Why does my russian seem so "needy"?

[Kevboosh]

I know "uppies" can't actually be what he wants but, whenever he sees me, he makes a beeline and tries to climb the wall. He'll prop himself up and just stare at me. When I'm cleaning his enclosure, he'll follow me and try to be near my hands. I don't think it's aggression because, if I let him catch up with my hand, he just sniffs it and hangs out and he doesnt run. He'll even abandon his food, mid munch sometimes. I dont think he just wants out of his house because it is already so much bigger than what he was in at the pet store. I never hold him unless I'm moving him or washing the bottom of his shell. What could a previous owner have possibly conditioned him to expect from me? What is he trying to say? Thank you.

P.S. are his back leg's nails starting to get too long?

 

[Sarah2020]

As long as food, water, calcium, heat, light , substrate are provided and correct then I think he just looks foward to company and seeing you. I have a Russian who has an indoor amd outdoor enclosure. In the morning he looks forward to going outside (in the summer and weather permitting) and he sits and waits and walks over when the door opens.

Care sheet attached which may help.....

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

Russians are escape artists so he could be working out how to get out of the area.
Re nails if you have a reptile shop close by ask them to check nails and also beak so they can sometimes overhang. I also recommend introducing shallow warm water soaks in a high sided container for 30 mins this helps hydration and over time they relax in it. Enjoy and ask questions

 

[Kevboosh]

As long as food, water, calcium, heat, light , substrate are provided and correct then I think he just looks foward to company and seeing you. I have a Russian who has an indoor amd outdoor enclosure. In the morning he looks forward to going outside (in the summer and weather permitting) and he sits and waits and walks over when the door opens.

Care sheet attached which may help.....

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

Russians are escape artists so he could be working out how to get out of the area.
Re nails if you have a reptile shop close by ask them to check nails and also beak so they can sometimes overhang. I also recommend introducing shallow warm water soaks in a high sided container for 30 mins this helps hydration and over time they relax in it. Enjoy and ask questions

I've only had him since february or so. Is that enough time for him to learn to "like" me? Or maybe he just liked one person in the past and now just likes everybody? You think he might understand that I am a means of escaping his house?

 

[Sarah2020]

He knows your the food provider, I would accept what he does and enjoy him.

 

[SinLA]

Yes i would agree with Sarah, enjoy it. Mine has no interest in me whatsoever, so enjoy it. Also the back nails seem fine...

Most likely he see's you as the 'great food god' coming to visit, and it is something new and different.

That said, if you aren't familiar with Garden State Tortoise, the have a box turtle named Otis who has very unusual behavior and is fixed on humans, so sometimes it seems to happen

 

[Kevboosh]

As long as food, water, calcium, heat, light , substrate are provided and correct then I think he just looks foward to company and seeing you. I have a Russian who has an indoor amd outdoor enclosure. In the morning he looks forward to going outside (in the summer and weather permitting) and he sits and waits and walks over when the door opens.

Care sheet attached which may help.....

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

Russians are escape artists so he could be working out how to get out of the area.
Re nails if you have a reptile shop close by ask them to check nails and also beak so they can sometimes overhang. I also recommend introducing shallow warm water soaks in a high sided container for 30 mins this helps hydration and over time they relax in it. Enjoy and ask questions

Why do you suggest the soaks? Does he seem dry? If it's his shell, I've been applying a "shell saver" lotion during his soaks. I did only get one soak in this week, when normally he'd have had multiple by now, and noticed this morning that his face looked a little dryer than usual. Still better than when I got him. What do you think? I rarely do full 30 minute soaks but do enough 15-20 minute ones to add up to at least an hour a week

 

[Kevboosh]

Thanks guys. Happy that he seems to be only saying hello.

