Hello from Tenerife South

[Mark Tenerife]

Hi Everyone first thanks for your help and advice. I spoke to the vet at the pet shop and they have agreed to take one back.
I'm really grateful to you all. Not one of you was condescending just helpful and kind.
My next questions will be about the outside enclosure it is hot here. Low at night is at the very very coldest 16 and very rare and daytime is 23ish in the winter to 28ish in the summer it can get to the 30s in August and 40 is exceptional. So tomorrow goodbye to the female Freda a little sad but thanks to you guys she will be happier in the long term
Thank you all

 

[JoesMum]

Hi Everyone first thanks for your help and advice. I spoke to the vet at the pet shop and they have agreed to take one back.
I'm really grateful to you all. Not one of you was condescending just helpful and kind.
My next questions will be about the outside enclosure it is hot here. Low at night is at the very very coldest 16 and very rare and daytime is 23ish in the winter to 28ish in the summer it can get to the 30s in August and 40 is exceptional. So tomorrow goodbye to the female Freda a little sad but thanks to you guys she will be happier in the long term
Thank you all

Your low temperatures are just fine for Russians. In the hottest weather, your tort will largely become inactive by day and active early morning and late evening. Lots of long soaks will be essential to ensure your tort stays hydrated. It will be very important that your tort has access to good dense shade in the very hot weather so that it can escape the heat. In the wild, they would dig a deep burrow.

Which reminds me... Russians are expert diggers and climbers. Houdini has nothing on a Russian intent on escape. Make sure your enclosure has capped edges and corners so your tort doesn't escape!

 

[Mark Tenerife]

Your low temperatures are just fine for Russians. In the hottest weather, your tort will largely become inactive by day and active early morning and late evening. Lots of long soaks will be essential to ensure your tort stays hydrated. It will be very important that your tort has access to good dense shade in the very hot weather so that it can escape the heat. In the wild, they would dig a deep burrow.

Which reminds me... Russians are expert diggers and climbers. Houdini has nothing on a Russian intent on escape. Make sure your enclosure has capped edges and corners so your tort doesn't escape!

Thanks JoesMum the area I have for the enclosure gets sun most of the day even in the winter but I have a big Canarian Palm tree that let's light and shade. I plan to plant hibiscus that grow like crazy here and there is a money tree/shrub there already I understand they can eat them (Jade plant) there will be dark gray paving in one area but I don't know what to use as the main substrate. I understand they come from dry areas I live surround by rough desert it's gravely Sand stone and soft rock. Advice on this would be helpful. Would Elephant Grass be any good. If I can I may put some very shallow running water for her to bath in but advice on that as well would be appreciated a shallow pool may be better I have a wooden house I can put partly under ground. So many questions.........

 

[Mark Tenerife]

Thanks Rosemary. They are 3 years old. Here we can only buy captive breeds (thankfully) and we have to have certification here in Spain they are all regulated and numbered.
I may be able to return one. I certainly do not want to cause distress to either of them.
I have been reading up and there is a lot of conflicting advice about the Russian tourtouse.
Tomorrow I will go to the pet store and try to return the female. They will be housed outside in a reasonably sized area until late they are big enough to roam the terraces and garden areas.
I will have to talk to the pet store I only brought them on Thursday. Thanks again if anyone has any other ideas please let me know

Hi Rosemary the pet shop will take one back and I can have a credit note. I just have to take the documents back and I still have the box's I collected them in. I have decided to keep the female. I gave them both a bath tonight and they loved it. They really are coming out of their shell (yeah you've had that one a thousand times I bet). So outdoor enclosure next week as I have a week away from the office. New pond and new tourtouse home. The builder is very happy!!!

 

[JoesMum]

Thanks JoesMum the area I have for the enclosure gets sun most of the day even in the winter but I have a big Canarian Palm tree that let's light and shade. I plan to plant hibiscus that grow like crazy here and there is a money tree/shrub there already I understand they can eat them (Jade plant) there will be dark gray paving in one area but I don't know what to use as the main substrate. I understand they come from dry areas I live surround by rough desert it's gravely Sand stone and soft rock. Advice on this would be helpful. Would Elephant Grass be any good. If I can I may put some very shallow running water for her to bath in but advice on that as well would be appreciated a shallow pool may be better I have a wooden house I can put partly under ground. So many questions.........

