Hi everyone!
I recently got a lovely Russian tortoise from a rescue organization and I named him Diego. I settled on Diego after observing his passion for exploration (Diego and Dora the explorers from the kids cartoon). His nick name at the rescue had become "The Wrecker" because he was very aggressive toward all other tortoises and he had to be kept on lock down! Haha! But as my only pet he is not a wrecker at all
So I made some mistakes right away. I underestimated his abilities and he escaped. I mounted a neighborhood wide search, made flyers, hired a tracking dog, tried to lure him back with bedding from female RT's acquired from a pet store and posted on local social media. Luckily social media has its benifits and he was found and returned from about a mile away, 12 days later.
So I got more serious about securing his outdoor habitat. He seemed to be enjoying his super large area (50ft x 4). And then he escaped again 2 weeks later. So then I relaunched the search effort and meanwhile beating myself up for underestimating him again. Fortunately he was famous in my neighborhood by then and was spotted 3 days later.
Unfortunately, Diego has been spending the few days since his latest recapture in my garage with me (I work from home in the garage). I know it's no fun for him in there. I have plans for building a tortoise Alcatraz in the backyard but it's going to take time.
I really respect his determination but it's also a pain in my butt. Maybe he really is "The Wrecker".
So I found this forum and it's been great! I've learned so much and I'm feeling so much more prepared in all aspects of caring for my slippery friend. But I have questions about his shell... I thought he came back from his expeditions with new scuffs but after reading about different shell issues and deficiencies I'm worried that it could be more than scuffs so I thought I'd ask you guys.
First I'll give some more info...
We live in Portland,Oregon
I've been feeding him spring mix (not his favorite), Romain (his favorite but not that nutritious), red and green leaf lettuce, dandelion greens, plantain weed and he eats other weeds that grow in his enclosure that I don't know the name of. I'm hoping he knows wether he should eat them or not.
I soak him 2-3 times per week. He doesn't like it but I've read that lots of your torts don't so I'm guessing that's ok.
He pees and poops several times per day. Pee is usually very liquid but was once like a gel. Poops are solid but wet. He poops in his bath and I move him to another clean bath.
The people at the rescue said they guessed him to be about 10 years old but didn't have any info on his background.
I really want to keep him outside all summer so I don't have a light or heat source. I figure I'll get one in the Fall and at that time I'll decide wether to hibernate him or not. All your post about it are fascinating and I'd like to do it if I feel prepared at that time. If I do I'll make sure I know what I'm doing.
I'm not currently giving him calcium or vitamins. I think I'll get a cuttlefish bone and see if he'll chew on it. I tried some of the high calcium greens and he said no way. I'll keep trying.
So I'll post some pics of him and close ups of his shell. I'd love to hear any feedback on the shell or anything else.
I also wanted to say how impressed I am with everyone on this forum. It's nice to see people being kind and polite to each other on the internet. It IS possible!
I recently got a lovely Russian tortoise from a rescue organization and I named him Diego. I settled on Diego after observing his passion for exploration (Diego and Dora the explorers from the kids cartoon). His nick name at the rescue had become "The Wrecker" because he was very aggressive toward all other tortoises and he had to be kept on lock down! Haha! But as my only pet he is not a wrecker at all
So I made some mistakes right away. I underestimated his abilities and he escaped. I mounted a neighborhood wide search, made flyers, hired a tracking dog, tried to lure him back with bedding from female RT's acquired from a pet store and posted on local social media. Luckily social media has its benifits and he was found and returned from about a mile away, 12 days later.
So I got more serious about securing his outdoor habitat. He seemed to be enjoying his super large area (50ft x 4). And then he escaped again 2 weeks later. So then I relaunched the search effort and meanwhile beating myself up for underestimating him again. Fortunately he was famous in my neighborhood by then and was spotted 3 days later.
Unfortunately, Diego has been spending the few days since his latest recapture in my garage with me (I work from home in the garage). I know it's no fun for him in there. I have plans for building a tortoise Alcatraz in the backyard but it's going to take time.
I really respect his determination but it's also a pain in my butt. Maybe he really is "The Wrecker".
So I found this forum and it's been great! I've learned so much and I'm feeling so much more prepared in all aspects of caring for my slippery friend. But I have questions about his shell... I thought he came back from his expeditions with new scuffs but after reading about different shell issues and deficiencies I'm worried that it could be more than scuffs so I thought I'd ask you guys.
First I'll give some more info...
We live in Portland,Oregon
I've been feeding him spring mix (not his favorite), Romain (his favorite but not that nutritious), red and green leaf lettuce, dandelion greens, plantain weed and he eats other weeds that grow in his enclosure that I don't know the name of. I'm hoping he knows wether he should eat them or not.
I soak him 2-3 times per week. He doesn't like it but I've read that lots of your torts don't so I'm guessing that's ok.
He pees and poops several times per day. Pee is usually very liquid but was once like a gel. Poops are solid but wet. He poops in his bath and I move him to another clean bath.
The people at the rescue said they guessed him to be about 10 years old but didn't have any info on his background.
I really want to keep him outside all summer so I don't have a light or heat source. I figure I'll get one in the Fall and at that time I'll decide wether to hibernate him or not. All your post about it are fascinating and I'd like to do it if I feel prepared at that time. If I do I'll make sure I know what I'm doing.
I'm not currently giving him calcium or vitamins. I think I'll get a cuttlefish bone and see if he'll chew on it. I tried some of the high calcium greens and he said no way. I'll keep trying.
So I'll post some pics of him and close ups of his shell. I'd love to hear any feedback on the shell or anything else.
I also wanted to say how impressed I am with everyone on this forum. It's nice to see people being kind and polite to each other on the internet. It IS possible!