Reptile & Amphibian Forums

well i just got a new russian from a pet store. i don't know too much about them , can any body tell me the basic things.

Well first off they need somewhere to live like a kiddie pool or something with lots of room to walk around in. Then u need a heat lamp and a uvb lamp. Plus they only eat vegies no fruit. Romaine lettuce and other kinds of lettuce are good. Get a hibisucus plant they can eat the flowers and the leaves. They also need a hide box and a water bowl. Russians need to be given a bath every wk as well in no deep water. Im sure other people will give u links and things as well

Go to www.russiantortoise.org for all you Russian needs.

well, when i got her a gave her some fruit. is that ok? i won't give it to her anymore. i have been giving her romain lettuce, and zukini, squash, carrots and tomato. is there somthing wrong with that diet?

Your not suppose to feed it that many vegies. I also herd that tomatos are bad as well do to amounts of asid in it. They love weeds such as dandiolins, violits, maple trees and so on. Different kinds of lettuce is good as well. Mine loves collard greens which is good for them. u might want to get some powder calicum stuff with d3 in it and sprinkle it on every wk. Try repcal thats good. Ok

thanks, and where do i get thoose things. at a farm stand?

Use the russian tortoise website:

www.russiantortoise.net

and there is info on how I keep my russians at:

www.biostat.wustl.edu/~brad/bts/other.html

Feed more than lettuces! Russians need fiber in their diets, and lettuces are not very high in fiber. Grasses, clover, dandelion plants, etc work well if you can get them from a chemical-free yard. If you must use grocery greens, chop them up and mix in some grasses or chopped timothy hay to increase the fiber content. In my experience feeding lettuces and greens leads to loose stools.

Read up!

Why did you buy the tortoise first and THEN ask for information? That is not the right order of events! In the future please FIRST think about all the things that you need, THEN get the habitat right and THEN buy a tortoise! (And preferably not one from a pet shop as that was 100% sure taken from its home in the wild, stored, shipped and stressed to become your pet - buy a captive-bred one. Well, it's too late for that now, isn't it?)

Go to a vet and have a faecal sample done - it's probably full of intestinal parasites that may make it ill.

Why did you buy the tortoise first and THEN ask for information? That is not the right order of events! In the future please FIRST think about all the things that you need, THEN get the habitat right and THEN buy a tortoise! (And preferably not one from a pet shop as that was 100% sure taken from its home in the wild, stored, shipped and stressed to become your pet - buy a captive-bred one. Well, it's too late for that now, isn't it?)

Go to a vet and have a faecal sample done - it's probably full of intestinal parasites that may make it ill.