Just a concern parent

[SupportingThor]

My name is Ashley I'm from Ohio and I'm an owner of a tortoise named Thor that I just got for Christmas. My parents got him from petco ( I know I heard all the bad reviews about petco and Russian tortoise but I didn't know that they we're getting me one)

So I have a couple concerns for my tortoise. I just left the animal clinic for Thor's first check up and although the doctors says that everything looks good I don't think so.
First concern- He has these two bumps on both sides of this legs I don't know if this is normal or what.
Second concern- The bottom of his shell looks weird to me.

Third concern- he sleeps a lot. And he comes out for about 1-2 hours everyday for he can eat and roam around. Idk if it's because it's winter time or what.

Forth concern - does anybody know how old he is because I think he's like two or three.

Firth concern - Is my TEMPORARY enclosure too small for him? ( I prodict that he will be staying in there for about 1 year) I plan on upgrading because I just want the little guy to have as much room as possible.

Six concern- how can i tell if my tortoise is constipated? because he poops a little everyday but but every time I look in his tail I still see alittle poop.

That's all for now and if you see anything unusual please tell me. thank you ❤

 

[SupportingThor]

My name is Ashley I'm from Ohio and I'm an owner of a tortoise named Thor that I just got for Christmas. My parents got him from petco ( I know I heard all the bad reviews about petco and Russian tortoise but I didn't know that they we're getting me one)

So I have a couple concerns for my tortoise. I just left the animal clinic for Thor's first check up and although the doctors says that everything looks good I don't think so.

First concern- He has these two bumps on both sides of this legs I don't know if this is normal or what.

Second concern- The bottom of his shell looks weird to me.

Third concern- he sleeps a lot. And he comes out for about 1-2 hours everyday for he can eat and roam around. Idk if it's because it's winter time or what.

Forth concern - does anybody know how old he is because I think he's like two or three.

Firth concern - Is my TEMPORARY enclosure too small for him? ( I prodict that he will be staying in there for about 1 year) I plan on upgrading because I just want the little guy to have as much room as possible.

Six concern- how can i tell if my tortoise is constipated? because he poops a little everyday but but every time I look in his tail I still see alittle poop.

That's all for now and if you see anything unusual please tell me. thank you ❤

 

[JoesMum]

Hello and welcome.

You have an entirely normal looking adult male Russian (Horsfield) tortoise; it will have been wild caught. Those bumps are known as spurs and are normal too

I suggest you start by ignoring information you have received anywhere else and take the TFO care guides for this species as your expert knowledge. They're written by species experts working hard to correct the outdated information widely available on the internet and from pet stores and, sadly, from some breeders and vets too.

Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Russian Tortoise Care
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

Your enclosure needs a work over. Among the immediate concerns are:
- It is far too small for a mature Russian. This species is very active and loves to climb and dig. It needs a minimum of 4'x8' and high sides so it doesn't climb out.
- Don't feel tempted to compensate for lack of space by allowing your tort to roam free in your home. Your tort is away from the heat and humidity it needs to be healthy when out of its enclosure. It is also at risk of ingesting dust or hair that will impact in the gut or eating something else that's brightly coloured but not food (they're not very clever). You only have to be distracted for a moment.
- The basking lamp must hang vertically, not be at an angle. The temperature must measure 95-100F/35C directly underneath it. ... I'll post separately in more detail about lighting.
- The substrate is far too dry. It looks sandy. Sand sticks to food and impacts in the gut; it should not be used as substrate. Your tort needs an earthy substrate like coco coir or fine grade orchid bark that can be mixed with water and made evenly damp.

When the weather is warmer, your tort will enjoy an outdoor enclosure. This must be secure from predators and escape - Russians are amazing escape artists - don't let him roam free!

Read the links I gave you and plan your changes. Come back to us with as many questions as you want. We'll help you get it set up perfectly and within your budget

 

[JoesMum]

Here's a lighting summary:

Your tort needs:

1. A basking lamp
This must hang vertically, not at an angle. Basking is essential to raise your tortoise's core temperature so it can digest food. This must be on continuously for 12-14 hours and must not be used with a thermostat. It needs to be 95-100F/35C directly under this lamp at the top of your tort's shell.

