Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My boyfriend brought our 2 little Russians to a vet we have never seen before today. They have pin worms and were a tad dehydrated but other than that, ok.
She said however that for a diet we need to incluse 20% fruit, 75% dark leafy greens with Kale being recommended as a good base, and 5% moistened dog food. I was under the impression that russians should be mainly fed green leafy veggies, some flowers, weeds, some veggies like yellow squash and cauliflower and occasionally some fruit. I thought that that much fruit was bad because of too much sugar and I thought pet food was an absolute no no. Am I mistaken?
She also said that our substrate, a misture of soil and repti-bark was poor because they eat it and they should be housed on astro turf or newspaper. Isn't that inncorrect as well? Shouldn't they be able to burrow and dig??? She also said she would be cautious about putting them in our outdoor pen in the summer becuase of the high risk of picking up parasites from other animals. Isn't being outside in warm weather one of the best things you can do for a tortoise?
I'm really confused by all of this because I thought I had done all of my homework and was doing things right. If anyone could clarify these points for me it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
~Nicole =)

Yes, it appears that your vet is recommending care that would be considered out of date by most.

Little or no fruit. NO ANIMAL PROTEIN**. And something to dig in. Having a substrate they can burrow into helps them maintain temperature and humidity. And living outdoors in the appropriate setting is very good for them. And kale wouldn't be a good base for a diet. In fact, a varied diet that might include a little kale is the best solution.

Try www.russiantortoise.org for reference.

Maybe after the pinworms are treated you should find a more up-to-date vet. I'd recommend that you not argue with the vet.

** Yes, russians sometimes eat a worm or a bug, and sometimes tortoises will nibble on a dead animal, etc. But I don't think there's a real need to make animal protein a regular part of the diet. If you house them outdoors, your russians can eat all the bugs they need to. From what I've observed with my russians, the urge to eat bugs is very limited.

Thanks so much for your help. I was afraid that I was going crazy or that everything that I had read was wrong.
I think that my plan of action will be just to bring them back on saturday to get their follow-up treatment for the worms and then find someone new.
And about the bugs, I also have a fire bellied toad and his aquarium is on a shelf next to my torts' indoor enclosure and sometimes crickets escape and end up in their pen and I haven't seen them make any effort to eat any of them.
Thanks again!
~Nicole =)