Looking into getting a russian a few questions?

[Lilithlee]

Hello, I'm new.

I'm thinking about getting a russian, and if I do it would be till after I moved and save a little more money. So, probably around October or mid November. That way I have enough time to get a nice place set up before actually getting a russian.
Now to a couple of questions.

While I want a baby, I also want to looking into rescues. Do anyone know of any rescues near Virginia?

Second question, are they any pro's or con's of buying a baby vs an adult.

Okay, now I forgotten my third question, I guess we can go on....

I've never owned a tortoise beforeso any other advice you can give me I would love!

 

[MissTurtle]

where in VA??

 

[Lilithlee]

where in VA??

I'm moving to Culpeper.

 

[-JM]

There are a lot of great people on this forum who can give you advice!

I will say that with Russians, one of the fist things to do is to decide is if you want one that has been Captive Born (CB) in the US by a breeder, or if you are ok with a Wild Caught (WC) tortoise.
Russians are great, hardy little tortoises with lots of personality! I love them like crazy!

I hope you get all your questions answered, and I can't wait to see how you set up for your future tortoise!

 

[Tortoise Girl]

I agree with Jessica. Russians are great, hearty tortoises with tonnes of personality. My advice is to find a reputable breeder first then decide based on his/her availability what will fit into your lifestyle the best (both now and in the future).

 

[dmmj]

Ifyou get one from a pet store and it is under 150 dollars it will be a WC specimen. CB babies usually run around 150, they are intially more exspensive from breeders but they are usually more healthy. If you get one from the pet store you will more than likely need a vet visit and meds for parasites. Babies are usually more diffucult to rise but from all the posts on here most people seem to do quite well with russian babies. Russians are great torts to have I have 3 (all rescues) they have great personalities. In all honesty if this is your first tort I might go with a adult, you could check C: ( Craigslist) or check and see if VA has any reptile or tortoise rescues around.

 

[-JM]

There are usually adult russians for sale on Kingsnake classifieds, and I think that the turtlesource.com has some right now.

But I agree, if you're going to get an adult, check rescues and craigslist first. Those are the torts that need you the most!

 

[Lilithlee]

On vets, how do you tell if they take torts?

 

[-JM]

Call ahead and ask. Also, check this list.

http://tortoiseforum.org/tortoisevetlist.html

 

[ChiKat]

Just wanted to say that I LOVE that you're doing your research BEFORE getting a tortoise
And waiting until you are in the right situation to get a tortoise.
I have a 15-month old Russian that I purchased as a hatchling from a breeder. I loove Russians and I can't wait to have more some day!
I have found several on craigslist in my area- not sure if they're as common in your area.

 

[tortoisenerd]

Welcome to the group! I do highly recommend either a captive bred tort over a year old, or a rescue (ask at animal shelters and look on Craig's List and Pet Finder and such). Regardless of history, I would take all torts & turtles to a vet for a check up and a fecal test for parasites. Have a few hundred dollars at least set aside for emergency vet bills. Babies are cute to watch grow up, but under a year they are so so fragile. I would wait and not be afraid to spend some money to get a yearling, or look for a tort to adopt. Be patient and don't just run out and buy some hatchling as honestly they are tough to keep alive even for en experienced owner. Even getting an older tort, even though you miss the growth stage, it will likely still have a lot of life left in it as these animals can live 50-100 years. Most people don't stop at one tort, so having the "easier" older tort for the first one is a better choice. You can build a tort table now, and if you get a younger tort, block off most of it to increase the enclosure size as they grow. Wait to buy hides & water dish until you know the size of tort. A slate tile is great for food as it wears down the beak & nails and it keeps the substrate away from the food.

A 100 Watt T-Rex Active UV Heat or Mega Ray Mercury Vapor Bulb (MVB) is the best your money can buy. That is unless you can keep the tort outside for at least a couple hours a day most days of the week (In Virginia I'm assuming at least part of the year it will live inside and you'll need a UVB bulb). You need a lamp stand, a hood fixture with a ceramic socket, and a temp gun to use these properly.

My best advice is to do as much research as you can, but be aware no matter how much you prepare, you will have lots of adjustments to make, and enclosures are always a work in progress. Be patient and don't just rush out and buy the first tort you see. If you wait awhile, you will find a tort that needs you, or a yearling which is a safer bet than a hatchling. No matter what Petco tells you, their Russians are wild caught (they tend to say they don't know where they are from but they are a year old). Good luck!

