Got my russian today

[beanmachine]

Can't do pictures at the moment, but I got him (i think. It has a longer tail that folds to the side) at Petco today and his eyes seemed pretty clear and he was basking/crawling around his cage. Once I brought him home, he went straight for the hiding rock on the cool part of my enclosure and buried himself under it. I placed some lettuce outside of it to see if he'd eat, but as I expected, he just dug himself deeper. My substrate is mostly top soil with a good amount of coconut fiber on top.

I don't have a thermometer yet, but I have a 75 watt heat lamp about a foot from the bottom of the tub.

Should I try and soak him, or just leave him there until the morning with a plate of veggies in the enclosure?

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I would just leave him alone for today. But I would soak him tomorrow and then put him directly in front of the food. Warm him with a soak first then the food and that something that has worked well for me. I have some experience with Russians and it seems to me that they are very afraid of the water, so be prepared for that. Soak for about 20 minutes then the food. HTH

 

[beanmachine]

Well I just soaked him in the tub with some warm water and he spent the first few minutes with his head in his shell. Then he started to crawl around the tub making a weird noise that sounds like a quick exhale.

I read on the "strange noise" thread that tortoises make this sound when they're frightened and pull their head in their shell, but mine makes the noise with its head out while its crawling. Is that normal?

Anyway, I put him on a towel to dry and held some romaine in from of him. He retreated into his shell and pooped on the towel :/

Back in the enclosure, he's doing the same thing as yesterday, digging behind the first hide rock he sees and not moving. He sometimes makes the noise while digging as well.

 

[Treebon]

My tortoise made that same noise when he did not fully retreat into his shell as well, so that's normal. I know when I first got my Russian he exhibited the exact same behavior that yours did. For me it took him about a week to start really moving around and eating regularly and such. It has been about 4 weeks now and he pulls his head in and such when he sees me, but he eats fine and is active so it really is just a test of patience when you first get your tortoise. Try not to mess with him too much, and just keep changing the food and only touch him when you are soaking him and he should warm up fairly quick.

 

[beanmachine]

Day 3 now. I soaked him again this morning, he peed clear and white (ive read on here that this is normal). I probably won't soak him again for a few days, at least until he gets used to things.

Still hasn't touched his food or unburied himself, but he did come half way out of the hide spot to bask under the light, look around and sleep for a minute. I'll keep replacing the food & water and will try and get more heat (i only have a 75watt and it doesn't feel hot enough under the lamp). I have a heat pad, but I don't think it's safe to put that on a plastic tub.

As soon as he gets comfortable, I can post some pics to make sure he's really male & measure his shell. Thanks for the help!

 

[BuffsTorts]

Get a good thermometer, proper temperatures are essential to proper health.
I use Digital ones with a wired probe.
Heat guns and IR heat guns are pretty good, just no dials or stick ons.
Good luck

 

[khanvict]

congrats, everything you describe thus far sounds normal so i wouldn't worry at all. if you dont feel it's hot enough you could move the bulb closer but if it's going to be a safety hazard i wouldn't risk it. they have some digital thermometers with probes you can pickup for like ~$10 at petsmart/petco. you'll feel better knowing you have a good idea of what the temperature actually is in there so it'll be one less thing you will constantly have to think about.

 

[beanmachine]

thanks for the reassurance, I was afraid he was sick or something. To add some heat, I put a desk lamp on the ground by the enclosure and pointed it down at the substrate on the same side as the heat lamp. This lamp gets pretty hot, but neither the substrate or the basking rock are hot to the touch, just real warm, so i doubt its over 100F in there.

He did come out of the hot hide rock and move, ignoring the food, to the cooler one soon after I added the lamp. Should I remove the desk lamp? because the enclosure is only about 3 by 1.5 feet (I'm getting a bigger tub this weekend).

 

[khanvict]

thanks for the reassurance, I was afraid he was sick or something. To add some heat, I put a desk lamp on the ground by the enclosure and pointed it down at the substrate on the same side as the heat lamp. This lamp gets pretty hot, but neither the substrate or the basking rock are hot to the touch, just real warm, so i doubt its over 100F in there.

He did come out of the hot hide rock and move, ignoring the food, to the cooler one soon after I added the lamp. Should I remove the desk lamp? because the enclosure is only about 3 by 1.5 feet (I'm getting a bigger tub this weekend).

though i have not taken mine to a vet yet, that is what i thought too initially but he seems to have gotten more comfortable each week. the first week i did not notice him eat anything [perhaps he nibbled while i wasn't looking but i never saw it] nor do i think he pooped but yours is at least pooping so that's an encouraging sign. mine would not and still does not take food by hand. try it once or twice with your guy and if he is not interested then i suppose let him decide when he wants to eat on his own.

i think so long as he has a hide where he can completely get away from all the light/heat he should be fine with the desk lamp in there in terms of space if that's what you're worried about because it's temporary. it's probably bigger than the aquarium he was in at the store.

