Newbie from Texas with a Russian Tortoise

[Justin90]

Hello everyone! My name is Justin, I just "rescued" a young Russian Tortoise from Petsmart last week. The very knowledgeable people there told me its a girl, so I named her Tankerella or Ella for short. Well after doing my own research, i'm pretty sure my little girl is a boy, so now I have to rename her/him haha. I've always wanted a Tortoise and I'm super excited about having one. Below are a few thoughts/questions. When my wife and I get a house, I'm planning on building a "garden" for him to live in outside.

Food:
I am using a spring mix and he/she seems to love it, I'm going to try bell peppers. I tried carrots, but he doesn't touch them. I'm going to look for other food to give variety, so suggestions are welcome.

Tank:
At first I was going to keep him temporarily in a 10g tank (I live in a small apartment but we are moving in a year), but as soon as I got home and after doing more research, I decided to build a enclosure, I should be done with it in a couple days. In the mean time I have him in a open cardboard box bottom instead of the tank. Pictures below.

Behavior:
The little guy seems to love sleeping in his "den" whenever I put him in the tank/box. However, when I take him out and let him walk around he seems totally different and much more active and confident. Does that sound kinda normal? I'm hoping with the enclosure i'm building it will provide ample stimulation so he doesn't sleep all day.

Sexing:
Included a picture of this rear. He does have a spur on the end of this tail and the back of his shell does go further down. Can anyone confirm that he is a he?


Any tips and suggestions are always welcomed!

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hi Justin

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Justin, and welcome to the Forum!

Well, the petstore is 0 for 0! That's not a Russian. I'm not good at telling the difference between the hermanni and the graeca, but you have one or the other.

We can ask @HermanniChris for his opinion on the species.

Food:
I am using a spring mix and he/she seems to love it, I'm going to try bell peppers. I tried carrots, but he doesn't touch them. I'm going to look for other food to give variety, so suggestions are welcome.

Spring mix is ok, but you need to add more and other stuff. Look for escarole and endive. If there's a Smart and Final where you live, they carry Santa Barbara Mix and that's endive, escarole and radicchio. You can also look for edible weeds like dandelion, mallow, fillarree, etc. Also grape and mulberry leaves.

Tank:
At first I was going to keep him temporarily in a 10g tank (I live in a small apartment but we are moving in a year), but as soon as I got home and after doing more research, I decided to build a enclosure, I should be done with it in a couple days. In the mean time I have him in a open cardboard box bottom instead of the tank. Pictures below.

I'm sorry to say, after all your hard work, that your new tort table isn't nearly big enough. Two or even three times that size is much better.

Behavior:
The little guy seems to love sleeping in his "den" whenever I put him in the tank/box. However, when I take him out and let him walk around he seems totally different and much more active and confident. Does that sound kinda normal? I'm hoping with the enclosure i'm building it will provide ample stimulation so he doesn't sleep all day.

Tortoises are territorial, and so he's pretty stressed and fearful at being away from his home territory. Give him a couple weeks and he'll come around. He'll soon realize he's safe and that you're the food god. The reason she's more active when you take her out of the tank is because she's scared and she's looking for a safe place to hide. It's never a good idea to allow a tortoise to wander around the house. Too many things could happen and too many bad things might be ingested.

Sexing:
Included a picture of this rear. He does have a spur on the end of this tail and the back of his shell does go further down. Can anyone confirm that he is a he?

That looks like a female tail to me.

We have an excellent care sheet for both the Greek and Hermann species, but let's wait to see what Chris has to say.

 

[Yvonne G]

I forgot to mention that she looks a little dehydrated (the eyes) and could benefit from a nice warm soak. Put her in a small tub with water that comes up to the middle of the sides where the top shell meets the bottom shell and just leave her soaking for about 15 minutes.

 

[Justin90]

I forgot to mention that she looks a little dehydrated (the eyes) and could benefit from a nice warm soak. Put her in a small tub with water that comes up to the middle of the sides where the top shell meets the bottom shell and just leave her soaking for about 15 minutes.

thank you for all the information! When I was looking up photos of Russians, I noticed the coloring on their shells seemed different than the one I have. Taking a look at the hermanni and the graeca, mine does look more like the hermanni.

I actually have been giving her more soaks. The first couple, she stayed in peacefully, but now she doesn't want to stay in as long. Is there a limit of soakings, is once a day good or too much?

 

[Yvonne G]

At the size of your tortoise, once a week is enough as long as there's a waterer in the habitat.

 

[HermanniChris]

Without a doubt, that is a Dalmatian tortoise (Testudo hermanni hercegovinensis).

 

[Justin90]

Without a doubt, that is a Dalmatian tortoise (Testudo hermanni hercegovinensis).

Awesome! thanks for the clarification! Bought a Russian, got a Dalmatian haha.

 

[Yvonne G]

Here's the link to the care sheet:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sticky-hermanns-tortoise-care-sheet-updated.101410/

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello, Justin, and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum to you and Tankerella.