear in the winter for months, but not to worry about him. They didn't mention that he'd go underground in the summer months too!

I'm hoping this post will be helpful to others. And I hope that you see Joe again soon.
 
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