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Russian Tortoise

L

LaxGekko25

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I would like a Russian because I'm new to Chenolians (sorry if I misspelled it). I've been researching them and was wondering if you guys had any tips for me. Feel free to suggest another good begginner species that is relativly small and easy.
Thanks,

Brian
 
BTW, which would be better, a 50 gal tub, 75 gal tub, or Zoo Med's Tortoise house. In all of my research items, some of them say that you should keep them in a 50 gal but others say a 75 gal. Also, the Tortoise House is 36x18x12 but my caresheets say a 38x20x18 enclosure is good. So, help please!
 
Russians are a GREAT beginner species. Hardy, unafraid of people (usually), total pigs, and they won't get humongous. Their care is simple and straight forward... They're herbivores, so the primary diet is going to be greens, and they're a cool climate species, so you don't have to put any extra effort into heating the enclosure. One good basking spot (90-100F) will do the trick, so long as your house isn't too terribly cold (i.e. under 65ish for an adult).

For enclosure size, bigger is always better. They will use every inch you get them. At one point I kept 2 Russians, and they each had a 6 ft x 2 ft indoor enclosure. Both of them used the whole space. They each also had 8x8 ft outdoor enclosures, and, again, used the whole space... So whatever option has the largest footprint, go with that one. Or, heck, if you have a bigger option at your disposal, do that one! IMO, a 3 ft enclosure isn't big enough--once you get in all the "extras" (hides, water dish, feeding/basking rock), there's not much room for an adult tortoise, even a Russian, to move around. If that's all you can provide, well, it's adequate (sure as heck better than the 10 gallon tanks people are so convinced are good enough!), just not really ideal.

One way to go about a nice big enclosure without investing a ton of money or effort is just to get a basic 5 shelf bookcase, either a cheap one like the MainStays one at Walmart ($30) or even whatever you can find at a garage sale, lay it on its back, take out all the shelves, and line it with a tarp. Voila, you have a big, cheap tortoise table! Just make sure the bookcase you use is deep enough that, once on its back with bedding inside, the tortoise can't climb out... Especially with Russians, who like a nice deep substrate layer to burrow in.

With tortoises of any type, one major thing to keep in mind is, can you get it outside for time in the natural sun? Granted, Russians can be maintained indoors 24/7 successfully, but any and all diurnal "basking" reptiles will benefit from any time they can get in unfiltered sunlight. They also relish the opportunity to graze freely on an untreated lawn, especially one littered with dandelions, clover, and other edible weeds. Speaking of which--if you have a yard that isn't treated with chemicals, or access to one, edible plants from the wild make a great addition to the diet. Dandelions, clover, and plantain are all edible and good additions to the diet that can be found in almost any yard.

Well, that's all that comes to mind right now. I hope it helps! :)
 
It helped alot! I've got another thread about good plants for them, and I've been asking around. Also, would a PowerSun UV be a suffient indoor bulb? If you haven't already heard about it, it emits heat, UVA and UVB all in one bulb! Of course nothing beats natural sunlight, so I'll be sure.to have an outdoor enclosure, too.
Thanks again,
Brian
 
The Powersun is a GREAT bulb. I use it over 2 of my 3 beardies, and used one over my first Russian tort. It beats the fluorescent types by quality for sure, and would be the perfect indoor bulb for your tort. Just make sure it's mounted correctly: Pointed straight down (having it at an angle can damage the bulb) and no closer than about 12" from the tort.

On plants, do you mean grocery store greens or wild/nursery plants? There's a ton of options either way. For the grocery store greens, I've found the "nutritional" and "food info" lists for Bearded Dragons and Iguanas very helpful... Just use more greens and a lot less veggies. Here's those: http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html and http://greenigsociety.org/foodchart.htm This one is great for wild and nursery plants: http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plant_database_14.asp
 
Thanks! Did you keep yours in a tortoise house or a tortoose table? Do I need a cuttlebone? Especially if I dusted every other day as an adult and every day with a baby. Should I offer a rock(s) to naturally trim its nails? Shouldn't I mix wild and store bought (organic) plants twice a week and offer either wild or organic on any other day?
 
Mine were in tortoise tables, using the converted bookcase method I mentioned earlier. This was their primary living quarters, since I was living in coastal Washington at the time, so outdoors was usually out of the question--good weather is rare up there! I like to offer a cuttlebone so they have access to a calcium source at all times, plus it helps wear down/"condition" the beak when they use it. That and I'm awful at remembering to supplement greens, so it's nice to have it there in case they need it.

Rocks and store bought vs wild produce schedules are pretty dependent on individual animals and what works for you. Concerning rocks, I called it good with an approx 12"x5" slate tile fragment for the basking area and either another slate or a terra-cotta plant saucer for the feeding rock. As for the greens, I would just mix according to what was available in my yard and how often I could get to the store. For example, at this moment, I am pet-sitting a group of tortoises, and feeding primarily grocery store greens because I haven't been able to pull dandelions, etc, from the yard (seeing how the whole yard is dead... Don't know how to function the sprinklers yet, lol!).

Anyway, this is all my $.02. There's a hundred different opinions and ways of doing things with torts; this is just what worked for me.
 
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