Hi John! nice tortoise. I'm Lynne from Scotland and I also have a Russian tortoise named Boris who is 3 years old. You'll find so much helpful and fantastic information and people here on this forum who can help you keep your tortoise healthy and happy.
That's beautiful, I'm not very familiar with this species of tortoises. Being from Russia does it means they'll hibernate for the entire winter? I heard European species don't grow as big as Tropical or African tortoises, it would make sense to keep them as you live in colder climates unlike myself who raise red foot & sulcate would be more suitable & popular choices.
We were told he was 6 months old, but we know it must be longer. And, we just got him a little over a week ago. His name is Michelangelo, but I like to shorten it to Mikey.Hi John! Welcome to TFO!
Would you tell us a little bit about your tortoise? So we can get to know you and him better.
What's his name?
6 months to 3 years is a big span...tell us how you figured that out?
How long have you had him, and where did you get him?
You know...just general stuff, if you want to.
Here is an underside picDid you get him/her from a pet store? THey usualy sell only wild caught adults do the 4" rule and how easy they are to catch in the wild. Also please add some good plastron (underside) photos including tail so we may help in sexing your new russian. In the meantime go to our Russian section and ensure proper care for adult russian- Basking spot, cool side and plenty of mulch for digging in! Welcome
Welcome to the forum! You new Russian is a sexually mature male, he’s a pretty good size for a male. It will be impossible to know the exact age of your new tortoise, but I can say he is older than 3 years old.Here is an underside pic View attachment 288142
He's massive compared to my wee Boris. Thinks he's quite an age.Here is an underside pic View attachment 288142
Well, he certainly is a handsome dude! And I think I would call him Mikey too. Michelangelo is a lot to say!We were told he was 6 months old, but we know it must be longer. And, we just got him a little over a week ago. His name is Michelangelo, but I like to shorten it to Mikey.
Yes, pet shop if they're only a sales employee would have close to no knowledge other than what their boss told them to say. These advices they give you are usually what you must buy for your pet tort to best take care of them & you'll end up spending 3 times the amount you intended, when I purchased my tort the employee said bigger ones cost more & told me to buy them pet tortoise pellets.Well, he certainly is a handsome dude! And I think I would call him Mikey too. Michelangelo is a lot to say!
Did a pet store tell you he was 6 months old? As you can tell from all the other comments, that person didn't know much about him. Sadly, pet store workers usually are not very knowledgeable about tortoises. They often give people bad advice on how to care for their new friend. We want to be sure that Mikey is living in a great enclosure and has everything he needs for the two of you to enjoy a long healthy life together.
Read those threads that Tom linked for you. If you think you need to change something, come to us with your questions, and we'll help you.