 

[wellington]

Better than when you got him doesn't mean it's right!
Giving all proper care, housing, diet, heat, uvb, etc is what is needed.
I only mention it, because you said it twice, like if you do better than the pet store then it's good.
Doing what is right and proper is what's good.
Not saying you aren't doing it right either. Have no idea, as you haven't said or showed pictures.
But if you read the care sheet and find out you aren't, then make changes.
An adult Russian doesn't need to be soaked daily or even weekly as long as it has a water dish it can actually use and some humidity. Then a few times a month or once a week is fine.

 

[zolasmum]

Thanks guys. Happy that he seems to be only saying hello.

Our Hermanns tortoise definitely likes to be with humans - he is 23 now, and has grown more and more friendly and confident over the years. He will abandon his food, as you describe, to run up to us, and wants to get involved in whatever is going on. He also loves to be stroked and cuddled. But when he is on his own he is perfectly happy, climbing things and moving them about in his conservatory. He just fimds us more interesting !
You are fortunate he is so friendly - some tortoises never get like that. You said you don't hold him - actually, I think it's a good idea to get him used to being handled - it will make it easier if he has to go to the vet, for instance.
Angie

 

[Kevboosh]

Better than when you got him doesn't mean it's right!
Giving all proper care, housing, diet, heat, uvb, etc is what is needed.
I only mention it, because you said it twice, like if you do better than the pet store then it's good.
Doing what is right and proper is what's good.
Not saying you aren't doing it right either. Have no idea, as you haven't said or showed pictures.
But if you read the care sheet and find out you aren't, then make changes.
An adult Russian doesn't need to be soaked daily or even weekly as long as it has a water dish it can actually use and some humidity. Then a few times a month or once a week is fine.

I didnt say "better=perfect". I said better. I said his house was better than the one at the pet store because it seemed relevant. I said his dry face is better because I imagine, after his bad care at the pet store, giving him the proper care won't make him look perfectly healthy over night. I meant "better" as in "recovering". I've been following that care sheet for months. Thanks.

P.S. what didn't I show pictures of? If you're talking about his enclosure, I made a post asking for advice about his new one a couple weeks ago. There was a picture.

 

[wellington]

I didnt say "better=perfect". I said better. I said his house was better than the one at the pet store because it seemed relevant. I said his dry face is better because I imagine, after his bad care at the pet store, giving him the proper care won't make him look perfectly healthy over night. I meant "better" as in "recovering". I've been following that care sheet for months. Thanks.

P.S. what didn't I show pictures of? If you're talking about his enclosure, I made a post asking for advice about his new one a couple weeks ago. There was a picture.

Just a lot of people think if they do better than the pet store or better than the 20 gallon tank he used to be in, now being in only a 40 gallon, then they are doing good. When in fact, for an adult of almost any species, an aquarium is never a good thing.
I did say, if you didn't just skip over that part, that I don't know if you are doing it right or not. On this thread there are no pictures, don't need to be, cause that's not what you asked about. Was just noticing what you had said about before you got him, just pointing it out.
Btw, you are not the only one that will read this thread, many members will, specially newbies. They think doing better, like I said, is all they need to do.
Also, there are hundreds if not thousands of members. I won't know what threads you have done before!

 

[Kevboosh]

Just a lot of people think if they do better than the pet store or better than the 20 gallon tank he used to be in, now being in only a 40 gallon, then they are doing good. When in fact, for an adult of almost any species, an aquarium is never a good thing.
I did say, if you didn't just skip over that part, that I don't know if you are doing it right or not. On this thread there are no pictures, don't need to be, cause that's not what you asked about. Was just noticing what you had said about before you got him, just pointing it out.
Btw, you are not the only one that will read this thread, many members will, specially newbies. They think doing better, like I said, is all they need to do.
Also, there are hundreds if not thousands of members. I won't know what threads you have done before!

