Lyric Aarhaus
New Member
Hi as a future Russian tortoise owner I am excited to have found this forum and if anyone would like to share some stories and brighten up my day please go ahead!
Any cool stories?
- Thread starter Lyric Aarhaus
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2014
- Messages
- 29,068
- Location (City and/or State)
- South Eastern Florida (U.S.A.)/Rock Hill S.C.
Tortoise stories or just stories?
This forum has a couple of general discussion threads.
And I have one called;
FAMILY GHOST STORIES
This forum has a couple of general discussion threads.
And I have one called;
FAMILY GHOST STORIES
Lyric Aarhaus
New Member
Either one would be nice I like stories that I can learn from or laugh at.
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2014
- Messages
- 29,068
- Location (City and/or State)
- South Eastern Florida (U.S.A.)/Rock Hill S.C.
I'm not sure you'd learn anything on my GHOST STORIES thread.
But I'm sure you wouldn't be the first to laugh.
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2014
- Messages
- 29,068
- Location (City and/or State)
- South Eastern Florida (U.S.A.)/Rock Hill S.C.
You can pop into the COLD DARK ROOM thread and introduce yourself there.
There are many great folks there talking about all kinds of stuff. And they are from all over the world.
It can be interesting.
There are many great folks there talking about all kinds of stuff. And they are from all over the world.
It can be interesting.
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2014
- Messages
- 29,068
- Location (City and/or State)
- South Eastern Florida (U.S.A.)/Rock Hill S.C.
At any rate, welcome to the forum
Welcome. Russian tortoises are my favorite tortoise species. I have kept and rehabbed many others, but RTs are just the best. They are outgoing and scrappy (keep it solo!), they are adventurous, can climb like spiderman (be sure to make your tortoise enclosure climb-proof by capping corners and making an overhanging ledge!). They dig like tiny miners, one of my males makes a burrow deep enough I have to stick my arm in to my shoulder.
They recognize their food bringer.
Each individual tortoise has a different personality. Some are delightfully friendly, others are shy. Some are constantly getting into adventures and pickles, others are kind of boring and just eat and sleep and bask.
Build the biggest enclosure you can afford and have space for. Russian tortoises will use every square inch. I keep mine in 10ft x 10ft outdoor enclosures, and wish I had made the habitats twice that size.
Be sure to get your tortoise from a good source. Pet stores sell wild caught tortoises and lie about their source (no, they did not grow up on tortoise farms). Ideally, from a breeder. There are good breeders and bad breeders. Getting a well started baby that was hatched from healthy parents and then raised in a humid enclosure, soaked daily, and fed good weeds from the start and provided good UV will have the best chance at thriving. Avoid commercial breeders who don't believe in 'hot humid hide' methods.
They recognize their food bringer.
Each individual tortoise has a different personality. Some are delightfully friendly, others are shy. Some are constantly getting into adventures and pickles, others are kind of boring and just eat and sleep and bask.
Build the biggest enclosure you can afford and have space for. Russian tortoises will use every square inch. I keep mine in 10ft x 10ft outdoor enclosures, and wish I had made the habitats twice that size.
Be sure to get your tortoise from a good source. Pet stores sell wild caught tortoises and lie about their source (no, they did not grow up on tortoise farms). Ideally, from a breeder. There are good breeders and bad breeders. Getting a well started baby that was hatched from healthy parents and then raised in a humid enclosure, soaked daily, and fed good weeds from the start and provided good UV will have the best chance at thriving. Avoid commercial breeders who don't believe in 'hot humid hide' methods.
