MyrtlesMum0131
Member
- Joined
- May 27, 2015
- Messages
- 51
Hello!
I have had a Russian tortoise, Myrtle, for about 4 years now. I used to be a part of this forum, but dropped off due to other time-consuming activities. I wanted to re-introduce myself and ask a few questions about the way I'm keeping my tort.
1. Housing: Myrtle has a 2'6' enclosure. Now, I know that this is not big enough. We are planning on building her a large outside enclosure but it might have to wait up to a year because we have not landscaped our backyard yet and don't want to have to put in a semi-permanent structure before we have. Because I know she is confined in her current cage, I let her outside to roam for about 45 minutes a day. She sometimes romps, sometimes burrows. It depends on her mood
will this be okay until we can build the outside enclosure? In her cage, she has a variety of different substrates including eco earth and aspen shavings (big burrowing piles) and ground walnut shells and bark.
2. Feeding: Myrtle's staple is ZooMed Grassland Tortoise pellets, which I make into a mash with water. She also eats a variety of rough weeds from outside, mostly clover, dandelions, and other small flowering weeds. She also eats a small handful of grocery store greens (romaine, red leaf, kale, etc) and a slice of an Opuntia cactus pad twice or three times a week. Sometimes she gets veggies like cucumbers, red peppers, and zucchini. Once every couple weeks she gets a piece of fruit like tomato or watermelon. Occasionally I sprinkle some Herpivite/RepCal on her mash. Is this an adequate diet for a Russian?
3. Hibernation: We live in a very humid, warm region (40 degrees is the coldest it ever gets in the winter) and I have not tried hibernating Myrtle yet. I definitely don't want to do it outside and am worried about doing it in a fridge/inside. What are your thoughts? Will she be okay without hibernation?
Lastly, about six weeks ago Myrtle escaped! I was letting her roam outside while trying to be polite and carry on a conversation with our guest. BIG MISTAKE. Agile Myrtle wanders off and, despite our basically digging up the whole yard, disappeared until our neighbor found her five weeks later crossing the road a mile from our house. I was so relieved and she seems to be in good health. We thought that her beak was slightly overgrown but upon our taking her to the vet today he said that it is not super long and she is so scared of the clippers that he would have to anesthetize her. We decided not to go that far unless we have to. She was also not being very active for a while - she wouldn't come out of her borrowing box unless I placed her under the heat lamp, where she would bask for a while, eat a few bites, and then go back to sleep. We were worried and suspected parasites, but she tested negative and the vet said that this is normal behavior and she will take a while to adjust to her old life.
However, this same vet also advised us to feed Myrtle dog food and referred to her as a "Spurred" tortoise (African spur-thigh? which she is certainly not). He also told us to feed her way more vegetables and fruit (which I understand can lead to parasite blooms) and sexed her incorrectly ("short stubby tail - definitely a boy"). I was wondering if you guys thought that I should be worried about Myrtle's behavior/beak? I am willing to take her to another vet if necessary.
Well, that was a lot of information. I would love any advice/comments that you have! Thanks for taking the time to get to know Myrtle and me!
I have had a Russian tortoise, Myrtle, for about 4 years now. I used to be a part of this forum, but dropped off due to other time-consuming activities. I wanted to re-introduce myself and ask a few questions about the way I'm keeping my tort.
1. Housing: Myrtle has a 2'6' enclosure. Now, I know that this is not big enough. We are planning on building her a large outside enclosure but it might have to wait up to a year because we have not landscaped our backyard yet and don't want to have to put in a semi-permanent structure before we have. Because I know she is confined in her current cage, I let her outside to roam for about 45 minutes a day. She sometimes romps, sometimes burrows. It depends on her mood
will this be okay until we can build the outside enclosure? In her cage, she has a variety of different substrates including eco earth and aspen shavings (big burrowing piles) and ground walnut shells and bark.2. Feeding: Myrtle's staple is ZooMed Grassland Tortoise pellets, which I make into a mash with water. She also eats a variety of rough weeds from outside, mostly clover, dandelions, and other small flowering weeds. She also eats a small handful of grocery store greens (romaine, red leaf, kale, etc) and a slice of an Opuntia cactus pad twice or three times a week. Sometimes she gets veggies like cucumbers, red peppers, and zucchini. Once every couple weeks she gets a piece of fruit like tomato or watermelon. Occasionally I sprinkle some Herpivite/RepCal on her mash. Is this an adequate diet for a Russian?
3. Hibernation: We live in a very humid, warm region (40 degrees is the coldest it ever gets in the winter) and I have not tried hibernating Myrtle yet. I definitely don't want to do it outside and am worried about doing it in a fridge/inside. What are your thoughts? Will she be okay without hibernation?
Lastly, about six weeks ago Myrtle escaped! I was letting her roam outside while trying to be polite and carry on a conversation with our guest. BIG MISTAKE. Agile Myrtle wanders off and, despite our basically digging up the whole yard, disappeared until our neighbor found her five weeks later crossing the road a mile from our house. I was so relieved and she seems to be in good health. We thought that her beak was slightly overgrown but upon our taking her to the vet today he said that it is not super long and she is so scared of the clippers that he would have to anesthetize her. We decided not to go that far unless we have to. She was also not being very active for a while - she wouldn't come out of her borrowing box unless I placed her under the heat lamp, where she would bask for a while, eat a few bites, and then go back to sleep. We were worried and suspected parasites, but she tested negative and the vet said that this is normal behavior and she will take a while to adjust to her old life.
However, this same vet also advised us to feed Myrtle dog food and referred to her as a "Spurred" tortoise (African spur-thigh? which she is certainly not). He also told us to feed her way more vegetables and fruit (which I understand can lead to parasite blooms) and sexed her incorrectly ("short stubby tail - definitely a boy"). I was wondering if you guys thought that I should be worried about Myrtle's behavior/beak? I am willing to take her to another vet if necessary.
Well, that was a lot of information. I would love any advice/comments that you have! Thanks for taking the time to get to know Myrtle and me!
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