Hello All,
thought we would introduce ourselves! My name's Anna, and my Russian tortoise is A'tuin. I found him off of Craigslist 5 years ago, from a family who's 7 year old daughter decided she wanted a dog instead. They had him for 2 years prior to this, purchased from a pet store in Bellevue, WA. According to previous owners, the pet store claimed he was around 5 years old, so just using that as a base guess, we put him at about 12 years old now. I know that's just a guesstimation, but I like to think of my pets on the younger side, so i can trick myself into thinking I have that much longer with them.
He was being kept in an aquarium with a fluorescent tube light and a heat light, in a pine shaving mix and fed romaine, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, and carrots daily. They did soak him every day though and he got lots of run time outside of the tiny aquarium.
Since getting him, we gave away his original habitat to a reptile rescue, and had him in a rubbermaid bin until we could get him a proper tortoise table built. his table is 2'x4', has his UVA bulb on one end, substrate is sphagnum peat moss and organic top soil mixed. Since we live in a condo, it's not a huge space, but we have blocked off the balcony so that he can go outside on dry days and run around.
We found this site so that I could make sure that I was giving him the best I can, and I always need to refresh my care-taking information, since new ways and techniques are always coming out. I now have enough proof for my husband that when we get a house next year I can build him a larger indoor enclosure and a huge permanent outdoor enclosure! woo-hoo!
Current Weight of A'tuin: 430g
SCL: 12cm
He is currently being feed an organic spring mix salad with the Carolina Pet Supply TNT http://www.carolinapetsupply.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=58 and a tiny sprinkling of the calcium that doesn't have phosphorous or D3, and is fed daily. He is also currently being soaked daily until we get the all clear from the Vet that he's better from all his medications (ceftazidime and some type of oral med, I forgot to ask but will do so this coming Sunday), and will then be soaked and weighed weekly for the foreseeable future. I will admit that I'd been slacking on his care in the past year, and I hope I haven't done any permanent damage to my little guy. I swear on his tiny shell that I will be a better caretaker!!!
here are some other facts that might be helpful in future stuffs:
- no kids yet
- 3 other pets, 2 cats and a house rabbit
- live in between Tacoma and Seattle, WA, USA
- not home most of the day, since my husband and I do I.T. for a company in Bellevue, WA
I just want to provide the best home possible for my little guy, and would like any and all advice to give him the happiest, healthiest life I can.
So here are some specific questions I have:
- as far as I can tell, according to that Mcintyre ratio chart, he's just a tiny bit underweight? is that correct?
- Also, if he's a minimum of 12 years old, how much should he be growing each year? shouldn't he be about full size? he's only 4.72" right now....
- Should I trust weeds and plant growth in empty fields to feed him or purchase seeds for food online? how do I get the plants to grow faster???
(I will upload some pics once I get to work!)
thought we would introduce ourselves! My name's Anna, and my Russian tortoise is A'tuin. I found him off of Craigslist 5 years ago, from a family who's 7 year old daughter decided she wanted a dog instead. They had him for 2 years prior to this, purchased from a pet store in Bellevue, WA. According to previous owners, the pet store claimed he was around 5 years old, so just using that as a base guess, we put him at about 12 years old now. I know that's just a guesstimation, but I like to think of my pets on the younger side, so i can trick myself into thinking I have that much longer with them.
He was being kept in an aquarium with a fluorescent tube light and a heat light, in a pine shaving mix and fed romaine, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, and carrots daily. They did soak him every day though and he got lots of run time outside of the tiny aquarium.
Since getting him, we gave away his original habitat to a reptile rescue, and had him in a rubbermaid bin until we could get him a proper tortoise table built. his table is 2'x4', has his UVA bulb on one end, substrate is sphagnum peat moss and organic top soil mixed. Since we live in a condo, it's not a huge space, but we have blocked off the balcony so that he can go outside on dry days and run around.
We found this site so that I could make sure that I was giving him the best I can, and I always need to refresh my care-taking information, since new ways and techniques are always coming out. I now have enough proof for my husband that when we get a house next year I can build him a larger indoor enclosure and a huge permanent outdoor enclosure! woo-hoo!
Current Weight of A'tuin: 430g
SCL: 12cm
He is currently being feed an organic spring mix salad with the Carolina Pet Supply TNT http://www.carolinapetsupply.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=58 and a tiny sprinkling of the calcium that doesn't have phosphorous or D3, and is fed daily. He is also currently being soaked daily until we get the all clear from the Vet that he's better from all his medications (ceftazidime and some type of oral med, I forgot to ask but will do so this coming Sunday), and will then be soaked and weighed weekly for the foreseeable future. I will admit that I'd been slacking on his care in the past year, and I hope I haven't done any permanent damage to my little guy. I swear on his tiny shell that I will be a better caretaker!!!
here are some other facts that might be helpful in future stuffs:
- no kids yet
- 3 other pets, 2 cats and a house rabbit
- live in between Tacoma and Seattle, WA, USA
- not home most of the day, since my husband and I do I.T. for a company in Bellevue, WA
I just want to provide the best home possible for my little guy, and would like any and all advice to give him the happiest, healthiest life I can.
So here are some specific questions I have:
- as far as I can tell, according to that Mcintyre ratio chart, he's just a tiny bit underweight? is that correct?
- Also, if he's a minimum of 12 years old, how much should he be growing each year? shouldn't he be about full size? he's only 4.72" right now....
- Should I trust weeds and plant growth in empty fields to feed him or purchase seeds for food online? how do I get the plants to grow faster???
(I will upload some pics once I get to work!)
