Climate & Enclosure Questions

[Shellru]

Hi
I just found your site as I was looking for information about Russian Tortoises. My Grandson who will be 15 years old has had a Russian Tortoise in an inside enclosure for about 5+ years. He had two, but one died a couple of years ago. We don't know why.

I feel so sorry for this Tortoise because every time I visit, I feel that the poor little creature is just existing. My Grandson really pays no attention to it and neither does anyone else in the family. I have given him adoption referrals but they are ignored. Thankfully, his other grandmother feeds him and gives him water.

This is my question. I would not mind adopting this beautiful Tortoise, but don't know if I live in the right climate. We are in St. George, Utah. A couple of months a year, our summer weather can get really hot (95 to 110) degrees. The winters are mild, but can get down to 20 degrees at night some months. We have only lived here two years, so the extremes may be slightly different than we have experienced.

I cannot have a Tortoise in the house as there is no appropriate space for him nor am I interested in having an indoor Tortoise. However, I could make a lovely habitat outdoors, where he can roam and receive a good diet and more attention. I am happy to investigate and/or build a special habitat and would guarantee the right diet, but I am concerned about the weather if he is moved outdoors?

St. George has an incredible Turtle Reserve (but they are not turtles). 62,000 acres in the beautiful red cliffs have been set aside for them. They report having 2,000 of the 100,000 desert tortoises here. See their website: http://www.redcliffsdesertreserve.com/

So, I am thinking that if 2K tortoises can survive outdoors right here practically in my backyard, then perhaps one Russian Tortoise could live with me? Perhaps the Russians are more sensitive or susceptible to weather than the ones in this reserve? It is illegal to introduce new Tortoises and also illegal to even touch one for fear of spreading disease.

I don't know if my stubborn Grandson will give him up, but I don't want to broach the subject if you - the experts - do not think this is wise.

I look forward to your response and thanks in advance for your help.

Shellru

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

I hope you are able to talk your grandson out of the tortoise. It sounds like it would be much better off with you.

The only thing you would have to do differently that the native desert tortoises is to allow him to hibernate inside, in a dry, cold space, and not outside where he might get wet from the rain. Russian tortoises are pretty cold hardy, and this one should be able to live outside all the time.

It is pretty late in the year right now, so if you are able to talk him out of the tortoise, you're going to have to have an indoor tortoise until next spring. It will take all summer for the tortoise to acclimate to living outside, and condition his body to the colder weather gradually, as will normally happen outside. If you were to put him outside right now, the days are already getting shorter, with cooler nights, and this might trigger a respiratory infection because he's used to living indoors.

 

[Tom]

I agree with everything Yvonne said. I also wanted to point out that the way those desert tortoises, and the way wild russian tortoises avoid temperature extremes is to go underground. There are a lot of way to accomplish this, but your summers are no problem if he can just get a foot or two underground.

Here is what I did. You might be able to do this on a smaller scale for a single russian, and you wouldn't need any heat or electricity either. There are other simpler ways to do it too, but here is one idea:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-28662.html

 

[Shellru]

Thank you very much for your replies and advice. Tom, you created quite the palace for Daisy - it is amazing. Where is the web cam so you can watch her every move? With this beautiful habitat - I think she needs a friend. I could not possibly create such an elaborate space, but I think I can incorporate the things as suggested.

I will be visiting my Grandson for a couple of weeks in October and I will see what he thinks of my idea. I could actually keep his Tortoise until he grows up and decides he is capable of taking proper care of him.

Do you think that a single Tortoise gets lonely? Do most people have more than one? I don't know if his Tortoise is male or female?