New Tortoise keeper in Manchester UK

ColinS

Active Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2017
Messages
115
Location (City and/or State)
Manchester
New to keeping Russian tortoise. I've read up a lot and evrything seems to conflict ha. Any advice appreciated. And I'm after building an outdoor enclosure what's the best time to put the tortoises outside
 

wellington

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Tortoise Club
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Hello and Welcome. Read the caresheets on this forum. Yes, there is a lot of conflicting info out there. That's why the best place to get your info is on this forum.
 

ColinS

Active Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2017
Messages
115
Location (City and/or State)
Manchester
Thanks people. Already gonna make changes when I get in from work ha am not that far wrong to be honest with what I've read on here. Apart from obviously they're in a viv! Soon to be outside and hopefully a table for when they're indoors
 

Tidgy's Dad

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Fes, Morocco
Hello, Colin and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum. :)
Vivs are fine if you can get them big enough, but an adult Russian needs 4 ' by 8' minimum as an enclosure size so vivs are often too small. And that's just for one tortoise.
I don't know if you've read. http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
and http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
but that's the way to go.
Many other sites, books and even vets, pet shops and dealers are still adhering to old and out of date methods.
I expect it's pretty cold in Manchester. I recall being frozen every time i went there (;)) so I wouldn't put them outside until spring if I were you, you don't want to hibernate them now or in their first year with you.
By all means put them outside on warm days, but be careful, Russians are famous escape artists, excellent diggers and climbers and they can move pretty fast, too.
How many do you have ?
Groups can work, but only if you have a very large area for them, tortoises don't do well in pairs and Russians seem to be particularly scrappy.
See http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/bad-day-for-baby.114328/
and http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...together-a-lesson-learned-the-hard-way.94114/
for some examples.
 
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