Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am not new to this board I am just new to posting on it ..I have a ?? I am thinking about getting a russian but the thought of hiberntion is the thing holding me back .do you HAVE to hibernate one? will it hurt the tort to NOT do it? I have had a sulcata in the past and to make a long story short she was the love of my life...my son left our gate open (yes it had a lock but he forgot to close it while getting his bike) and we never saw our tort again after months of fliers ads in the paper etc I am just now getting to the point of considering a new love..I would LOVE another sulcata but I live in upstate Ny and getting one here can be tough I have heard the horror stories of shipping on here and dont want to risk it. I have the opportunity to aquire a russian hatchling for about $250(is this a normal $$?) so basicly it is sulcata or russian? I know how big sulcatas get I know how $$ the vet bills are been there done that .so I would love to know more about russians so I can decide what to do thanks so much !

You may get varying answers on the need for hibernating a Russian, but there are a number of problems associated with not hibernating, as far as I understand. I'll defer to other, more-experienced-with-Russian-folk, to comment.

I am keen to market prices, however, and $250 is far too much, even accounting for differences in care and quality provided by "breeders".

You should be able to get one of the current young Russians (many of whom were hatched from eggs of imported females [not captive bred, but captive hatched]) for $150 or less.

The switch from a sulcutta to a russian will (if you choose to make it) be a marked one. Even with hibernating needs, I think you'll find the relative ease of a Russian will be refreshing.

thanks for replying, I was a little hesitent to write as I see how rough ppl can be on ppl who have lost a tort..Its not that I'm against hibernation its just that I know nothing about how ,when to do it,what temps anything about it and I am afraid to put the love and money into a tort and have it not wake up or make it sick by doing it wrong.
even with reading about it ,you dont know which websites to trust and which to take with a grain of salt I am rally having a hard time deciding between a sulcata and russian for this reason ,I know sulacata care and it would be easy to decide on one just out of fear of the unknown with a russian but I have heard such great things about russians that I am willing to try given the right info.....

I know what you mean about getting the right source of info.

I've relied on information obtained from the Tortoise Trust, California Turtle and Tortoise Society, and a little bit from people on the web. I'm cautious about taking advice from individuals on forums because so often they have one or two specimens and a limited range of experience. Maybe they are just like me: they haven't killed their tortoises .. yet :->

I have been fortunate in keeping russians for about 8 years now. I've had only two losses: one Petsmart rescue that died before I could get it to the vet, and one severely undersized hatchling that died after pipping.

I think the information at the russiantortoise.net website gives good guidelines that I can agree to, except for recommending that a russian could be kept in a 50-gallon Rubbermaid (way too small).

Ed Pirog (EJ) also has a book out on Russian tortoises. Look it up on Amazon. I think it's about $10 + shipping. cover all of the topics.

I don't think you need to hibernate - definitely don't do it for the first year or two with a hatchling. Hibernation becomes a potential problem when you take in a wild caught adult that has been hibernating every year of its life, maybe for months at a time. A hatchling will adapt. Just keep the heat and light schedule at a reasonable schedule (12 on / 12 off). And if the tort slows down in the winter, just relax and let him do his thing. Soak him once a week so he doesn't dry out, and place a little food in his enclosure once a week in case he gets hungry. Come spring, he's out and eating everything in sight.

An adult russian needs about 8 sq ft of space (more is better), compared to what, a large room for an adult sulcata, plus a whole yard for grazing. All your costs and sacrifices will be much smaller for a russian. Plus, a russian can adapt more easily to our temperate climate. A sulcata needs it hot and dry year round. A temporary power outage, a failed heat lamp, and your sulcata is at risk. A russian can tolerate temps down to about 40 as long as it is dry and out of the elements. Of course it will want to hibernate with temps that low, but its system can handle it. They come from a region of the world with severe winters and summers. They are tough.

So best of luck with your decision.

I may not be getting anything..I may have waitied to long all of my "turtle ppl" have sold out and are not expecting more (sulcatas or russians)for months! I am sad.. I am patient when I need to be but the thought of waiting that long makes me sad ...the only person avail is the one selling for $250 so I can either grit my teeth and pay way too much and have one now or sit tight and wait ...my husband who is so good to me says to go ahead and just pay it I know I can trust her etc ..the reason she is charging so much is prob cause she knows there is supply issue ..I dunno I really could order online but the idea of a poor turtle being thunped around and transfered kinda scares me..and again the issue of who to trust comes up..would you pay that much? I mean this is a pet and will prob be w me for life so I am thinking maybe it is worth it I'd pay that much for say a puppy ... ..I really like he store I am going though they seem to really care about these animals..to the point that they call to check om animals they have sold to see how things are going etc...

Shipping would be a concern at this time of year.

I don't sell any myself. I think many breeders don't ship unless the temperatures over the shipping route are forecast to be above 40 or 50F.

The store say it's a hatchling. How long is the shell? If it's close to 4" or longer, then it's probably not a hatchling. Could be a wild-caught being passed off as a hatchling. Or it was hatched a couple years ago. Does the shell look clean and smooth, or is it battered, scraped or chipped?

