Hi im looking to use topsoil along with orchid bark but i cant find anywhere near me that sells sterilised top soil. can i just use normal top soil? Thanks
Hi everyone, I need some advice about my two-year-old Russian tortoise, Olive. She lives alone in a very safe enclosure and we don’t have any other pets she has never been dropped or experienced any injuries. Lately I’ve noticed her beak is separating on one side. Any idea what would cause this...
I bought too much veg for him this week and it'll go off before he can eat it, can I Freeze it and save it for later? It was fresh when I bought it so I thought it'd be okay but I just wanted to double check...
So I got my boy Milo last December, he is now 1 and a half years old. And 2 weeks ago I brought him a friend, baby meelah. I believe she is a girl, she is only 7 months old and half of his size. He has never shown signs of mating however he recently (since meelah settled in) has been trying to...
My Russian tortoise has a really dry shell. She was like this when I got her, and I wanted to take better care of her. I don't know if this is normal. What should I do about this? If it be a bath how often?
Lucky's fine in his current setup (it's a bit small and I plan on making it bigger now that I have room) but I was also considering moving him outside. I'd need to pull up the grass and weed frequently but other than that, I wouldn't have problems keeping him outside since I have a big yard with...
Hi everyone!
My name is Jeanna, and I am new to the Tortoise Forum. I am thinking of getting a Russian, but I have some concerns.
The first thing I noticed was all of the conflicting information on everything from substrate to lighting and soaking. Needless to say, it is easy to get lost in...
My Russian tort Hank is in cypress mulch. I spot clean her enclosure (a wooden Zoo Med Tortoise House) daily after work. I will occasionally see very small whiteish almost light beige colored little bugs on remaining lettuce scraps or poop. I don’t see them in large quantities, usually a few...
My 5+ year old Russian tortoise lives outside in the PNW. He has thrived and has many areas of sunlight every single day and hot spots and areas where he can always stay dry. He has gone into hibernation the past few years and has done very well coming out of it, I always bring him inside when...
Hello all!
I was gifted a 5ish year old male Russian for Christmas. For the first while, he lived with my boyfriend's dad until I was settled back into my apartment where he lives with me now. While living with my boyfriend's dad, he was kept in a 20 gal. tank (which we have now switched him to...
Hi! I am a semi-new tortoise owner and I still don't know if I am feeding my russian too much or too little. Freddie is about 5 years old and he eats like a pig (from what I can tell) but I don't know if I should keep giving him more food when he finishes the pile, or stop. I have heard things...
Hi, We have had Rocky for just over a year. I would guess he is about 1.5 yrs old. Please tell me if you think his shell looks ok or not. There seems to be wide spaces that did not exist a few months ago. Thanks
I just got a male russian tort (3-8 yo) from a pet store and I gave him his first soak in his new home but it didn't turn out as I expected. I thought everything would go smoothly but he ended up just pooping a ton and swirling around in it. I took him out and wiped his poo filled shell off but...
my little tort is being treated for an eye injection and ive had a few people recommended using orchid bark or orchid mulch/sphagnum moss for his substrate.
I can’t seem to find anywhere to buy it in the uk does anyone know where I can get it?
Also is sphagnum moss okay to use? I thought...
hello! so my Russian Tortoises has been burrowing in his cypress mulch substrate. I know Russian torts tend to burrow but I just want to make sure it is safe for him to burrow all the way under head and everything! I’m worried it will get in his eyes or he won’t be able to breath properly and...
Hello im going to be a new tortoise owner soon. Specifically to a Russian tortoise, and i was wondering if I have an ok tank the dimensions are 30 inches long 1 ft wide and 19 inches tall.
Had my young russian lost in my grandma's garden. She's like 7 years old and we take her every summer to my grandma's garden. Sometimes she gets lost, but we find her all the time. However it's been like 4 weeks, and we haven't found her directly. During summer she always hibernates, so we are...