Searching for some advice...

[dirt_inc]

So I bought a russian a lil more then a week ago. It was my frist time owning a tortoise so being new to the world I did a ton of research b4 I got my lil guy.

I bought my tortoise at petsmart and started reading alot of negative reviews on petsmart I decided to take him in for a check up.

And according to the vet I'm doing alot if things wrong in the care of my tortoise...

But alot of the information she was giving me was contradicting alot of the research I have done on my own.

For excample... she said I should have him in a glass aquarium not a plastic bin like I currently have him in... but in my research I read its better air flow... she said I would have keep him in a "Florida type room" if I plan on keeping him in the bin.

Also I read only feed them as much as they can eat in abt 20mins... she said feed him as much as he wants to eat always.

I have been soaking him abt 3 times a week and I keep a small water bowl in is home in case hes gets trusty... she said soaking him is just like telling him when to drink and I should have a soaking dish in his habitat at all times.

She also had never ever heard of a tortoise table... thought the idea of a box mad of wood that can hold moisture was a dumb idea.

Also said my 50/50 mix of dirt and sand was wrong. And if I kept it I would have to clean it at least once a week. I also have a reptile mulch which she said was fine.

The care sheet she gave me said alot of things that I read in other places were bad such as... substrate:newspaper,rabbit pellets....
Diet:"bok choy" "cilantro"and I dont now abt cilantro but I know I read that bok choy for russians was a no no...
I give my lil guy a spring mix which he loves and she said that was ok...

I also have heat lamp for basking and a uv light as well... I broke it down to a hot side and a cool side... the basking lamp area reads abt 95 and the cool side abt 75 drops a lil a night... she said that wasnt good enough... humidity is abt 50... she told me I have to buy a fogger and other stuff...

And really I just dont know... I felt I was doing everything right... she said he is an older tortoise and she really cant tell. She said he could be old enough to die soon or in years. All she knows is hes older then two. Shes said they say they can live 50+ on average only live maybe 30 years.. she said he has wrinkles on his neck that is offten a sign of dehydration. And that its probability one of the things im doing wrong. But he eats and I see him drinking out his bowl and I soak him.

Am I hurting him? Am I crazy? Is everything I read wrong? Please any advise is useful...

I felt like she was just telling me facts abt all tortoises and not my russian...

 

[dmmj]

is a little hard to know where to start, your vet seems to be all over the place. If I miss any questions, lease say something. Ok, the neck "wrinkles", I don't know if she is referring to the natural neck folds, or what. But they are not a sign of dehydration.
A tortoise table is fine for adults, glass for youngsters to hold in humidity.
Diet based on weeds and flowers is bbest, but spring mix is also good, I would not feed bok choy.

I don't like using a sand mix, so some type of soil would prob. be best.
Soaking and a water dish is fine. (I have no idea what she is talking about.
I wonder after reading ou what sounded like the riot act, did she even do a fecal for parasites?

 

[wellington]

Relax and read the info on this forum under the Russian section. Forget most of what was already told to,you, even from the vet. Your tortoise is probably around 5 years old or so. Most of the petsmart and Petco tortoises are wild caught and so they are also usually adults around the age I said, possibly older, possibly younger. Coconut coir or plain dirt is a good substrate, not newspaper or pellets, also not sand. The water dish should be big enough that your tort can get into it if he wants but not too deep. A clay saucer, the kind that goes under flower pots work good. A varied diet of lots of edible things is what should be fed and a large handful daily, if he finishes it quite quickly, give him some more. Here is one site of edible items http://m.thetortoisetable.org.uk/m/tortoise_home_1.asp
Good luck and enjoy your new friend.

 

[dirt_inc]

Well I didnt have a sample.... so she said that once I get one to bring it in within 24 hours... she also said that some parasites are good you just dont want to many... that was a new to me too?

She said it was more of excess loose skin on his neck. And it was a lil flaky... ill take a picture when he wakes up...

