Why can't i find a Baby Russian Tortoise?

[thefnshow66]

Thanks for the advice . Since I'm getting a 09 Dalmation Hermann hatchling, I know you can't determine a tortoise's sex until they are a bit older but I've seen some older threads on this site where Dan seems to know his stuff so I'm hopeful when i get my little one, it turns out to be a male. I'm really excited and I've already got a name for him/her. A couple of questions though.

*What is the average size for a Male and female Dalmation tortoise? Do they vary like the eastern and western hermann's do?

*I'll be using shredded aspen as substrate in a 40 gallon tub, how many inches of aspen should i provide?

*Can I feed Hay for him/her to munch on?

*I plan on heating the tub with a mercury vapor bulb, should i place the heat/light in the middle of the enclosure or on a side to give a hot and cool side?

 

[tortoisenerd]

I don't know the answers for all of these, but I'll take a stab at some.

1. I'd use aspen at least twice as deep as the tort in case it wants to completely bury itself. Not sure how much Hermanns dig though. If your container is high enough, more seems to be better (just make sure the container is high enough for substrate + tort on its hind legs on top of any cage furnishings by a wall). If you do a lot, I just take out the top layer when I change it. He doesn't soil the deep stuff.

2. It depends on the enclosure geometry. I have a very rectangular enclosure and place the bulb in the middle, so I have the warm area in the middle, and it goes to the cool areas at the ends. There is a nice gradient. he doesn't mind walking through the warm area to get to a cooler area. For a smaller or square enclosure, you might want to place the bulb on one side, and have the other side be the cooler side. This is something that is great to to test out before the tort is even there. You will have to adjust the bulb height based on room temperature. I'd set up the substrate and see where to place the bulb to get you the best temperature gradient. You should have a hot and cool side (70s to 90s as far as I know), but that doesn't many you can't place it in the middle based on size and geometry.

3. I haven't heard of Hermanns liking hay, but of course I don't know everything. Hopefully Danny will have more to say on this. You can always provide low protein hay (not Alfalfa; Timothy is great) for hiding and munching if they choose though. My tort's favorite hide is a Timothy hay pile in the warm area. He personally doesn't like the hut/box hides. The fresh stuff is at Carolina Pet Supply online, but expensive with shipping. If you buy some at the pet store you should be able to smell the aroma without opening the bag. If you can't smell it, it's been sitting there awhile. If you want him to even think about eating it, it should the the softer stuff not the twig/stick stuff.

Best wishes!

 

[Carol S]

Hello,
I've been wanting to get a Russian tortoise for a while now but all the ones i see on online and at pet stores are all wild caught. I would really like a baby Russian that is captive bred but it seems like it's a hard thing to find. Why is that?

I was on carolinapetsupply.com. There is a reptile and amphibian classifed section. It is on the left hand left of the home page at the bottom. Anyway, there is an ad for baby Russian Tortoises that will be ready for sale at the end of July.

My baby Russian Tortoise was purchased in May of this year from Amazon Reptile in Montclair, CA. At that time they had at least 12. All their tortoises and reptiles are captive bred. Good luck in your search for a baby Russian Tortoise.

 

[Millerlite]

are you getting the tortoise from dan? If so that would be good, he has great tortoises and healthy ones, he also will help you out after you purchase which is great. Plus hes on this forum, and we all can watch your guy grow up, lol

 

[egyptiandan]

Here goes

Males average about 5" and females 6" to 7" Some males will be smaller and some bigger, the same with females. They do vary like all the Hermanns.

Hermanns do like to dig, so at least 2" of aspen is good.

You can have hay to dig or nest in, but he will most likely not eat it.

I always heat one side, so there is a warm and cool side with all tortoises that thermoregulate (bask), which includes all the Testudo species.

Danny