 

[beanmachine]

I let him soak for 15 or so this morning while I doubled the substrate in his tub. Still not eating, but at least he can stop constantly scratching at the plastic now that he can completely bury himself. I guess I'm just going to wait until he comes out on his own, however long that may be....

Another note: His tank at the pet store was about half the size of his current tub and he shared it with two other tortoises. When the employee opened the hatch, he was the only one to escape to the other corner, so I picked him. .

 

[khanvict]

I let him soak for 15 or so this morning while I doubled the substrate in his tub. Still not eating, but at least he can stop constantly scratching at the plastic now that he can completely bury himself. I guess I'm just going to wait until he comes out on his own, however long that may be....

Another note: His tank at the pet store was about half the size of his current tub and he shared it with two other tortoises. When the employee opened the hatch, he was the only one to escape to the other corner, so I picked him. .

one of the things i notice that really stimulates my tortoise is fresh air. when i open the sliding door in my room and there is fresh air circulating he comes alive and becomes really active. plus all the outside noises and natural bird chirping make him really attentive and curious to know where it's coming from.

i also take him outside my apartment complex where there's a lot of grassy areas he really seems to enjoy. he eats a lot of the various clovers in the grass. the first time i took him outside was the first time i saw him actually eat something. he tuckers himself out and then just rests when i bring him back in and then he's anxious to do it again in a day or two.

if you have him in a room where there's a window/sliding door, place the tub near it if you can or if you think he's ready for a little outdoor excitement take him outside a bit and see how he responds.

 

[beanmachine]

Thanks for all the advice khanvict, his tub is by a window that i can open while I'm here. For now, he remains buried, but i did buy a digital probe thermometer for 15 bucks so I can finally have a ballpark temp gradient. Just above the substrate under the heat lamp, it tops out at 101F. The cooler side is around 82 probably because of the relatively small tub size. Once he unburies himself and begins eating, I'll get something with better dimensions. Ill try and give him some backyard time once the hurricane rain stops. Wish me luck!

 

[Stephanie Logan]

So when does the little tyke get a name?

Sounds like he is well on his way to becoming a happy tortoise in a healthy micro-climate.

 

[beanmachine]

id like to wait until i post a picture of him to make sure he's male first. I put him outside today, but he's still pretty cautious of me. took him a while to begin walking around. Still hasnt eaten and buried himself in his tub again, but im sure he'll relax soon.

 

[MichelleCarrigan78]

I got a russian a couple weeks ago, and mine did the same thing, wouldnt do much but bury himself for about the whole first week. Hes happy as a clam now. Dont worry about him too much, they take awhile to acclimate themselves. If you arent seeing signs of sickness then hes probably all good. Just be patient

 

[beanmachine]

HUZZAH! HE HAS EATEN. MAY THE TORTOISE GODS BE PRAISED.

he started crawling around and i took the opportunity to offer him some romaine. He was really hungry because he ate leaf after leaf right out of my hand for a good 5 minutes. Thanks for the help everybody, I'll make a thread soon with pictures and maybe even a name...

 

[Jacqui]

Alright! I know it's so very hard to be patient when you first get your tortoise, but wasn't it worth it? Romaine was a good choice to get extra moisture into him. So now that he is eating and you have unstressed a bit yourself , what are you going to be feeding him? Any thoughts on a name yet?

 

[beanmachine]

Probably just different grasses from my yard/dandelions/more romaine/artichoke hearts. His name is most definitely Heisenberg.

One more thing though, the skin around his nose and on the sides of his head is somewhat dry and peeling. is this a problem?

 

[Kristina]

Just a quick observation -

I keep my Russians outside. First thing in the morning, they bask for about an hour, from 9-10 am. Then they graze for about an hour. Once temps hit about 80* F, they all go back to the shade, and remain there the majority of the day. In the afternoon, when it starts to cool down, and the sun drops in the sky a bit, they come out and graze for another hour or two. By 6-7 PM, they are starting to tuck themselves in for the night, even though it doesn't get dark until 10.

My point here is that if it is TOO warm in the overall enclosure, it may make him want to hide more. Mine seem the most active at 65*-79* F, and once it hits 80*, they go into hiding from the sun. I even experimented with this, and put them in a small enclosure in the full sun, with just a tiny shade area created by a piece of plywood. They all crowded underneath it, even though all four barely fit.

 

[tortoisenerd]

I'd nix the artichoke hearts and focus on weeds/greens/grasses/lettuces. More weeds than lettuces is better, and there are lettuces better than romaine too. Good luck! I have a Russian about two years old and he loves it in the 80s, basks in the 90s, and rarely retreats to the 70s. Make sure you have a hide near the basking spot, near the food, in the coldest part, and another moderate part. Dig him out daily and place him in the hide near the food. It is natural for the skin to shed. Soaking can help, but never pick at it.