Hello Wonderful Russian Tortoises and Friends

[DangerKittyx3]

She needs more than green beans. They may be her favourite, but she will be healthier if you give her a diverse and proper diet. Hand feeding can be fun, but her beak is overgrown so she will benefit from having to rip up her own food more or eating on a hard surface like slate.

 

[DangerKittyx3]

Welcome. This is my first post as I joined yesterday. I am a new owner as well!

Hello from USA. I am an owner of a 25 year old Russian Tortoise. Where are you from? How old is your Russian?

 

[DangerKittyx3]

Hello!! Welcome!! I am a new tortoise owner! I got mine a week ago and he's beautiful do you have a Russian already?we would love some pics if you do!!

Here's mine!View attachment 169095

Nice Tort. This is Donatella. Eventhough she is 25 she is my baby. Picked her up New Years. She is a rescue. Nice to meet you.

 

[DangerKittyx3]

You sure found the right place!
Welcome.
Be sure to read over our Russian care threads to make life nicer for both you and your tortoise.
It looks like some minor tweaks could benefit him/her.
Tortoises have little dignity. Often drinking and pooping in the same water.
Cool looking hairless cat, B.T.W.

Thank you. Nice to meet you. I believe that tortoises have limited understanding of what is going on half the time. Pretty much all Donatella understands is eat, drink, poopy, and sleep. I am trying to create the cleanest environment for her. My cat Oliver loves watching her and enjoys laying near her lamp. I think Donatella is telepathicly mean to him. She looks up to him as he is her new upstairs neighbor.

 

[DangerKittyx3]

She needs more than green beans. They may be her favourite, but she will be healthier if you give her a diverse and proper diet. Hand feeding can be fun, but her beak is overgrown so she will benefit from having to rip up her own food more or eating on a hard surface like slate.

I ponder the notion of eating off of a slate rock as very uncomfortable. The overgrown beak has been going away as her health has been improving. When I picked her up her entire structure was diminished. I questioned if she would make it some days because she was too weak to lift her head. I have tried to expand her diet, but she gets overwhelmed and refuses to eat entirely. She is 25 years old and she is very stuck in her ways. I can tell she doesn't want anyone tampering with her green beans. It was difficult at first, but now I'm getting her the best damn organic green beans I can find. She eats about 30 green beans a day with a little calcium sprinkled on it. She tears into each bite of whole raw green bean since I hand feed them one at a time. The beak looking overgrown is just a question of her getting hydrated and well fed. Imagine a starving human. That would make the skull show. She has been putting on weight and her shell and skin is looking more clear. I give her occassional carrot as a treat and that is hard work for her to tear up.

 

[JoesMum]

I ponder the notion of eating off of a slate rock as very uncomfortable.

Feeding off a flat slate or rock is not uncomfortable. That is how they do it in the wild, frequently. It definitely helps with beak maintenance too.

The overgrown beak has been going away as her health has been improving.

The overgrown beak can only improve with wear and tear or by being clipped. It doesn't grow in an unhealthy animal and shrink when it gets well again.

When I picked her up her entire structure was diminished. I questioned if she would make it some days because she was too weak to lift her head.

She has clearly been very sick indeed. Getting her fully hydrated and eating a proper diet is important.

I have tried to expand her diet, but she gets overwhelmed and refuses to eat entirely. She is 25 years old and she is very stuck in her ways. I can tell she doesn't want anyone tampering with her green beans.

Many of us have had this. They can be very stubborn. A healthy tortoise can hold out for weeks without coming to harm as long as they are properly hydrated (soaked 2-3 times a day). eventually hunger replaces the stubbornness and they eat what they are given.

However, this animal is not well and I would advocate a different tactic. Feed whole beans on a slate. When she eats those off the slate, then start chopping them smaller and mixing with a very small amount of minutely chopped greens. (Wet the greens so they stick to the beans and can't be left) Gradually increase the proportion of greens until the beans are left out - it will take weeks to achieve this.

It was difficult at first, but now I'm getting her the best damn organic green beans I can find. She eats about 30 green beans a day with a little calcium sprinkled on it. She tears into each bite of whole raw green bean since I hand feed them one at a time.