 

[dirt_inc]

Thanks you wellington... and thanks dmmj... I am probably stressing myself out to much abt it to much. I just dont want to be hurting the lil guy...

 

[WillTort2]

The idea that some parasites are beneficial within torts seems to be correct. But, I believe that parasites in large quantities can cause the tort to not get the nutrition needed.

Try a coco coir substrate, it holds moisture well and is easy to clean. For a few good starting foods try radicchio, dandelions, escarole, mulberry leaves, grape leaves and misc weeds.

Good luck.

 

[Wanda]

I live in the uk so we don't have the warmest weather but as soon as my hatchlings yolk sac has dried up they go straight onto top soil in a large rabbit cage with a lamp.

Russians don't like high humidity, and they don't like being able to see through glass.

Also I have never seen my Russians drink from their water bowl so they need a regular soak just to keep up their hydration level.

Mine are all well hydrated and they have neck folds!

And my Russians just love to dig, so soil is much better than pellets. I personally use pure soil as I found the sand tended to irritate their eyes.

My advice is do as you have done, read a lot from others that actually keep these tortoises. Perhaps the advice your vet gave you was more appropriate for other breeds but I would find yourself a vet that has more experience with Russians!

 

[smarch]

Don't hold me to all of these as high as you would anyone else since i'm certainly no expert, but I am a Russian owner and have had a happy healthy little guy for 2 years now (got from petco.)
First off it sounds like you're doing a lot of right things, so don't stress too much, everyone here's always ready to help answer any question no matter how silly it may seem, and Russian's are quite tolerant to owners learning care, and you will hear that often here.
I keep my little guy in a glass tank, but that's only for space purposes right now, but its not advised since temperature and airflow are less good, so you're doing good with the plastic tub.
Sand in any substrate isn't great, I was just looking into a 50/50 mix just like yours and had a whole thread of people advising against it due to impactions, (http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/play-sand-type.93763/ if you want to check it out) its a risk many people prefer not to take.
spring mix is good but be sure to give a variety, if you live in a pesticide free yard you can go out and pick dandelion and clover during warmer months, better for them and free! (I live on a farm so I get LOTS of greens from our fields corners).
My vet told me 95° is too hot, he said to aim for 85° on the warm side.
Other than that she sounds experienced in tortoises in general but certainly not Russians individually.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

Ahem... In my experience (that would be 38 years and counting) vets can be very useful when it comes to sick animals, but very few of them have direct experience with healthy tortoises or turtles and the care that keeps them healthy. They only see the results of bad care. They never see the results of good care. They haven't been gathering the kind of data they need to offer good balanced advice. I know a vet who recommends pellets as substrate, knowing it's not ideal, but as a corrective to all the shell rot he sees, figuring people won't comply with moderate advice.

The really good vets are also open to learning from us, and we enter into a partnership to care for our animals.

 

[lismar79]

I have also learned to take what my vet says with a grain of salt.... I do my own research on care for my sulcata and russian and I have asked a lot of questions on here from the people who know. I take all this info and decide what works for me and my torts in our area of the world

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

Tortoise tables are dumb???
You should have a soaking dish in there ALL the time.
Hehe, I really don't what she's talking about, if you give your tortoise as much food as he wants, he'll never stop eating! Check the diet sheet at the
top of this forum for russian tortoises. You temps sound great, and plastic tubs are good for air/ space (if they are nice an big)... Sand can cause impaction if swallowed, and russians are not neat little eaters, so that could happen easily. Good luck with your tort!!

 

[leigti]

I also suggest you get a new vet ASAP. Trust the information you see on the site, I have done a total of research and I know that this site has the right information. It sounds to me like you were doing things pretty well, except I personally would not have sand in the substrate. I use coconut Coir indoors and topsoil and Pete Moss outdoors. There are many different ways to care for a Tortoise correctly and this site will help you find what works for you. Good luck with your new little friend.