Hi! New to Tortoises, give me all your info!

[lwphinney]

"Alternating and mixing up any of these foods." It doesn't say to only feed them Zoo Med Grassland tortoise food. It says to mix it up with greens/leaves. Also, you need to soak it in warm water to soften it.

Yes, I saw that. It was just that you said they don't eat grass, so the grassland tortoise feed wouldn't appeal to them. I did soak it in warm water, then we mashed it into a mash and put it in a small dish for them. Since it's Christmas Day I unfortunately can't get them any greens today. Once everything opens back up tomorrow I will go get them some broadleaf greens.

 

[Blackdog1714]

Check outside for weeds. Mine love the dandelion and Plantain (the weed) and even in Richmond I can still find some growing inthe alley beside our house. Never fear the appetite is there just trying to acclimate to the new "crib". I got my baby from @Carol S and and on day two started the run to eat me out of house and home. Sun & UV, Humidity, Heat, regular soaks and access to water are the major necessities.

 

[lwphinney]

Go back and re-read that care sheet, paying particular attention the the food section. None of the things you offered those tortoises was something they would eat. They don't eat grass, so the Grassland tortoise diet wouldn't appeal to them. They don't eat fruit, and shouldn't eat fruit. It causes a parasite bloom in their gut. Russian tortoises eat broad leaf greens, weeds and plants. If you offer them some escarole or endive I think they'll eat. For weeds look for milk weed, dandelion, fillarree, clover, etc.

Success! I got dandelion leaves and escarole and she LOVES them! She is eating with a vigor right now!

 

[lwphinney]

So I decided to keep the female and return the male. The manager (i guess) comes to the cash register and I say, "Hi! So my husband got me these two for Christmas but then we found out they are solitary animals and shouldn't be kept in pairs, so I'm bringing him back." She says, rather snarkily, "Well, that's actually not true. But, you can return him if you want." I was like, "Um, okay." So she tells the cashier to give us a refund for the 1/2 price one because they sold them to us buy one get one free since he purchased both. And I said, "Oh, that was nice!" And she says to me, with attitude, "Yeah, because we really wanted them to stay together." And I said, "I've talked to several experts and they said that if he stays with her he will mate with her over and over, to the point where it can endanger her life." And she just looked at me, and goes, "Ok, well, you two have a great night." And grabbed the box and walked off.

 

[TechnoCheese]

So I decided to keep the female and return the male. The manager (i guess) comes to the cash register and I say, "Hi! So my husband got me these two for Christmas but then we found out they are solitary animals and shouldn't be kept in pairs, so I'm bringing him back." She says, rather snarkily, "Well, that's actually not true. But, you can return him if you want." I was like, "Um, okay." So she tells the cashier to give us a refund for the 1/2 price one because they sold them to us buy one get one free since he purchased both. And I said, "Oh, that was nice!" And she says to me, with attitude, "Yeah, because we really wanted them to stay together." And I said, "I've talked to several experts and they said that if he stays with her he will mate with her over and over, to the point where it can endanger her life." And she just looked at me, and goes, "Ok, well, you two have a great night." And grabbed the box and walked off.

Ugh...

 

[TortoiseRacket]

Wow, most pet stores are the worst! We have one that thankfully tries to separate them. You did the right thing by separating them!
-Mickey

 

[Pastel Tortie]

So I decided to keep the female and return the male. The manager (i guess) comes to the cash register and I say, "Hi! So my husband got me these two for Christmas but then we found out they are solitary animals and shouldn't be kept in pairs, so I'm bringing him back." She says, rather snarkily, "Well, that's actually not true. But, you can return him if you want." I was like, "Um, okay." So she tells the cashier to give us a refund for the 1/2 price one because they sold them to us buy one get one free since he purchased both. And I said, "Oh, that was nice!" And she says to me, with attitude, "Yeah, because we really wanted them to stay together." And I said, "I've talked to several experts and they said that if he stays with her he will mate with her over and over, to the point where it can endanger her life." And she just looked at me, and goes, "Ok, well, you two have a great night." And grabbed the box and walked off.

You did the right thing.

 

[TortoiseRacket]

I once got a leopard gecko from a Petco. The lady grabbed the one violently and dropped it in a box. I asked “Do you know it’s gender?” Not expecting a valid answer. She replied, “Yeah, it’s young.” Whhaaaaaattt? I asked again, same answer with a bit of an attitude. Just to test her knowledge, I asked, can male leopard geckos be housed together? She said “Yes, but you don’t want to house females together because they will eat each others eggs.” And she walked away. I never bought anything from a Petco again...

 

[TortoiseRacket]

I once got a leopard gecko from a Petco. The lady grabbed the one violently and dropped it in a box. I asked “Do you know it’s gender?” Not expecting a valid answer. She replied, “Yeah, it’s young.” Whhaaaaaattt? I asked again, same answer with a bit of an attitude. Just to test her knowledge, I asked, can male leopard geckos be housed together? She said “Yes, but you don’t want to house females together because they will eat each others eggs.” And she walked away. I never bought anything from a Petco again...

I also forgot to mention-
I was 10, I walked into that very same petco and I still knew a 20 gallon tank was too small for 4 male Russian tortoises. I told the manager the tank was too small, and since I was “a cute little 10 year old” she replied in a nice sweet voice that it was fine for them now but when they get 3+ feet it will not be. I told her Russian tortoises only get 10 inches max. She said are you sure and I looked it up for her and showed her. Then she kicked me out and banned me from the store. I was later let back in when she was fired. I may have an angry pet store manager spying on me right now...
Who knows...
That’s just to show the lack of people wanting to learn in this town. It’s quite funny and sad at the same time.
-Mickey