Tearing into whole beans will help with beak maintenance. However, don't hand feed. Torts are not that bright and can start to see you as the food source rather than the bean. This tort must learn to eat independently of you. Put the food in the enclosure and walk away. Don' be tempted to stand there watching.

The beak looking overgrown is just a question of her getting hydrated and well fed.

NO IT ISN'T!

Imagine a starving human. That would make the skull show. She has been putting on weight and her shell and skin is looking more clear. I give her occassional carrot as a treat and that is hard work for her to tear up.

I am sorry, but you really must believe everyone on this. Your tort is not a starving human. That beak is overgrown and not visible due to starvation or lack of hydration. I repeat that wear and tear (Abrasion) or clipping are what keeps the beak in shape.

 

[Yvonne G]

Think of it like your fingernails. They keep growing no matter what. When they get too long they either break off (which would be very painful for a tortoise's beak) or you clip them. They don't shorten up by themselves, and neither will the tortoise's beak. An overgrown beak makes it hard for the tortoise to eat.

 

[DangerKittyx3]

Think of it like your fingernails. They keep growing no matter what. When they get too long they either break off (which would be very painful for a tortoise's beak) or you clip them. They don't shorten up by themselves, and neither will the tortoise's beak. An overgrown beak makes it hard for the tortoise to eat.

The same day I picked her up I took her to get her beak clipped. She had it severly over grown. It's much better now since it was clipped. I'll get her beak clipped again when it needs it, but she just had it clipped..

 

[Yvonne G]

That's good. When it's real overgrown, you can't clip off too much or you will cause pain and bleeding. So whoever clipped it for you, did the right thing in not taking it down too far.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Thank you. Nice to meet you. I believe that tortoises have limited understanding of what is going on half the time. Pretty much all Donatella understands is eat, drink, poopy, and sleep. I am trying to create the cleanest environment for her. My cat Oliver loves watching her and enjoys laying near her lamp. I think Donatella is telepathicly mean to him. She looks up to him as he is her new upstairs neighbor.

You are probably correct. Russians are a scrappy species and don't care for company.

 

[DangerKittyx3]

Donatella is very sassy. She seems to look for me only if I have a string bean on my hand. Otherwise she likes to make tunnels and hide from civilization.

 

[DangerKittyx3]

That's exactly what the man told me. He has a lot of experience with reptiles and birds. I bought my Canaries from him. He cleaned her up really good. I will have to get a slate and put her food on it and stop babying her so much.

That's good. When it's real overgrown, you can't clip off too much or you will cause pain and bleeding. So whoever clipped it for you, did the right thing in not taking it down too far.

 

[DangerKittyx3]

Feeding off a flat slate or rock is not uncomfortable. That is how they do it in the wild, frequently. It definitely helps with beak maintenance too.


The overgrown beak can only improve with wear and tear or by being clipped. It doesn't grow in an unhealthy animal and shrink when it gets well again.


She has clearly been very sick indeed. Getting her fully hydrated and eating a proper diet is important.


Many of us have had this. They can be very stubborn. A healthy tortoise can hold out for weeks without coming to harm as long as they are properly hydrated (soaked 2-3 times a day). eventually hunger replaces the stubbornness and they eat what they are given.

However, this animal is not well and I would advocate a different tactic. Feed whole beans on a slate. When she eats those off the slate, then start chopping them smaller and mixing with a very small amount of minutely chopped greens. (Wet the greens so they stick to the beans and can't be left) Gradually increase the proportion of greens until the beans are left out - it will take weeks to achieve this.

It was difficult at first, but now I'm getting her the best damn organic green beans I can find. She eats about 30 green beans a day with a little calcium sprinkled on it. She tears into each bite of whole raw green bean since I hand feed them one at a time.

Tearing into whole beans will help with beak maintenance. However, don't hand feed. Torts are not that bright and can start to see you as the food source rather than the bean. This tort must learn to eat independently of you. Put the food in the enclosure and walk away. Don' be tempted to stand there watching.


