Newbie and learning...from Bay Area

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Sweetpea

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Hi Everyone,
I've enjoyed reading and learning more about my russian tort here. This is the first time for me, so pardon my delays in responding.

I have acquired a russian tort (sweetpea) a few months ago and love having her. Lucky for me, someone was giving her away. I've had her checked out by the local reptile store and he said she's very healthy and between 5-10 years old.

Can't wait til summer time so she can roam outside with me!

Cin
 

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Kristina

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Welcome to the forum!

Sweetpea is a beautiful little Russian ;) It looks like her beak may be a bit overgrown, you may need to have it trimmed.
 

Sweetpea

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kyryah said:
Welcome to the forum!

Sweetpea is a beautiful little Russian ;) It looks like her beak may be a bit overgrown, you may need to have it trimmed.

Really?? I never noticed...check out another picture. How would you trim a beak?

i'll have to take more pictures, then tell me what you think. the last pic is hard to tell.
 

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Laura

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hard to tell,, but look at other russian pics.. what do yo think?
She should not have a beak like a parrot..
welcome to the family!
 

Kristina

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It is a little overlong, but not too bad at this point. The top beak isn't supposed to overlap the lower jaw. You don't want it to get any worse however. You can feed her on a piece of slate (slate tile from Home Depot or Lowes works well, and is cheap) or a unglazed terra cotta flower pot saucer. Get some cuttlebone (like for pet birds) and put it in the enclosure. They chew on it and that helps. You can also feed large pieces of "hard" foods like collard stalks, carrots, or summer squash (raw with the rind on.)

As far as trimming it, it is possible to do your self with a pair of nail clippers, but being a new owner I would not recommend it. You can have it done by a reptile vet. Mine uses a Dremel, but I haven't taken one in in years - I do it myself now.

When it gets too long, it makes it hard for them to eat. Here is a picture of one of mine so you can see the difference.

KristinasPictures3755.jpg
 

Yvonne G

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Hi Cin:

Welcome to the forum!! Russians are great tortoises. You and Sweetpea are going to be good buddies in no time at all!
 

Sweetpea

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kyryah said:
It is a little overlong, but not too bad at this point. The top beak isn't supposed to overlap the lower jaw. You don't want it to get any worse however. You can feed her on a piece of slate (slate tile from Home Depot or Lowes works well, and is cheap) or a unglazed terra cotta flower pot saucer. Get some cuttlebone (like for pet birds) and put it in the enclosure. They chew on it and that helps. You can also feed large pieces of "hard" foods like collard stalks, carrots, or summer squash (raw with the rind on.)

As far as trimming it, it is possible to do your self with a pair of nail clippers, but being a new owner I would not recommend it. You can have it done by a reptile vet. Mine uses a Dremel, but I haven't taken one in in years - I do it myself now.

When it gets too long, it makes it hard for them to eat. Here is a picture of one of mine so you can see the difference.

KristinasPictures3755.jpg

How come I can't see the picture? I've seen some with attachments that I can click on, but some I cannot. Do you know why?
thanks,
 

Kristina

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I don't. The picture is there, I am looking at it both in my post and in the one you quoted. I didn't add it as an attachment, but put it right in the message.
 

Sweetpea

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jeffbens0n said:

Thank You!:)

emysemys said:
Hi Cin:

Welcome to the forum!! Russians are great tortoises. You and Sweetpea are going to be good buddies in no time at all!

Thank you, I appreciate it!:)

Laura said:
hard to tell,, but look at other russian pics.. what do yo think?
She should not have a beak like a parrot..
welcome to the family!

thank you Laura, I will check her out closely tonite. :)
 

swimqt

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Hopefully we have a warm summer this year for our torts! We had like 2 hot days all summer! lol. I get to deal with heating an outdoor enclosure for a Sulcata and this cold weather we're having makes me nervous.
 

Tom

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Hello and welcome. Your russian has a beautiful shell. Congrats on a great find.
 

lisadanny0127

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Sweetpea said:
Hi Everyone,
I've enjoyed reading and learning more about my russian tort here. This is the first time for me, so pardon my delays in responding.

I have acquired a russian tort (sweetpea) a few months ago and love having her. Lucky for me, someone was giving her away. I've had her checked out by the local reptile store and he said she's very healthy and between 5-10 years old.

Can't wait til summer time so she can roam outside with me!

Cin
 

Sweetpea

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Location (City and/or State)
East Bay, CA
kyryah said:
I don't. The picture is there, I am looking at it both in my post and in the one you quoted. I didn't add it as an attachment, but put it right in the message.

I figured it out, when I'm at work I can't see the pictures, but when I'm home I can. Must be something with the server at work. Oh well.

I checked out my tort's beak and it's got me worried. I got a piece of slat and place her food on it, hoping that will help. It's not helping as fast as I want. I am keeping a closer eye on her.

Thanks,

Laura said:
hard to tell,, but look at other russian pics.. what do yo think?
She should not have a beak like a parrot..
welcome to the family!

You were right too about my tort's beak. It's gotten me worried, so I've put a piece of slate down with her food on it. I hope this helps, but it seems like it's not fast enough....

Thank you :cool:
 

Sweetpea

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kyryah said:
It is a little overlong, but not too bad at this point. The top beak isn't supposed to overlap the lower jaw. You don't want it to get any worse however. You can feed her on a piece of slate (slate tile from Home Depot or Lowes works well, and is cheap) or a unglazed terra cotta flower pot saucer. Get some cuttlebone (like for pet birds) and put it in the enclosure. They chew on it and that helps. You can also feed large pieces of "hard" foods like collard stalks, carrots, or summer squash (raw with the rind on.)

As far as trimming it, it is possible to do your self with a pair of nail clippers, but being a new owner I would not recommend it. You can have it done by a reptile vet. Mine uses a Dremel, but I haven't taken one in in years - I do it myself now.

When it gets too long, it makes it hard for them to eat. Here is a picture of one of mine so you can see the difference.

KristinasPictures3755.jpg

I can see your picture (at home, not work). Your torts look really good!
 

Laura

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is it eating? dont worry too much. just watch.. the vet will be able to file it down.. the slate will take a lot longer..
 

Sweetpea

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Laura said:
is it eating? dont worry too much. just watch.. the vet will be able to file it down.. the slate will take a lot longer..

She's eating alot and some days she'll skip it. I think maybe because it's been really cold and I noticed the temp readings go down to 75-ish.

Do you know what wattage is best for a CHE? I have one and a red heat bulb plus a uvb white bulb...forgot the wattage on that.

thanks,
 
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