Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I work in a pet store and have recently purchased a russian tortoise. I have never owned a tortoise before and finding information on her has proved challenging. Most of the things that I have been adble to find are on Box Turtles and I am not really certain how accurate that information would be because all of the breeds talked about seem to be from various areas in America. I really love Nadja and want to do the best for her that I possibly can. My biggest questions right now are mostly about her cage and food. She is currently in a thirty gallon tank with full spectrum lighting and a heat lamp. I get her out for about two hours a day and let her walk around. She is way faster than I thought she would be! I would like to build her an outdoor area this summer but while she is inside I want her to be as comfortable as possible and I'm not sure she has enough room.
Nadja is currently eating Reptomin, a fruit based product we carry at the store I work at for Iguannas, tortiose pellets, as well as fresh greens. I feed her Kale, mustard greens, collard greens, and dandeloins. She also gets calcium two to three times a week. I am worried that there are other things she should be getting or things that I am feedeing her she should not have. If anyone has any advice or ideas they would be verry helpful. Thanks!

Go to www.russiantortoise.net for immediate info.

Ed Pirog has a book out on Russian tortoises that covers all the details.

Russians are nothing like box turtles. Russians are herbivores that live in dry climates.

1) A 30 gallon tank is way too small. That's maybe 2 or 3 sq ft. An adult russian (over 4 inches in shell length) should have at least 8 sq ft. 6 sq ft if you make an effort to landscape it with places to crawl under and over. etc. I wouldn't let the tortoise roam free too much. They can really poop a lot, and if it dries, it sticks hard. Plus they can get under things, chew on cords, etc.

2) I have Reptomin here at home. It's made of fish meal, wheat, shrimp etc. It's made for carnivores. If this is what you are feeding the tortoise - then stop! If there is another product that is fruit-based, with NO ANIMAL PRODUCTS, then you really shouldn't use that either. Russian tortoises aren't fruit eaters like iguanas. Some apple is OK, but no bananas or other soft fruits. Sometimes they get diarrhea from it. Stick with the greens, dandelions, etc. The website and book above will cover the details.

Good luck!

I am so glad you told me about the Reptomin. The people I work with have been treating her like a box turtle and giving her that everyday, so when I took her home I continued to feed it to her. Thanks for the info. about the book and site. I will check those out imediatly. Also, her shell has ridges on the top and seems odd to me. I thought it should be smoother. Could this be because of poor diet? Another stupid question, how can you tell how old she is? The lady who brought her to us said only a year, but she is about 4" long. That just seems to big to me.

A tortoise shell is rarely perfectly smooth. There will be growth rings around each scute, giving the shell a rougher surface. It's when the individual scutes start to form peaks, or when the shell looks misshapen, then you have problems.

If you are not sure, you could post a photo.

It's hard to tell the age of a tortoise. At 4 inches it could be on the verge of adulthood, and may not be showing its true gender yet. My 1st CB tort was almost 4" and looked female. Then a couple months later he was definitely a male. Males are generally smaller, and at 4" are getting close to "puberty". If female, it has a way to go yet.

Either way, at 4" it probably has a little more growing to do. The age doesn't make much difference in how you care for it once they hit this size.

I’m glad you picked the Russian I like those, I have 3 and I’m getting a 4th at the next reptiles show we have down here.
Some problems I saw with your post:
30 Gal. Tank – if it’s an aquarium than you may stress the tort out with the clear glass, s/he will keep trying to get out. Also the glass is not very good for temp control.
I would recommend getting a Rubbermaid tote or something like it.
“Nadja is currently eating Reptomin, a fruit based product we carry at the store” torts are a little different than box turtles, while BTs eat insects, greens, and fruits; torts eat just greens.

Some good things:
The heat lamp should heat one side of the tank to about 90 degrees.
If s/he is big enough to go in a pen by all means build one. (Post on pens) http://forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=1007943,1007943
If s/he is awake then take s/him outside as much as possible they need UVB from the sun.

Some Random Things:
Make sure while inside the tort is on a good substrate I'm using timothy hay but I have used a dirt and sand mixture before.
Make sure the tort has a hide
Soak the tort at least once a week
Keep good records of growth and any problems, excel works great
Buy a temp gun for accurate temps.

A good website:
http://russiantortoise.org/

Good luck, have fun

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1.3.3 Common Mud Turtles
0.0.2 R.E.S.
0.0.1 Y.B.S.
1.2 Russian Tortoises
0.1 Hamsters
3.0 Dogs
2.3 Family
3 Baby Muds

Thanks for the advice. I had noticed that she spends a lot of time walking the front of her tank, now I know why! I didnt think of her trying to walk through the glass.Stupid mistake I guess. I just found out that I will be moving to a new house in about two more months so I hope to work on an outdoor enclouser at the new house. Until then I purchased two lights that are supposed to produce UVB rays. I also got a small animal play pen to give her some more room to walk around. If you think of anything else please post it, I am thankful for any new ideas.