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We all know the horror stories of outlet stores and private owners selling and trading tortoises with little to no proper care information. Out of curiosity I checked my local craigslist and found one of these horror stories in a male Russian less than 30 minutes away. I have decided to share my experience and journey with him in hopes that others will be motivated to do the same. Also, this rescue is the first Russian I have owned, and I have a few questions for the more experienced Russian handlers.
The tortoise was previously kept in a 20-gallon tank for the last two years. The only thing within the tank was a green reptile mate, two bowls and a single coil uvb bulb. Before I continue I would like to preface that the owner herself did not seem to be a bad person, see seemed to be a kind person. I still hold her accountable for the condition of the tortoise, she has a responsibility to the animal. But I think it would be wise to remember that most of these owners are not evil, they are people that have been provided the wrong information and do not see the need to research any further.
Surprisingly enough the women told me that she did not purchase the tortoise from a pet store, but a local expo. Not surprisingly though she feed him mangos and allowed him to roam the house freely with her two German shepherds and husky (the majority of you reading this probably just cringed the same way I did.)
I plan to find him a forever home locally, but before I do I want to ensure he is healthy. Currently he has trouble opening his left eye. I know the eyes reflect a tortoise’s health and I am hoping that proper husbandry and time will resolve the problem. I will be doing daily soaks until the eye recovers, I have only had 24 hours so far. There is also the potential that there is an irritant in his eye from roaming the previous owners home. If irritant is the case, syringe flushes during soaks should help clear it up (any advice welcomed).
As I said before the previous owner claimed he was purchased from an expo two years ago, and she was told at the time that he was two years old. This would make one believe that he is possibly cb, but the general wear of his shell makes me believe that he is a much older import. It is also possible the wear on his shell is from the previous owners large dogs. I will need a more experienced Russian owner advise on whether he is in fact imported or cb.
Any advice and information is welcomed, and I will update this post periodically with progress.
The tortoise was previously kept in a 20-gallon tank for the last two years. The only thing within the tank was a green reptile mate, two bowls and a single coil uvb bulb. Before I continue I would like to preface that the owner herself did not seem to be a bad person, see seemed to be a kind person. I still hold her accountable for the condition of the tortoise, she has a responsibility to the animal. But I think it would be wise to remember that most of these owners are not evil, they are people that have been provided the wrong information and do not see the need to research any further.
Surprisingly enough the women told me that she did not purchase the tortoise from a pet store, but a local expo. Not surprisingly though she feed him mangos and allowed him to roam the house freely with her two German shepherds and husky (the majority of you reading this probably just cringed the same way I did.)
I plan to find him a forever home locally, but before I do I want to ensure he is healthy. Currently he has trouble opening his left eye. I know the eyes reflect a tortoise’s health and I am hoping that proper husbandry and time will resolve the problem. I will be doing daily soaks until the eye recovers, I have only had 24 hours so far. There is also the potential that there is an irritant in his eye from roaming the previous owners home. If irritant is the case, syringe flushes during soaks should help clear it up (any advice welcomed).
As I said before the previous owner claimed he was purchased from an expo two years ago, and she was told at the time that he was two years old. This would make one believe that he is possibly cb, but the general wear of his shell makes me believe that he is a much older import. It is also possible the wear on his shell is from the previous owners large dogs. I will need a more experienced Russian owner advise on whether he is in fact imported or cb.
Any advice and information is welcomed, and I will update this post periodically with progress.