True russian tortoise story. Want help

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T

turtall

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 23, 2005
419
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State of Hawai'i
In our area people have been buying Russian Tortoises from a pet shop in the valley (40 miles and a couple thousand feet away). In fact, our next door neighbors bought one for their boy a couple of years ago and it escaped right away. I know for a fact about ten escapes in our area.
Today we were at our LFS and one of the gals who lives right close to us aksked us if we wanted a Russian Tortoise that a local brought to her. It was found in the wild and is a good 8"er. We said yes, of course, and here he is! I haven't kept tortoises in years (despite my username I love them but now I have one OMG) and want to build the BEST environment for this guy that I can (yeah, I looked under the tail:) ).
SO...Tell me all you can. Food (broad leaf weeds, I know... Anything better?) Environment: It gets cold and snowy here in the winter but he knows it already. It's frikkin' 100 degrees here now, though! I'll build this guy a tree house and name him after YOU if you give me the advice I need to keep him happy long after we're gone;)
Got any pen ideas?
Diagrams? Space requirements? (Breeding, If I ever come across another Testudo Horsfieldei) (SP)? Thanks for any advice--
--Steve
 
:feedback: Any Herp People out there want to Help Out??
 
I know this isn't a herp site ( all our fishes are doin OUTSTANDING BTW) but even though I'm a capricorn my nickname has been Turtle since I was like 6 years old. Try logging on as "turtle" and you'll find that everyone has already used it. (!). But I love turtles and just want some advice since in this area turtles are all of the pond variety.There are no tortoises except for the escaped variety. So... help?
 
One thing yoo need to do for the pen if it is going to be outside is you need to put some chicken wire in the ground around the pen atleast 18" down. They are excellent diggers. They can also climb too. When I had mine I caught him climbing the wire fence quite a few times. If he is going to stay outside in the winter (which I don't know much about) I would think he would atleast need a little bow that stays warm to hibernate in. Good luck with him they are really fun. And 8" is very big for a russian.

Chad
 
Chad55 said:
One thing yoo need to do for the pen if it is going to be outside is you need to put some chicken wire in the ground around the pen atleast 18" down. They are excellent diggers. They can also climb too. When I had mine I caught him climbing the wire fence quite a few times. If he is going to stay outside in the winter (which I don't know much about) I would think he would atleast need a little bow that stays warm to hibernate in. Good luck with him they are really fun. And 8" is very big for a russian.

Chad
Click to expand...
His shell is agood 6' but overal 8's and what an active dude! I might have to build a fiberglass penl or something... But I know he's been out in the wild a few years. I'll work something out.
 
HOUSING RUSSIANS INDOORS - The most common form of indoor accommodation for Russian Tortoises consists of a “turtle table’ To all appearances this looks like a bookshelf unit flipped onto its back. A reasonable size for a hatchling is 2 foot by 3 foot as the animal grows the size of this habitat should be increased. For an adult Russian tortoise the indoor habitat should be at least 4 foot by 2 foot. Into the bottom of this “turtle table” holes can be cut to allow for the sinking of food, water and eventually nesting containers flush with the surface for easier animal access. Please note: This is an aggressive species to its own kind. If housing more than one male or a pair of this species you must provide sightline breaks and a large habitat to prevent males from damaging females or each other.



The water dish in the habitat should be large enough to allow the tortoise to soak in it if it wishes - it must also be shallow enough to protect from drowning. While this species would seldom encounter standing water in the wild, our inability to properly duplicate the climate that they are adapted to makes provision of a water source a safety net against dehydration. As a substrate in the dry portion of the environment a mixture of topsoil and children’s play sand works well.



In one corner of the environment a 100W spot lamp should be positioned to provide artificial basking facilities. This should be positioned to provide a basking spot of 90 degrees F (32 degrees C) or so in that section of the habitat. The habitat should also be equipped with a full spectrum fluorescent light to provide for UVB. A UVB source is necessary for Vitamin D3 syntheses (needed in calcium metabolism) If preferred to this lighting arrangement a Mercury vapor bulb may be used that fulfills both heat and UV requirements. There should be a hide box located in the corner away from the basking spot to allow the animal a cool dim retreat. While Russian tortoises can handle cool weather quite well, cold combined with wet conditions often leads to disease. They must be kept in an area with a dry retreat.


OUTDOOR HOUSING - Predator proof outdoor habitats offer many advantages over indoor accommodations and should seriously be considered as an option during warm weather. As these tortoises burrow this must have sides extending well beneath the surface of the soil. If they are kept in areas of high rainfall provision through drainage or landscaping must be made to insure that a good portion of their environment does not become overly wet.



DIET - A high fiber, low protein and calcium rich diet will ensure good digestive tract function and smooth growth. Horsfield's tortoises fed on cat or dog food frequently die from renal failure or from impacted bladder stones of solidified urates. Avoid over reliance upon 'supermarket' greens and fruits which typically contain inadequate fiber levels, excessive pesticide residues and are too rich in sugar. Fruits should be given very sparingly or not at all to this species as they are not metabolically suited to properly digest them. Feeding fruits can lead to diarrhea.



Diet:

Leafy greens (dandelions, clover, endive, weeds etc.)

Grasses

Additional calcium supplementation is essential. Powdered calcium can be sprinkled all foods. It is suggested that one use calcium supplemented with vitamin D3 if the animal is being maintained indoors and calcium without D3 if it is outdoors. Provision of a cuttlefish bone which can be gnawed if required is also recommended. Occasional supplementation with a vitamin complex is encouraged.



MEDICAL - Unfortunately, a number of these animals are in very poor shape due to the stress of handling and shipping as well as the mixing of sick animals with healthy ones. If at all possible, purchase captive bred animals- especially of this species. If you do purchase a wild caught horsfieldiii, see a veterinarian immediately. At the minimum, the animal will likely have a number of parasites.
 
make a nice big outdoor enclosure for him, using wood boards, or plywood, make a locking gate

but before all of this

dig a 18 x 8 trench around the are where you wanna keep him, then pretend your building a fence, only about half the height, put in your main 6 posts (2 on either side of where the gate is gonna be, 1 in each corner).

then........

put the boards (plywood or solid wood, not cedar) against the posts and using a stable gun, or nail gun (depending on type of wood and density) put a good number of nails in. after this is done, fill in the trenches, but fill where the gate is gonna be with rocks. then put your gate up, with hinges and a latch

then........

make a den for him, that is pretty big with a space heater situated to that he cannot burn himseld, your confident about the fireproofness, and hell stay warm through winter

then make a lil dandelion farm (not hard as any lawn caretaker will tell you)

sorry about my nondescriptness, kinda hard to explain, but ill draw blueprints, as i am doing the same thing soon
 
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