NO IT ISN'T!

Imagine a starving human. That would make the skull show. She has been putting on weight and her shell and skin is looking more clear. I give her occassional carrot as a treat and that is hard work for her to tear up.

I am sorry, but you really must believe everyone on this. Your tort is not a starving human. That beak is overgrown and not visible due to starvation or lack of hydration. I repeat that wear and tear (Abrasion) or clipping are what keeps the beak in shape.

Tortoises behave in the wild the way they need to in order to survive just like any animal in the wild. She is my pet therefore I wish to make her very comfortable and spend time watching her eat and hand feeding her. She definitely knows the difference between my face and her food. She has never tried to bite me. If anything she is more shy than she needs to be from being neglected. Just because a tortoise drinks it's soaking water in the wild doesn't mean that if she has a capable owner that she should continue doing so. Donatella enjoys Aqua Panna, Nestle Pure Life, and filtered water much more than water with excrements floating around in it. Whatever I can do to make her comfortable and happy I do. She used to eat off a slate rock her entire life 25 years and that did nothing to help her beak. Not only was her beak severly over grown but she was so dehydrated and hungry from not eating enough when I rescued her. I don't see any problem with enjoying your pets by feeding them or watching them eat as long as they are happy. The method I chose is because she has a scratched up shell due to the previous owner having rocks in her habitat. That is why I went out of my way to get her soft bedding that she won't suffer scratches on.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Most tortoises won't bite you on purpose but it seems that they don't see really well what is directly in front of their noses. So be careful.
I also have one that is fascinated with toes and has taken a few chomps out of my flip flops that I wear in the yard.

 

[DangerKittyx3]

Most tortoises won't bite you on purpose but it seems that they don't see really well what is directly in front of their noses. So be careful.
I also have one that is fascinated with toes and has taken a few chomps out of my flip flops that I wear in the yard.

I play her some music sometime. She

Most tortoises won't bite you on purpose but it seems that they don't see really well what is directly in front of their noses. So be careful.
I also have one that is fascinated with toes and has taken a few chomps out of my flip flops that I wear in the yard.

Hahaha. That's cute. She chomped on my finger once, but not hard enough to draw blood. They have better vision from far away. Not so good up close vision. She has good hearing because sometimes she comes when I call her name.

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

My tortoise accidentally bit my finger when i was hand feeding her. It wasnt entirely her fault. The leaf was getting short and I had faith she wouldnt take such a big bite.. Lets say, now when the leaf gets short, i put it in her food bowl instead. Lol
But I think what everyone is trying to say is, yes its okay to hand feed her SOMETIMES. Many of us do occasionally. But its better if she eats on her own. It lets them be independent. Its like how my mother still hand feeds my 6 year old sister, even though shes very capable of feeding herself. If we keep hand feeding her, her gross motor skills will be weak and she will dependent on my mother to always feed her. Also, when I leave the food in the food dish, it allows them to have access to it whenever they need. I have to refill my tortoises food dish 2-3 times a day. They will eat, bask, eat, bask, and the cycle continues with naps and walking around somewhere in between.
Of course your tortoise may be very use to being hand fed, but once she understands that food is always available to her in a food dish, she will gradually eat more of whats available. You could always ween her off the hand feeding by hand feeding her once a day and providing her a little food in her enclosure. Then once she starts eating more on her own, just had feed her occasionally with treats.

 

[TerraTheRussian]

I am from rainy Oregon. I am curious how big your girl is. Mine is only 1 year old and she is About 4.5" long.

 

[turdle yerdle]

WELCOME TO THE FORUM!

 

[Lyn W]

You obviously love your tort very much and he is lucky to have someone who cares so much about him but the best thing you can do for him is to read the caresheets and try to follow all advice given to the best of your ability. These people really know what they are talking about when it comes to feeding, housing, tort behaviour and health etc. It's all about what the torts need - not what we think they need.

 

[Lyn W]

I am trying to create the cleanest environment for her..........

This is what torts like to do....sometimes to regulate body temps or for security....
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/spuds-daily-posts.122902/page-14#post-1303224