new russian tortoise

[kristi&elliott]

hello! my name is kristi and i live in southwest colorado. i recently got a 4-5 year old russian tortoise. a friend of my parents' neighbors was looking for a home for him. i've had turtles and a bearded dragon in the past and i thought he'd be a wonderful addition to our home. his name is elliott and i am very enamored with him. i have a few questions though, and i'm hoping you fine folks can help me out.

1. i was told that if he had an outdoor enclosure in the sun he would not need the uva/uvb light. is this true? when he is outside in his enclosure he tends to just stay in his hide, so i don't know how much actual direct sunlight he's getting. he just digs a little depression in the back of the hide and stays there. maybe it's just too hot? i've been bringing him inside at night because it still gets really cold here and he doesn't hang out under the heat light, he goes into his hide there as well.

2. he seems to have a bit of labored breathing, as if he's forcing the breath. it sort of seems like my husband's asthmatic breathing.

3. his appetite is good, and he seems alert, but i don't know what "normal" behavior is for a russian tortoise. should i be concerned?

thanks so much in advance for any help you can give me. i'm sure there are answers to all of these questions buried here on the forum, but i've done so much online research and i thought it would be very helpful to have all the answers in the same place.

 

[yillt]

Welcome to the forum. Could we see some pictures? About his breathing if he is still eating just look after him well and you do need a heat lamp. If he stops eating or seems to be behaving funny take him to the vet. Bathe him daily and give him loads of attention. Good luck.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Kristi, and welcome to the Forum!

Russian tortoises are very active little guys...except when it gets real hot. Then they stay hidden a lot. If the tortoise is outside, whether in the shade or a hiding place, he's still getting the beneficial UVB rays. The rays float around in the atmosphere, and are not only contained in the sunshine. How cold are your night time temps? Russians can withstand cooler temps ok.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello Kristi welcome to the TFO from AZ. . Russians do very well outside ! So when do we get to see Picts of your tort and his enclosure ?


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[kristi&elliott]

sorry, i can't figure out how to post a photo?

so i should bathe him daily? i thought that was a weekly thing?

it can get down to about 40 degrees at night here. do you think that's okay?

 

[Yvonne G]

If your friend bought the tortoise at a pet store, its probably quite a bit older than 4 years. 4 years seems to be the standard age that pet store clerks tell people their tortoises are.

If the tortoise has a nice shelter, he can stay outside down to 40 degrees. Now, if its really is a baby or 4 years, then I'd keep bringing it in at night.

 

[bouaboua]

Hello and Welcome.

 

[kristi&elliott]

thank you so much for the information! how can i tell how old he is for certain?

and how do i post photos?

 

[dmmj]

You won't be able to tell the age without a hatch date. We can all guesstimate his age based on photos, we love to do that.
Oh salutations BTW.
Photos: next to the green post thread button, should be a upload file button.

 

[kristi&elliott]

okay, i figured the photos out, thanks!

here are my daughters with elliott, elliott himself, and elliott's enclosure (to which i have added a large shallow water dish since i took this photo).

 

[dmmj]

He looks WC, judging on the photo he seems to be around 4 to 5 inches, prob/ older than 4. Males don't get much bigger than 6 inches or so.

 

[leigti]

That enclosure looks good, I love the antlers. He might like some more plants to give him more hiding places. You could also build him a cold frame that he could be in when it's cold. I'm from Colorado so I know the sun shines a lot there and that might buy him a little more time in the outdoor enclosure. He will probably did a nice borough for himself. Good luck with them.

 

[pam]

Welcome Russians are awesome

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

You have two cute little girls , but what is that thing with 5 toes ?


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[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome to TFO!

 

[tortadise]

Welcome