A change. Russians it is :) And I need help. Please? :)

[PoisonOrchid]

Hello

Well, today I visited a friend of a friend(you know how it goes), who owns 3 sullies.
Two who were about 16 inchs and one who was only 5 inches.
I wanted to see what I was really in for.
And surprisingly, I didnt like it much.

After some interaction with them, I thought to myself, "Hey, sullies are amazing and Im soooo getting some!".
A change of heard occured when I went to their back yard.
For one, it looked like it was the set for the movie holes!
Burrows! and huge ones! I tripped twice!
And turds! Those are MASSIVE! :/
Finally, she told me that theyve broken out 9 times already and still attempt it.


Moving onto the lil guys enclosure.
Same things, but scaled down.
But having done my research, I knew that the little one that I want to purchase would wreck my yard. ANd it'd grow fast, so ill have destruction in no time. Might I say that she has 3 acres of land for them.

After that, I stayed around to help her clean the back(just as a thank you). It was a major pain. I dont know how you guys do it! but yall are awesome

So, coming home
I contemplated if I still want a sullie.
The answer, no.
For obvious reasons. and plus, im 16. I dont think I have the skill for it.

SO now, I decided to go back to my love of russian and get one.
But not quite yet. Its study time.
And I have a few questions
Do you have any care sheets youd recommend, or care tips or opinions on Russians?
Also, did I make a good decision by choosing russians?
Are they personable? Do they beg and follow when they get to knnow you better?
Finally, Is there any way to not have them hibernate?
Our winters get down to 35F. I can build the heat shed for it like I would for a sully. Would that suffice?

Thanks

 

[Yvonne G]

Russian tortoises are very personable. I think you've made a good choice. However, if you plan to keep the Russian awake and outside, even with heat in the shelter, I think you'll be disappointed. They are hard-wired to hibernate, and if they're outside where they can see the shortening of the length of the days, and feel the coolness of the night time temp, they WILL hibernate, whether their house is heated or not. They sometimes go underground even sooner than Autumn. In my opinion, the only way to keep him awake is to bring him indoors and set him up in a summertime habitat...that is, lights on for 12 to 14 hours a day and night time not below 65 degrees.

Just a word in defense of us sulcata keepers: I think your friend either had too many of them, or they were remiss in the upkeep department. Most of us don't allow our tortoise yards to get as bad as you've described.

 

[dmmj]

Some answers
You don't have to hibernate russians, I do but you don't have to and based on their size they are probably one of the easiest to keep out of hibernation.

Right choice? well since you went and saw some and you decided you did not want one I would say you made a great choice for you.

Mine are very personable but they don't really follow me around, they know when it is feeding time and they pop out when it is time.

 

[PoisonOrchid]

Thanks
I know sullies are harder to upkeep. Maybe she was lazy to clean lol. But no offense to sully owners
Indoors for Russians will be fine hopefully. I have a 50 gal rubbermaid ready for an indoor care

 

[PoisonOrchid]

Does anyone know of a good care websites?
There are sooo many sites out there. Which do you recomend?

 

[Tempest]

I don't keep Russians, I really really like them but I decided on Redfoots because they eat fruit that I already had on hand for my tegu and don't hibernate, so I'm not much help there. However, I think that deciding not to get a Sulcata right now was a great choice,, not because you're not responsible enough at 16, but because in a few years, you're going to want to go to college, or move into your own place, and finding a place to have a Russian, or someone to care for it will be much much easier than for a Sulcata. Not too many people are responsible enough to make the choice that will be best for them and their animal in the longterm. That you did, and make the right choice for you, is commendable.

 

[Floof]

Kudos on realizing before you got one that Sulcatas aren't for you!

The most recommended Russian Tortoise care sheet seems to be Russiantortoise.org. The only two things I (and presumably others here, just based on how TFO members tend to care for their own Russians) disagree with would be using sand in any substrate (even a mix) and a 50 gal Rubbermaid being adequate for an adult.

For substrate, many things work... I used plain (organic) top soil for my Russians, and it worked great. Things like cypress mulch work. I've heard aspen works for adult Russians (they don't have excessive humidity requirements). Coconut husk/coco coir may work, as well, but it tends to get really dusty if you don't keep it moist.

For enclosure size, a good rule of thumb for smaller tortoises seems to be 2 sq ft per inch of tortoise. This worked for the two Russians I had... Though it would be just as easy to say "at least 12 square feet" (6x2 ft) for anything short of large females. That size worked great for my two (5.5" male; 6.5" female, housed separately), and it was an easy size range to work with since 6x2 ft seems to be the dimensions of your average 5-shelf bookcase which works when you aren't handy (like me).

I actually made both of my Russians' tort tables by taking 5 shelf bookcases from Big Lots (though Walmart's bookcases... MainStays brand, I think... would work better because they're deeper--higher walls when it's converted), laying them on their backs, and lining them with tarp or cheap pond liner. (Nailing a sheet of plywood on the back to replace the flimsy backing it comes with helps, too, which gives you more options on where it can sit without the bottom falling out.) It's also an especially cheap solution if you can find a free bookcase, a cheap/used tarp, and/or a big enough plywood scrap to use.

Thank you for making the best choice for you and your future pet(s), and good luck with your future Russian!!