czackc4
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Boy or Girl? Age?
- Thread starter czackc4
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A very warm welcome to the forum @czackc4 and your cute tort .
I think - not sure - that your tort is a male.
As for age, one cannot tell the age of a tort unless one knows his/her "date of birth" so as to say.
Please give your tort daily soaks in warm water so as to avoid dehydration and pyramiding.
Any pics of your tort's enclosure?
I think - not sure - that your tort is a male.
As for age, one cannot tell the age of a tort unless one knows his/her "date of birth" so as to say.
Please give your tort daily soaks in warm water so as to avoid dehydration and pyramiding.
Any pics of your tort's enclosure?
Hello and welcome.
That tail is looking pretty male.
Your tank is much too small and those ramped water bowls are flipping/drowning hazards.
Check these out for some tips:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
That tail is looking pretty male.
Your tank is much too small and those ramped water bowls are flipping/drowning hazards.
Check these out for some tips:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
Hello, and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum.
What Gillian and Tom said.
What Gillian and Tom said.
czackc4
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Thank you, I figured some people could tell the age by the size of the tortoise. As for the tank size, i'm not sure how you know that, neither of the pictures show the size of the tank and i've never had any problem with the ramped water bowls, my tortoise has never flipped over once. I will look into other alternatives though, thank you for your input.
Tom is something of a species expert with Russians. He's written the care sheet so that others don't have to make the mistakes he did early on.Thank you, I figured some people could tell the age by the size of the tortoise. As for the tank size, i'm not sure how you know that, neither of the pictures show the size of the tank and i've never had any problem with the ramped water bowls, my tortoise has never flipped over once. I will look into other alternatives though, thank you for your input.
Russians are very active and need lots of space otherwise they become very stressed and that can lead to sickness.
As they all grow at different rates depending on environment and food, there is no telling how old a tortoise is unless you know when it was hatched.
Cheap, shallow, terracotta plant saucers sunk into the substrate and large enough to soak in are ideal for water bowls.
czackc4
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I trust everyone on here, and am very grateful for all and any advice. Unfortunately I live in a college dorm so I only have so much space. I will make sure he gets a lot of exercise.
I know this because there is no store bought glass tank big enough for a russian tortoise and the glass in your pic isn't thick enough for this to be a custom 4x8' home built glass tank…
No one has any problem with them… until the day they realize they have a problem with them. On the day you realize it is a problem, you will find your tortoise upside down in the bowl, maybe dead, maybe still alive. Its happened both ways here multiple times. The point of mentioning it was to help you realize its a problem before you and your tortoise have to learn the hard way.
When new people join, we are frequently faced with a dilemma. When we see an issue, we can choose to keep quiet and not risk offending a new member, or we can speak up, try to prevent a problem, but take the risk of offending the new member who didn't ask for all this "advice". I've decided it is worth the risk to save the tortoise. I hope you are not offended, but if you are, I still don't want harm to come to your tortoise. It is with the best of intentions that we type out these responses and offer this advice. Some of us, like me, are not great at sugar coating our statements, but please realize that our only intention is to help you avoid disaster.
Having explained all of that, I think we should talk about how you plan to exercise your tortoise if the tank is too small, as I have speculated. Turning them loose on the floor is a disaster waiting to happen. Turning them loose outside without an enclosure that is free from garden chemicals and other potential hazards is a mistake too. I hope we can help you sort through all this info.
czackc4
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I understand your concern, I obviously don't want anything happening to him, and you are also right when you say you're not good at sugar coating things. He is in a 40 gallon terrarium. I soak him every day in warm water until he gets out himself (after about 5-10 minutes) and i Iet him out of the tank everyday to roam around a caged in area in my room to get exercise, while i watch him. I get letting him loose is a room is dangerous, but I don't have a backyard to let him wonder. I take the necessary precautions to make sure he's safe, like I said caged in area on my floor, and there's always at least 2 people watching him at all times (me and one of my roommates).
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind constructive criticism and help from someone who has experience with these animals. But just because i'm new to owning a tortoise, doesn't mean that i'm oblivious to how to take care of it. I have done a lot of research, am constantly checking on him, looking up any thing that seems out of the ordinary, I love this little guy, i;m not just going to sit by and let him be unhappy or put him in danger.
I don't want him to drown, and I didn't think of it until you said something, so i will get a new water dish and I thank you for that. As for anything else, try "strongly suggesting" things instead of just telling me what i'm doing is wrong. Everyone's situations are different, you make the best of what you got, and it looks to me like my little guy is very happy with me.
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind constructive criticism and help from someone who has experience with these animals. But just because i'm new to owning a tortoise, doesn't mean that i'm oblivious to how to take care of it. I have done a lot of research, am constantly checking on him, looking up any thing that seems out of the ordinary, I love this little guy, i;m not just going to sit by and let him be unhappy or put him in danger.
I don't want him to drown, and I didn't think of it until you said something, so i will get a new water dish and I thank you for that. As for anything else, try "strongly suggesting" things instead of just telling me what i'm doing is wrong. Everyone's situations are different, you make the best of what you got, and it looks to me like my little guy is very happy with me.
As well as the hazards of eating small objects, even a dust bunny can cause impaction, it is rather difficult to control temperatures, draughts and humidity on a floor area. And accidents can happen. A controlled enclosure is the best home for a tortoise.
I agree. Human hair is one of the bigger impaction risks.
If a tortoise is out of its enclosure, it is away from the heat, UVB and humidity it needs to be healthy.
We also had a Russian on TFO not so long ago that got stepped on when roaming free. You only have to be distracted for a moment