His current enclosure is plywood, sealed with drylok original and 8 feet by 4 feet. It has an arcadia 12% uvb, an incandescent basking bulb, a ceramic heat emitter and. plenty of hides. It has about 4 inches of the coconut fiber substrate and some of the type of wood chips Tom suggested. When I get paid, I plan to add a few more inches of the wood chip substrate. I also plan to eventually make another, larger enclosure out of better wood+tile and then use this one for an outdoor playpen.

 

[wellington]

His current enclosure is plywood, sealed with drylok original and 8 feet by 4 feet. It has an arcadia 12% uvb, an incandescent basking bulb, a ceramic heat emitter and. plenty of hides. It has about 4 inches of the coconut fiber substrate and some of the type of wood chips Tom suggested. When I get paid, I plan to add a few more inches of the wood chip substrate. I also plan to eventually make another, larger enclosure out of better wood+tile and then use this one for an outdoor playpen.

You didn't have to post that. I could have looked it up, now that I knew you had another post about it.
Sounds good though. Just don't have too many hides. One, two tops is all that's needed. One really. Otherwise too much of the roaming room is used up and they need that to stay healthy and keep things moving both inside and out.

 

[Kevboosh]

You didn't have to post that. I could have looked it up, now that I knew you had another post about it.
Sounds good though. Just don't have too many hides. One, two tops is all that's needed. One really. Otherwise too much of the roaming room is used up and they need that to stay healthy and keep things moving both inside and out.

They're just those little half log tunnel things. He likes to climb over them and walk under them so I got extra, for enrichment.

 

[Cathie G]

My Russian is friendly especially to me but other people too. That might be one reason why Russian tortoises are so popular. I think they also get used to a daily schedule and slowly become accustomed to it. I've only recently been able to go into his room and see and hear him eat. I didn't know that he crunched his food. And I could actually hear the crunch. He just keeps being amazing.I used to sneak in just to peak because he would stop eating if he saw me. I've had him since 2007.

 

[Tom]

I can jut hear @SinLA muttering under her breath about all the friendly interactive social Russian tortoises.

 

[SinLA]

I can jut hear @SinLA muttering under her breath about all the friendly interactive social Russian tortoises.

You know it...

 

[Kevboosh]

So, it's just a simple pavlovian response to walk towards something he has positive associations with? No further thought or agenda than that? I feel like a dummy for agonizing over this for so long lol. I bet that's why he would spend so much time trying to climb the wall of his old enclosure. He always climbed the side facing my office but I thought that was just because there was more stuff to see in that direction. I have a webcam hooked up now so I know he doesnt do it unless he sees me.

 

[Kevboosh]

So, it's just a simple pavlovian response to walk towards something he has positive associations with? No further thought or agenda than that? I feel like a dummy for agonizing over this for so long lol. I bet that's why he would spend so much time trying to climb the wall of his old enclosure. He always climbed the side facing my office but I thought that was just because there was more stuff to see in that direction. I have a webcam hooked up now so I know he doesnt do it unless he sees me.

I had fixed his wall climbing problem in his old kiddie pool enclosure by dragging it to a window for some real sunlight but I guess it only worked because he couldn't see me anymore

 

[SinLA]

I wouldn’t discount that he likes you, he clearly does. Whether or not it’s simply you provide variety to his day, or you are the food god, or you are GOD to him, it’s all favorable and good. I just wouldn’t necessarily assign mammal-like “affection” the way our dogs truly love and worship us.

for a long time I agonized if my guy was “happy” because he didnt seem to “like” me but I really was looking at the wrong factors. Fezzik is living his life, and he knows I’m around and I show up and stare at him sometimes, he knows I bring him food, he will eat from my hand which he would not do if he was terrified of me or ”hated“ me, he knows I pick him up and move him inside or outside, or put him into a bucket of warm water, but mostly he’s just living his tortoise life and I’m just around - a benign megalith that interrupts him and provides food…

other than bringing him food I don’t think there’s a single thing I do that he “likes” But it sounds like yours does like to interact so I would say enjoy it. I’m envious