Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I want to share with you an experience that shows how incredible are tortoises.
It happened that just behind the yard where I have the Russians there is a pond with a pair of aquatic turtles.They was a piece of wood sepparating them, buried but not deep enough. One day I saw with horror that there was a tunnel communicating the two sections and a russian swimming in the pond. They can swim. It was in the midday at two o´clock. I rescued it and put stones into the tunnel. About 4 o´clock I was wondering if one of the aquatics had gone through the tunnel to the Russians section, so I used a stick to explore the deepest part of the pond. I touched something that look like a rock. It was a Russian. I took it out and it had the neck completely extended and the eyes wide open, unreactive. I felt quite guilty and then,I couldn´t believe it, he blinked. It wasn´t dead. Seconds later it breath once. About 6 o-clock it was as normal as the others. I know for sure it was underwater for two hours, but I don´t know how longer. The only explanation is that it was early spring and the water was cool. It reduced it´s oxigen needs and it survived thanks to anaerobic metabolism. That´s why any veterinarian induces anaesthesia in tortoises with inhalated gas. Next day it was eating normaly. I like Russians, they are incredible animals. And incredible diggers. And they can swim, but not for too long.

My male dug out of his pen last summer and went on walk about for three weeks. I searched everywhere when he first escaped but to no avail and basically wrote him off due to my stupidity. Three weeks later my daughter saw someone stop about a block away from our house and pick a turtle up. She could tell it was the russian male and ran out to get the ladys attention. The lady said it was a good thing my daughter flagged her down because she was going to put "the turtle" in the lake in our neighborhood!!! I since learned to put bricks and paving stones around the bottom perimeter of the pen, or a lip around the bottom made of lumber. For some reason they push right up against the barrier then dig. So, they mostly climb up on the bricks or stones and try to dig at the edge. Be very careful and reinforce the perimeter bottom of your pen!!!