 

[Lilithlee]

Welcome to the group! I do highly recommend either a captive bred tort over a year old, or a rescue (ask at animal shelters and look on Craig's List and Pet Finder and such). Regardless of history, I would take all torts & turtles to a vet for a check up and a fecal test for parasites. Have a few hundred dollars at least set aside for emergency vet bills. Babies are cute to watch grow up, but under a year they are so so fragile. I would wait and not be afraid to spend some money to get a yearling, or look for a tort to adopt. Be patient and don't just run out and buy some hatchling as honestly they are tough to keep alive even for en experienced owner. Even getting an older tort, even though you miss the growth stage, it will likely still have a lot of life left in it as these animals can live 50-100 years. Most people don't stop at one tort, so having the "easier" older tort for the first one is a better choice. You can build a tort table now, and if you get a younger tort, block off most of it to increase the enclosure size as they grow. Wait to buy hides & water dish until you know the size of tort. A slate tile is great for food as it wears down the beak & nails and it keeps the substrate away from the food.

A 100 Watt T-Rex Active UV Heat or Mega Ray Mercury Vapor Bulb (MVB) is the best your money can buy. That is unless you can keep the tort outside for at least a couple hours a day most days of the week (In Virginia I'm assuming at least part of the year it will live inside and you'll need a UVB bulb). You need a lamp stand, a hood fixture with a ceramic socket, and a temp gun to use these properly.

My best advice is to do as much research as you can, but be aware no matter how much you prepare, you will have lots of adjustments to make, and enclosures are always a work in progress. Be patient and don't just rush out and buy the first tort you see. If you wait awhile, you will find a tort that needs you, or a yearling which is a safer bet than a hatchling. No matter what Petco tells you, their Russians are wild caught (they tend to say they don't know where they are from but they are a year old). Good luck!

Thanks, I was looking for the correct Watts when I was googling lighting today.

Yes, after doing a lot of research I believe a baby isn't for me. Very cute, but not for me. I was thinking anywhere from 1 to 4 years( but willing to take older when the times comes) so thanks for resuring that idea.

I've seen so Russian at Petsmart(actually petsmat said it was a Greek up untill a few week ago and then it suddenly turn Russian but it's the same tort.) but I don't trust petsmat(or petco) all that much.

Sadly, rescue our out since the only one near me want way too much information from me, I understand why, I just don't feel comfortable giving it out. I'm keeping my eye on Craig's List, and trying very hard to only get a captive torts. There are a few upcoming reptile show coming to my area' in October and November. I plan to look as these too.

I believe that I have something that can work very well as a tort table and have been looking at other people table, so, I have a good idea in mind. I also plan to slowly get the item I need. That why I have everything I need when I get the tort. Oh, before I forget, awesome idea about the slate tile! And thanks for all the information!

 

[tortoisenerd]

I wouldn't worry about only getting captive bred from Craig's List or similar...with an adoption, you are doing a good thing and it doesn't matter so much (you aren't supporting the importation of Russians, which is the important thing). You won't see too many captive bred torts on Craig's List, and those that you do see tend to be in pretty bad shape (so be prepared to take it to the vet and spend a few hundred). At the reptile shows, 99% sure you'll only see very young hatchlings or wild caught Russians. I have never seen anything in between. Would the animal shelters ask for too much info? They may be less stringent than the rescues. Good luck! Feel free to PM me or ask questions here. I love talking torts.

 

[Lilithlee]

I wouldn't worry about only getting captive bred from Craig's List or similar...with an adoption, you are doing a good thing and it doesn't matter so much (you aren't supporting the importation of Russians, which is the important thing). You won't see too many captive bred torts on Craig's List, and those that you do see tend to be in pretty bad shape (so be prepared to take it to the vet and spend a few hundred). At the reptile shows, 99% sure you'll only see very young hatchlings or wild caught Russians. I have never seen anything in between. Would the animal shelters ask for too much info? They may be less stringent than the rescues. Good luck! Feel free to PM me or ask questions here. I love talking torts.

Our animal shelters our mainly cats and dogs, but I'm going to call and ask if they get any trots in.

I'll PM you with my other question.

P.S. Out of pure curiosity is there anyway to tell the different between a wild caught and captive?

 

[dmmj]

how the shell looks is usually the best guide with russians, most WC russians shell will look worn and old from being outside in the wild, CB are usuallly nice looking new shells.

 

[earthyman71]

check out www.russiantortoise.org for great care information. i have 12 russians and love them to pieces. properly cared for they are hardy. there's always debate about cb vs wc. the only russian i ever lost (death) was a cb juvenile who wasn't the healthiest little girl to begin with. the wild caughts i've rescued (from petco, petsmart and prior owners) are all tough as nails.