@Tom lives in Southern California, which isn't exactly the coldest place on earth, and talks about heat and building outdoor enclosures for Russians in this thread
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

I think you will find this helpful

 

[Pearly]

Hello and warm welcome from Texas, US. Mark you have been under this same impression that most of us were in our tort keeping beginnings. I myself did the very same thing you did this here is my "mistake"! Same thing! "Boy and girl"! At least that's what the plant was... Only mine are the Redfooted - species known to be able to live in herds and get along ok. I think that most of us here if not all have done some crazy stuff at the beginnings. The point is to learn from it and become the best tort parents that we can. I would love to see your pictures of your fish ponds and terraces... and your other pets again, welcome to TFO

 

[Mark Tenerife]

Thanks Pearly everyone on here has been fantastic Freddie went back to the pet shop they were fine about it and Freda is much more outgoing now.
She seems to love a bath and as soon as she is back in her enclosure she starts eating and is quite lively. She seems a very laid back character.
I have posted the details of the climate here to see if I can keep her outside all year and I am worried about hibernation. I would prefer it if she didn't but I don't know if that would be bad for her.
The builder hasn't made her outside home yet. Can't wait to let her free outside although she seems happy in the apartment at the moment. There is so much more to tourtouse than I thought and it's fun learning all this stuff.
I'm so glad I followed the advice of just keeping 1. Her character is showing now. So once the enclosure is built it I will be posting about plants and a shrub/tree I have there is need to check if it is safe but I have to find out the name of it. I think it is Franipeny if that's the spelling anyway I have to eat now after feeding the pond fish, cats, dogs and Freda I AM HUNGRY

 

[Mark Tenerife]

@Tom lives in Southern California, which isn't exactly the coldest place on earth, and talks about heat and building outdoor enclosures for Russians in this thread
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

I think you will find this helpful

JoesMum I have read Tom's articles (brilliant) I have also asked about the soil for the enclosure. Freida is happier on her own. I'm off work for a week so want to get Freda outside as much as posable while I'm not at the office. Hope to chat again

 

[Mark Tenerife]

JoesMum I have read Tom's articles (brilliant) I have also asked about the soil for the enclosure. Freida is happier on her own. I'm off work for a week so want to get Freda outside as much as posable while I'm not at the office. Hope to chat again

Oh and she is crazy for broccoli

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Howdy Mark,
Welcome to the forum and a much deserved work holiday. At one point I had about 15-20 russian tortoises. Here is a picture of some of them; I'm fortunate to live in the country so I was able to build them a large outdoor yard. It's an "L" shape. The long part is about 16' wide x 34' long and the short part is about 8' x 24' . The first picture shows the long part and the second picture shows the shorter section. Russians do well in groups or pairs if they've got LOTS of room and line of sight barriers. Good luck and remember to ask questions. Soon you will be answering questions yourself.

 

[Mark Tenerife]

Howdy Mark,
Welcome to the forum and a much deserved work holiday. At one point I had about 15-20 russian tortoises. Here is a picture of some of them;View attachment 202935 I'm fortunate to live in the country so I was able to build them a large outdoor yard. It's an "L" shape. The long part is about 16' wide x 34' long View attachment 202936 and the short part is about 8' x 24' View attachment 202937. The first picture shows the long part and the second picture shows the shorter section. Russians do well in groups or pairs if they've got LOTS of room and line of sight barriers. Good luck and remember to ask questions. Soon you will be answering questions yourself.

Hi Cowboy Ken. Brilliant to hear from you. You are so lucky to have all that space. I guess you know I live on a very small island off the coast of Morocco (originally from Oxfordshire England). My apartment and total garden space are probably the same as your tourtouse enclosure!!!!! I can see why your Russians are do happy and breading. I did buy 2 but after recommendations from the forum I took the male back to the shop. My intention is to have the outside enclosure half of the area where Freda can dig and rummage about then another area for sun and feeding on stone slabs (so she can keep her beak and nails short)
Ken at the moment I am giving her a soak on pure mineral water a couple of times a week. Our water here is not drinkable because it is chlorine and very hard (limescale or call we call it here) I want to have a water feature literally pumping water round from a little tank under pebbles so she can get wet if she wants to, the drinking water would be bottled the same as we drink and cook with but would the hard chlorine water harm her if I used it in the water feature? The water would drain over the pebbles back round other wouldn't be standing water like a pond. I have fish ponds antie trattoria the water that cats drink from the waterfall with no problems could I treat the running water in the same way as the pond water? Oh Ken so many questions. Oh I feed her hibiscus, broccoli and other greens but she won't touch the pellets and really only eats the broccoli? Is that strange? I just want the best for her as I do with my other pets. I wish wish wish I lived in your area with all that space
Bye for now
Mark Tenerife

 

[Mark Tenerife]

JoesMum I have read Tom's articles (brilliant) I have also asked about the soil for the enclosure. Freida is happier on her own. I'm off work for a week so want to get Freda outside as much as posable while I'm not at the office. Hope to chat again

Hi Joesmum
I have spoken to Ken. He has huge enclosures and has kept Russians the same as my little lady. She is outside in the sun at the moment I have a palm tree so she is getting light and shade it is 12.30 and 78 in the shade with a cool breeze Wednesday or Thursday the builder is coming to build another pond and her enclosure. Very excited about setting it up for her but a little worried about my dog Blue. He took to my Pug Miss Daisy and then 2 kittens Zafiro and Mishka but he can't seem to understand Freida. Until I am happy he can be trusted I will have the keep her housed as she is and that it outside then she can go out in the garden enclosure when I can either cover it or trust that Blue will leave her alone. I think most of the problem is he can't suss her out yet.
Bye for now, thanks for suggesting Ken he really knows his stuff as do you. Mark Tenerife