Hello from Southern Oregon!!

I teach first grade and was recently gifted two tortoises in a large tank. After doing a bit of research and talking to the folks at PetCo, I believe they are Russian Torties – both male. I’ve had them for two weeks now and the kids and I have just settled on the names Mike and Sulli (Monster’s Inc).

I have so many questions!!! I read someplace that having two males is not advisable please fill me in!! Also, is there any way to tell how old my boys are? One is significantly larger than the other so I presume there is an age difference. How long does it take for a young tortie to reach full size? What do I need to know to keep the guys healthy? I know that I am at least their third home in the last 2-3 months so I don’t know how well they were cared for before coming to me. I want to do the best I can for them.

Hi Mrs.D, and welcome to the Forum!

You would be doing your tortoises a great big favor if you would bring them home every night and set them up in a safe and secure outdoor habitat, only taking them to school when you're there. Two russian tortoises, of any sex, is just too many for a "large tank." One is too many for a large tank. The minimum size indoor habitat for one russian tortoise is 4'x8'.

Please read the pinned care sheet shown at the top of our Russian section.

as Yvonne said i agree russian's are very aggressive and 2 males never end up ok you'll likely see the bigger one bullying the little one for the most food the best hiding spot the best sleeping spot everything.

but welcome from southern Oregon as well

Bummer! That's not going to work. Hubby and I are currently in transition and living in a motor home. Also I don't think they'd appreciate our outdoor temps here. We haven't reached anything above 70 in weeks.

Hello Mrs.D welcome to the TFO from AZ. Boy , did you come to the right place . Stores deal with pets to make a profit ( or to see what they can sell you now or later ) We are all people that are here for the love of turtles and torts .
Dogs and cats do great in pairs but torts do it in trio's or alone . 2 female are bad but 2 males can be WAR
Now a little on care ( cause we have great care sheets here ) Russians like broad leaf plants to eat , you should soak them daily in warm water , if you have them behind glass that they can see out they want out . And it's real important to keep sand and sml stones away from them they will eat it and get impacted ( plugged )
And torts are like " Lays Chips " you cannt have just one without wanting another

PS

I have to say, when considering a classroom pet I most likely would not have sought out tortoises. But these guys are kinda cute and I’m glad they fell into my lap (for free even!). But you’re saying I need to separate or find a home for one of the guys then, huh? That’s a bummer. How about telling age? Anyway to determine how old these guys are?

Hello and welcome to the forum.
Two males together is a no-no, I'm afraid.
You can't tell the age of a tortoise. Just because one is bigger than the other doesn't mean it's older. If these two have been kept together all their lives then the biggest one may just have been out-competing the other for the best food. They grow at different rates for a variety of reasons. Photos may allow one to tell if they're adult or not, but not the exact age.
Have a look at the Mediterranean tortoise section here and then the russian tortoise sub-section within that to find the care sheet.
This has lots of answers to your questions.

Mrs.D said:

I have to say, when considering a classroom pet I most likely would not have sought out tortoises. But these guys are kinda cute and I’m glad they fell into my lap (for free even!). But you’re saying I need to separate or find a home for one of the guys then, huh? That’s a bummer. How about telling age? Anyway to determine how old these guys are?

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As for age : one member once said ask the tort for his ID . But no there isn't away to tell Evan sisters and brothers can grow at different rates . And yes they can start bulling each other and it will start with looks , control of food dish or water dish , or the best hiding space , then to bitting and pushing . But remember with adult ( teacher ) help look all the things your students can learn . Good luck with torts and our future ( the kids )

Mrs.D said:

I have to say, when considering a classroom pet I most likely would not have sought out tortoises. But these guys are kinda cute and I’m glad they fell into my lap (for free even!). But you’re saying I need to separate or find a home for one of the guys then, huh? That’s a bummer. How about telling age? Anyway to determine how old these guys are?

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we can give you a rough estimate based on size but there's no way to tell for sure unless you know the hatch date

I'm in medford and on day's that it's 70 and climbing to even mid 70's my guy is outside for a little while

naturalman91 said:

we can give you a rough estimate based on size but there's no way to tell for sure unless you know the hatch date

I'm in medford and on day's that it's 70 and climbing to even mid 70's my guy is outside for a little while

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I'm in Klamath and it's generally cooler over here. And since we are currently in a motor home, we have no yard to use at this time. the tank will have to work for the time being.

I'm in Medford too. Welcome to TFO!

You've been given good advice.. You can make it work but it'll take some effort.

What if you built 2 really long tort tables along the classroom walls? They could be kid height for viewing and run the length of the wall. If you have them on opposite walls, you can keep both...Just separately.

Can you share classroom photos? I might be able to help you design something.
I used to set up display exhibits and might have some ideas/ help to offer.

Btw, I have a leopard tortoise that lives outside full time. In the event you get property in the future, a weekend outdoor home (well, home"s") at your place would be ideal.

Hello and Welcome to the forum! !

Hi! Let's hold our horses a bit. First can you post pictures so we can be sure they are under Russians. Take ones showing their tails, so we can also be sure of gender. You say one is larger, which may indicate you have a pair with the female being bigger.

bouaboua said:

Hello and Welcome to the forum! !

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Hello!! I was born and raised in San Jose!! It's nice to 'meet' someone from my home town.

Jacqui said:

Hi! Let's hold our horses a bit. First can you post pictures so we can be sure they are under Russians. Take ones showing their tails, so we can also be sure of gender. You say one is larger, which may indicate you have a pair with the female being bigger.

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I'm pretty sure they are Russian. Read someplace something about four toes on each foot and a flat (vs concave) plastron and they are both flat and four toed all the way around. I've also looked at many of the picts posted here detailing male vs female. Both of these guys have a longer tail held to the side vs the short, fat, triangular tail I've seen listed for females.

I'll some picts as soon as I can, though so we can be sure. I'll measure them as well.

Welcome Russians are awesome