I don't say this to make you distrust the store. The rescue tortoise I mentioned in an earlier post was adult sized, and it had the worn and weathered look of a wild-caught tortoise, but the clerk insisted it was from a farm in Indiana.

Wow, they raised that tortoise for years and are willing to sell it for only $49.99!!! But the store was convinced it had captive-bred animals.

I've never purchased an animal through the mail. I was recently looking for a desert lizard, and was considering buying a uromastyx from a well-respected breeder online, but instead I found a member of my local herp club who was breeding blue-spiny lizards. I was able to see how the lizards were raised, pick the specimens I wanted, and I paid less for an uncommon species. And I really like what I ended up with.

Do you have a local herpetological society or turtle club? I think there's a link at the top of this page for clubs/organizations. Maybe they can direct you to a breeder. Or they may have an animal you want to adopt. Of my four adult russians I've adopted two, bought one, and hatched one. And, maybe they could direct you to a reputable herp show where you could buy one.

Don't limit your options. Look around. Who knows, maybe what you want is available at a lower price, or maybe even free! Or that $250 hatchling is the best route.

I also live in upstate NY had my baby hermanns tortoise shipped to me in september from las vegas without any problems. If you deal with someone who knows how to package them then they make it through shipping just fine.

If you get a hatchling you may be able to bring it up without hibernation. Now it might slow down in the winter, and you shouldn't force it to be more active than it wants to, but as long as you let it decide what it wants to do, then it'll be OK.

I've hatched a few russians and actually kept one awake through its first winter. It was fine and healthy and active. I've hibernated it since then, but only because I'm interested in using it for breeding. I think that if I'd continued to keep it awake through the winter it would be fine. In fact if you get a hatchling I wouldn't hibernate it for a year or two anyway.

$250 for a hatchling is way over the going price. With shipping costs included you could probably get a hatchling for about $125 to $150 dollars. I don't know any breeders in NY.

For info on keeping russians go to www.russiantortoise.net

ok I have called everyone and thier brother to find a tort no one has them or is asking even more than the $250!!! I did decide to go with a russian ...I have not seen the tort yet the lady is going through her supplier who is supposed to be emailing me pictures w in a day or two the dealer says they are this years hatchlings from her own stock which were also captive born russians I will put a deposit on the tort when I see it is in good cond and then the lady I am going thru will hold the tort for 5 days to make sure it is healthy before she lets it come home .does this sound normal? when i got my sulcata it was a gift from my husband he got it because it was cute :0) but knew nothing about how big it would get etc or even how to tell if it was sick etc luckily it was a healthy one ..we learned as we went with tink and she was a wonderful tort I miss her soo much!

Look it over. The russians I've hatched out are about 1.5" long at hatching, and the one I kept reached about 3" at one year old. The shells won't be battered and chipped or show signs of wear.

Make sure the eyes are clear, the nose is clean, and that the nails and scales on the legs are intact (4 claws on each foot!). And if possible, see if the tort will eat something. This isn't always possible because of the trauma the tortoise has experienced from being moved, but if it eats that is a very good sign.

good luck and let us know what you do!

Where in NY are you located? I know some very reputable shops who probably have hatchling Russians at reasonable prices.

There is also a bimonthly Reptile Show in White Plains NY where you can probably find one... or 2.

I can also supply you with contacts for people online who I have no trouble recommending.

I'm also selling a TFH book on Russian tortoises that might be of some help in your decisions and care.
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Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

Haven't you noticed me plugging your book, like I did in my first response above?

"Ed Pirog (EJ) also has a book out on Russian tortoises. Look it up on Amazon. I think it's about $10 + shipping. cover all of the topics."

And when are the kickback checks going to arrive? :->

And that's supposed to read $10 PLUS shipping. The plus sign disappears when I post it for some reason.

Yea, I noticed. Thank you much. It helps keep all the tortoises in greens.

>>Haven't you noticed me plugging your book, like I did in my first response above?
>>
>>"Ed Pirog (EJ) also has a book out on Russian tortoises. Look it up on Amazon. I think it's about $10 shipping. cover all of the topics."
>>
>>And when are the kickback checks going to arrive? :->
>>
>>And that's supposed to read $10 PLUS shipping. The plus sign disappears when I post it for some reason.
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Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

I live in Newark -its about a hour from Rochester.any info would be great! the lady I am speaking with abut the russian says the tort is about 3 in and eating like crazy ...I would love to find one under $250 not that I want cheap but you know...

This is a shop on your side of the river... Fred's Pets. It's in Spring Valley, NY. I have the greatest respect for the owner. It is a petshop and it is a business but the guy knows if he treats people right he will be in business for a while. He's already been in business for over 20 years and that is special for a petshop.

ph 845 425 4848
email FJosefsber@aol.com

>>I live in Newark -its about a hour from Rochester.any info would be great! the lady I am speaking with abut the russian says the tort is about 3 in and eating like crazy ...I would love to find one under $250 not that I want cheap but you know...
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Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care