Age of my Russian

[BobsMom]

New Russian Tortoise mom (3 weeks). Petsmart which I am learning from this forum was not a good idea. Guessing wild caught? Thoughts on age? Please let me know how much food (greens based on this forum) I should provide and how often? He (guessing Bob is a boy) will eat constantly if I keep putting greens in and I don’t want to over feed him. He won’t touch the Mazuri pellets even after soaking - he eats the greens around it and leaves the mushy Mazuri untouched. Just want to do what is best. Water bottle 16 oz just as an idea of size.
Thank you!

 

[wellington]

Yes, likely wild caught and likely 5 years or older. No way of knowing for sure.
Feed him daily enough food he can graze off and on throughout the day.
If he has a proper sized enclosure 4x8 foot, he can't over eat.

 

[wellington]

The gauge in the one pic looks to be a puck like one and is not reliable. Get a digital and it needs to be at tortoise height.
Because he's not brumating, be sure to keep the enclosure brightly lit during the day. Basking temp 95-100 with incandescent flood bulb. Tube florescent for uvb and ceramic heat emitter for any needed day heat and night heat of 70.
Humidity should be 30-50%

 

[Tom]

New Russian Tortoise mom (3 weeks). Petsmart which I am learning from this forum was not a good idea. Guessing wild caught? Thoughts on age? Please let me know how much food (greens based on this forum) I should provide and how often? He (guessing Bob is a boy) will eat constantly if I keep putting greens in and I don’t want to over feed him. He won’t touch the Mazuri pellets even after soaking - he eats the greens around it and leaves the mushy Mazuri untouched. Just want to do what is best. Water bottle 16 oz just as an idea of size.
Thank you!
View attachment 364729View attachment 364728

He is indeed wild caught, and there is no way to know the age. Likely 5-20 years old, but that is a guess.

Feed your tortoise as much if the right foods as it wants to eat daily.

I see the tortoise is in a glass cage of some sort. Glass is fine, but there is no glass enclosure sold at a pet store that is anywhere near large enough. They probably sold you the wrong bulbs and furniture too...

Start here and look for the heating/lighting breakdown and the temperate species care sheet near the bottom:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

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[BobsMom]

Yes, likely wild caught and likely 5 years or older. No way of knowing for sure.
Feed him daily enough food he can graze off and on throughout the day.
If he has a proper sized enclosure 4x8 foot, he can't over eat.

Thank you for the info. I have seen photos of overweight Tortoises and I didn’t want to overfeed!

 

[BobsMom]

The gauge in the one pic looks to be a puck like one and is not reliable. Get a digital and it needs to be at tortoise height.
Because he's not brumating, be sure to keep the enclosure brightly lit during the day. Basking temp 95-100 with incandescent flood bulb. Tube florescent for uvb and ceramic heat emitter for any needed day heat and night heat of 70.
Humidity should be 30-50%

His basking temp is 95 and humidity on that side is 42%. Far side of the enclosure has a temp of 80 and is at 52% humidity. I had a rock under the basking light but it seemed to be too hot and i was concerned it could burn him?
Thank you for all your info - I am reading as much as I can in this forum. Excellent information I am sure I will continue to refer back to!!

 

[Tom]

I had a rock under the basking light but it seemed to be too hot and i was concerned it could burn him?

If the rock was too hot under the bulb, then the bulb is too close or too high of wattage.

Would add a little humidity by dumping some water into the substrate periodically. It should be damp, but not sopping wet and dripping. How much water to add and how often varies by enclosure, so you have to go by feel.

I would put the rock back and lay a digital thermometer on its back directly under the bulb. Let it cook there for an hour or more. It should be around 95-100. Adjust the height or wattage to get that temperature.

 

[TechnoCheese]

Looks like your little guy has an extra scute! That’s pretty cool, I wonder how often it’s documented in wild/wild caught tortoises.

 

[BobsMom]

Looks like your little guy has an extra scute! That’s pretty cool, I wonder how often it’s documented in wild/wild caught tortoises.

Where do you see an scute? Now I’m curious!

 

[TechnoCheese]

Where do you see an scute? Now I’m curious!

At the top middle of his shell! See how there's a little one just popping out between two bigger ones? That's an irregular/extra/split scute. Totally harmless, just something you usually see in captivity when incubation temperatures are on the higher side (unless there's different reasoning I haven't seen), which I suppose could also happen in the wild.

 

[BobsMom]

At the top middle of his shell! See how there's a little one just popping out between two bigger ones? That's an irregular/extra/split scute. Totally harmless, just something you usually see in captivity when incubation temperatures are on the higher side (unless there's different reasoning I haven't seen), which I suppose could also happen in the wild.

Interesting! I had gone to look before I read your reply and saw it! Thanks for pointing it out!!

 

[zolasmum]

Interesting! I had gone to look before I read your reply and saw it! Thanks for pointing it out!!

Our Hermanns tortoise has a split scute, and I think it looks rather good - in your case, since yours is a Russian, and they are noted for their skills in escapology, you may find it very useful for identification if he vanishes ! I suggest you keep a photo of him, showing this clearly on his shell, just in case !
Angie

 

[BobsMom]

Our Hermanns tortoise has a split scute, and I think it looks rather good - in your case, since yours is a Russian, and they are noted for their skills in escapology, you may find it very useful for identification if he vanishes ! I suggest you keep a photo of him, showing this clearly on his shell, just in case !
Angie

Thanks! Happy New Year Angie!!

 

[Sarah2020]

Thank you for the info. I have seen photos of overweight Tortoises and I didn’t want to overfeed!

Re overweight. This is due mainly to owners feeding incorrect diet or keeping in small enclosures resulting in no possible exercise. Tortoise graze so it will eat what it wants when it wants however it is best to provide fresh leaves AM with fresh water and food tidied and removed around 18.00 with fresh water provided. Regular warm water shallow soaks in a high sided container help hydration. Enjoy your new charge and provide the best env you can and it will bring happiness in 2024.