Is he looking healthy?

[Ashliewood]

so, i finally got good quality pictures you guys are the experts. does he look too dry? hows his shell? let me have it!

 

[Ashliewood]

im assuming that if people are looking and not commenting he looks healthy?

 

[Torty Mom]

It's late, most peeps are already in bed! We west coasters are still up! I don't keep russians, so I can't help ya, but he is cute! I am sure someone will be along shortly to "let you have it"

 

[Ashliewood]

Haha ya I'm in no hurry at this point, just Curious, I just got him a week Ago

 

[HipsterTorts]

I have to agree with Mary Anne, nights around here are slow. Everyones asleep except for a few people here and there. I'm not a Russian owner either( but I hope to be one day!) so I can't really help. With new tortoises, especially when your a new owner, you should take them for a check up at the vet. Have them checked out and get a feces test done. Even if someone tells you that your tort looks healthy doesn't mean it always is.

 

[Ashliewood]

I have done those things, I'm just thinking he is dehydrated

 

[dbsneed69]

He's very cute.

 

[jeffbens0n]

He does look a little dry particularly in between his scutes where the new growth is. I might switch him off of that substrate to something that can hold a little more moisture, maybe topsoil or topsoil with cypress mulch on top of it if you think the soil will be to dirty. Then just make sure you give him a couple warm soaks a week. Other than that he looks healthy, his right eye looks a little droopy in the one pic, but maybe he is just blinking cause it looks fine in the other pic. Does it have any discharge?

 

[Ashliewood]

Ya he Gets bubbles in both eyes

 

[WallieTheTortoise]

my little guy kinda looked like that when i first got him....I just gave him a lot of soaks

 

[Ashliewood]

Ya right now I'm doing two soaks a day to keep him from being too dry. I'm building a tort table As we speak he is going to have so much room! Pics of the build to come

 

[WallieTheTortoise]

I wish I knew how to build one, I'm going to look for some bookcases tommorrow and also going to home depot to look for huge tubs

 

[Ashliewood]

Im using a bookcase

 

[HipsterTorts]

Oh well if you think he's dehydrated and you're soaking him twice a day then it sounds like you're doing what you can I'd buy a mister so then if he seems hot even though you soaked him you can just mist him a bit.

 

[lynnedit]

Sometimes their shells can look dry, or even damaged, from their previous life or poor nutrition. But I think his shell looks fine overall. They only have shiny shells when they are wet.
Some of the moderators will chime in as well.
If he is eating well, not wheezing, and relatively active, then his bubbly eyes were probably dehydration, and you are handling this well by soaking twice per day. I think the larger reptile bark is kind of dry, so you might switch that out, at least in part of it, to something that holds moisture better, unless you are going to move him to the new table in the next couple of days.
After a week or so more, you may be able to reduce soaking to once per day, then 2-3x per week, assuming access to water (even if he does not use it), and at least some substrate that is cypress mulch or topsoil or fine orchid bark or a mix, that you keep moistened.

 

[Ashliewood]

I got topsoil for substrate organic and just plain dirt

 

[lynnedit]

That makes a great base. He will like getting nice an dirty, one of their favorite activities.