I bought my tortoise from CB reptiles

[MichaelL]

You have a beautiful russian!! I'm glad you're taking the responses and advice so readily and that you care so much about your tortoise. You're doing everything you can, and that indoor enclosure isn't the worst thing in the world. Good luck with her, I say you're lucky you got a female?

 

[Julia B]

She truly is beautiful. As I understand it, female Russians are rare to come by. I have Russians about her size that are rescues and I’m told they’re at least 10 years old.

10 years? They said she’s about 4 but finding all this out now it’s hard for me to trust it. I’m glad everything thinks she beautiful cause I think she’s the most perfect little thing! I just need to come up with an equally as perfect name

 

[Julia B]

You have a beautiful russian!! I'm glad you're taking the responses and advice so readily and that you care so much about your tortoise. You're doing everything you can, and that indoor enclosure isn't the worst thing in the world. Good luck with her, I say you're lucky you got a female?

Thank you for seeing my struggle! I do love her immensely and she’s definitely the coolest thing ever. I‘m definitely very lucky as she seems healthy and strong the only problem is I didn’t pick out the perfect girl name ?

 

[Sa Ga]

Won't do any good. Most vets know very little about tortoise care, and there is no solution to this sort of "problem" anyway. The vet will likely inject your tortoise with vitamins or antibiotics, both of which are likely to do harm, and then charge you a bunch of money.

@Julia B , Tom and I are at odds on this point. If you bring your tort to an experienced, recommended vet (which may or may not be avail in your area), it can save her life. It is foolish to make the blanket statement that vets cannot do anything for your girl, and dangerous for her to never take her.

That said, it is VITAL that you find a vet that knows and treats Russian torts (not just "reptiles"). Not all tort species are the same (their needs widely vary!) and certainly not all reptiles!

I found my vet by contacting my local Herp Society, (just Google Herp Society in your state) and asking for one they've used. You can also try contacting a reptile rescue (and then talk to someone who rescues torties) or a reptile store in your area to get in touch with someone who knows of a truly good vet.

My Russian tort, Morla, is the animal love of my life! I adopted her last Sept 2019, and she behaved like yours. Sleeping all the time, sluggish (which I misinterpreted as turtle slow). Long story short, within a month in a half, she peed dark brown one night, and I rushed her in to the vet the following day.

She would likely be dead now without my trip to the vet. She was getting daily soaks (plus had a water dish and soaking dish in her enclosure) and ate well, peed and pooped well, etc. so I had no indication dehydration was the issue.

Turns out she has Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), typical result of chronic dehydration, and that's why she wasn't ever active, slept all the time, etc. The daily soaks had starved off dangerous levels for a bit, but in the end, it wouldn't be enough.

After a night in hospital with IV fluids, she was a diffr girl--eyes bright and alert, looking around actively! I now have to tube feed her water 3x/day and I still soak her daily as well. She's doing well and has become my little cuddle buddy as we sit holed up in our house!

Had I not brought her to the wonderful vet I have, I would never have known that she needed something like IV fluids, nor would I know she needs the supplemental tubes each day. But because my vet knew to test for CKD (blood tests and xray), I was able to do the relatively simple things that saved her life.

Please find a good vet for your little one and take her if things have not improved. Warning: vet bills are not NOT cheap, so always keep a significant savings in reserve. (Her trip was $150 for hospital and another $300 for xrays and $120 for tests/bloodwork and vet visit $65.)
But it is worth EVERY penny! ❤?❤

Please keep us posted with her progress! ❤

 

[Julia B]

What kind of tortoise?
From the description it sounds like the animal finds the outdoors much nicer. So what is your inside enclosure temperature and lighting. Etc?

I FINALLY GOT A GAUGE FOR TEMP AND HUMIDITY!! Here is the cool end and then the hot end of her enclosure. I don’t know why the cool side is so humid, being that I haven’t ever sprayed that side of the enclosure. Any help with proper temps and humidity levels would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you!

 

[Robivens]

Based on feedback I found on this forum I covered the majority of my wood tortoise house (similar to yours) with aluminum foil. That really helps with temperature and humidity.