Two questions about Russian tortoise!

[keiraliang]

First question is, outdoor temperature is 94F now(in shade).
Is it too hot for Russian tortoise?

Second question. Please see pictures below...
Is this Russian tortoise a Male or Female? it's 6 inch long. very dome shape.
The tail is not long at all, but it has a "hook" on the end



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[Candy]

Not sure about the temp in the shade, but it looks like a female to me.

 

[egyptiandan]

Those temperatures will make your Russians want to aestivate (the opposite of hibernation). They will want to dig down and try to stay cool and ride out the hot temperatures. If you want them to stay active, you will have to bring them inside.
She is most definately female

Danny

 

[keiraliang]

Thanks Candy and Danny! I was worried about "she" might be a "he" because of that Hook on the end of the tail.

But since you both say she is a she, I am relaxed.

When I keep her indoor(84F), she dig and stay in soil alot.(Bury herself in mud.)

She only come out to eat and walk to little bit. and then go back to sleep after 10~30 minutes.

Is it normal that she like to hide in the log or mud a lot?

Also, Does she look healthy? She is like REALLY~~~STRONG..

 

[Stephanie Logan]

Dang, my computer won't load the photos so I can't admire your tortoises!

 

[keiraliang]

Dang, my computer won't load the photos so I can't admire your tortoises!

Sorry to hear that! But thanks!

 

[Seiryu]

Dang, my computer won't load the photos so I can't admire your tortoises!

Jeez, what are you running, Windows 97?? I kid lol.

The photos are pretty big size/file though. Takes a few seconds for them to load for me.

 

[Tom]

When it gets really hot here (everyday from mid-June to mid-October) I hose down the whole tortoise enclosure during the heat of the day. I hit all the bushes, trees, walls, dirt and the tortoise too. They like to play in the water and the evaporative effect cools them drastically. I'll do this several times a day when it gets over 100. It also add at least a little humidity, which is good too.

 

[tortoisenerd]

Is your indoor enclosure only the one temperature (84), or does it have a gradient? You should aim for a gradient from 70 to 95. With the behavior you describe, I worry there is either something wrong with the set up or her health. Can you provide enclosure photos? Do you have hides available? Some torts burrow because they prefer it over hides, but other times they burrow when no hides are available. A healthy and well set up tort should come out of their burrow daily to thermoregulate and eat. I would pull the tort out from the burrow once a day and set it in a hide next to the basking spot, in line of sight of the food. If you haven't got a fecal test done for her in the last 6 months, I'd drop off a sample at the vet to check for parasites. Better yet, get her a check up. But, my best guess is something is wrong with the set up. Every once in awhile a tort will get into a funk and stay burrowed for a day or few, but this shouldn't be a long term thing. If she comes out everyday that is good, but I would want to see more than 10-30 minutes of activity a day. Does she eat that quickly? My tort is a slow eater. He will go back between basking, hiding, and eating, for a few hours each day. How long have you had the tort? Where did you get her (captive bred or wild caught--I'm just curious)? Since you have the indoor enclosure its good to bring her in, but if she was outdoor full time, you could probably build a burrow for her to estivate in, and set up a sprinkler or misting system to make it work. You'd want her to get used to the higher temps though, if they are much warmer than she is currently accustomed to.

Danny-Are those gaps between the pattern on the scutes indicative of fast growth, or is it just an interesting pattern?

 

[Stephanie Logan]

Well, they're loading just fine now.

I am a little disappointed that all but one are not really that "beautiful" to me....

 

[keiraliang]

Is your indoor enclosure only the one temperature (84), or does it have a gradient? You should aim for a gradient from 70 to 95. With the behavior you describe, I worry there is either something wrong with the set up or her health. Can you provide enclosure photos? Do you have hides available? Some torts burrow because they prefer it over hides, but other times they burrow when no hides are available. A healthy and well set up tort should come out of their burrow daily to thermoregulate and eat. I would pull the tort out from the burrow once a day and set it in a hide next to the basking spot, in line of sight of the food. If you haven't got a fecal test done for her in the last 6 months, I'd drop off a sample at the vet to check for parasites. Better yet, get her a check up. But, my best guess is something is wrong with the set up. Every once in awhile a tort will get into a funk and stay burrowed for a day or few, but this shouldn't be a long term thing. If she comes out everyday that is good, but I would want to see more than 10-30 minutes of activity a day. Does she eat that quickly? My tort is a slow eater. He will go back between basking, hiding, and eating, for a few hours each day. How long have you had the tort? Where did you get her (captive bred or wild caught--I'm just curious)? Since you have the indoor enclosure its good to bring her in, but if she was outdoor full time, you could probably build a burrow for her to estivate in, and set up a sprinkler or misting system to make it work. You'd want her to get used to the higher temps though, if they are much warmer than she is currently accustomed to.

Danny-Are those gaps between the pattern on the scutes indicative of fast growth, or is it just an interesting pattern?

I live in Texas, and it's around 100F recently so it's pretty hot.

I got her at Petco. 1 or 2 months ago.

Indoor, the lowest I can get is 84 F so, the lower side is 84 F
And the Basking spot is 95F , she is in a 50Gallon Rubbermaid tub.soil is around 1 feet deep with cypress on top, a food dish, a water dish(big enought that she can fit in) and a log(Hide)she fits in that log but she is very strong, that she move the log all the time by herself. so I really can't decide where to put it.

I moved the whole enclosure outside few days ago and the temperature was 95 F in shade. I don't know how to have a lower temp. side outdoors.And since it's 95F, so I thought she would burrow to keep herself cooler underground, but she didn't. She just stay on the ground now. She didn't burrow as much as when she's indoor (lower temp.)
I spray water on her and the enclosure every few hours so it won't get too dry.

Today I looked at her a lot, she even sleep outside now.

She eats very fast! My other Russian tortoises are both slower than her.

 

[tortoisenerd]

Is your house temp 84, or do you have lights on creating more heat over all of the floor surface raising the coolest enclosure temp to above your house temp? If you build an outdoor enclosure using the ground dirt, building a burrow where it is in the shade and literally underground, you will get significantly lower than the ambient temp. Just moving the enclosure outside, not much you can do besides adding humidity to get the temps below ambient. How do you feel about her activity level and the burrowing now? How much time indoors vs. outdoors on a typical day?