2. UVB light
Read the instructions for the source to see how close to the substrate it must be. UVB is essential so your tort can process dietary calcium and have healthy bones and shell. This must also be on for 12-14 hours.

Both 1 and 2 are available from the sun for those able to live outside.

UVB does not pass through glass or perspex(plexiglass) - light must be direct to be effective not through a window. Mesh screening can also interfere with UVB.

3. A minimum overnight temperature (65F/18C for Russians) and complete darkness at night to sleep.


Notes

(a) A Mercury Vapor Bulb (MVB) provides combined UVB and Basking. Alternatively you can use 2 bulbs: a tube UVB and a reflector bulb for basking (a household reflector - not low energy or halogen - from a hardware store will do the job; it's the wattage that counts) It must not be used with a thermostat, rheostat or dimmer.

(b) Ignore any references to UVA you may read - it's misleading marketing speak.

(c) Compact coil UVB harms tortoise eyes and must not be used.

(d) Basking and UVB should be on a timer so the light(s) are on for 12 hours a day. Temperature under the basking is regulated by its height above the substrate.

(e) Overnight, depending on your home, you may need additional heat. You get this from a CHE (Ceramic Heat Emitter) which must be on a thermostat.

(f) Torts have outstanding colour vision and love red and purple food. Coloured heat lamps colour tank decor and torts don't always apply intelligence to what they eat, resulting them in eating tank decor. Coloured bulbs should not be used.


Measurements

There are 4 important temperatures that you must know for an indoor enclosure.
- Directly under the basking lamp
- Warm side
- Cool side
- Overnight Minimum

You will need digital thermometers for accuracy.

A temperature gun thermometer (inexpensive from Amazon) measures temperature accurately in specific places like directly under the basking lamp.


A min/max thermometer so you know the min/max temperatures in your home by day and night.

You should also get a good digital probe hygrometer to measure humidity.

Thermometers and hygrometer that stick to the side of the enclosure tend to be less accurate.

Tube UVB looks like this


Compact coil CFL UVB look like these


Ceramic Heat Emitter (CHE) looks like this (may be black rather than white). It must be used with a thermostat

 

[JoesMum]

While I'm on a roll, your tort's diet is leafy weedy greens. A very tiny pinch of calcium powder powder should be added to food 3 times a week.

Your tort can't digest sugars properly, so fruit, tomato, carrot and bell pepper should only be fed very sparingly and very occasionally - if at all.

In the winter months, when weeds are hard to come by, grocery store greens supplemented by a good pellet food such as Mazuri (avoid Maxuri LS - torts don't seem to like it) are fine.

Look up greens that grow around you and that you can buy on The Tortoise Table (TTT) Plant Database for suitability
http://thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plant_database_14.asp

Here's a list of suitable greens

Look them up on The Tortoise Table Plant Database if you're not sure what they look like.
http://thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plant_database_14.asp

Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads

Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard

 

[Yvonne G]

My name is Ashley I'm from Ohio and I'm an owner of a tortoise named Thor that I just got for Christmas. My parents got him from petco ( I know I heard all the bad reviews about petco and Russian tortoise but I didn't know that they we're getting me one)

So I have a couple concerns for my tortoise. I just left the animal clinic for Thor's first check up and although the doctors says that everything looks good I don't think so.
First concern- He has these two bumps on both sides of this legs I don't know if this is normal or what.
Second concern- The bottom of his shell looks weird to me.

Third concern- he sleeps a lot. And he comes out for about 1-2 hours everyday for he can eat and roam around. Idk if it's because it's winter time or what.

Forth concern - does anybody know how old he is because I think he's like two or three.

Firth concern - Is my TEMPORARY enclosure too small for him? ( I prodict that he will be staying in there for about 1 year) I plan on upgrading because I just want the little guy to have as much room as possible.

Six concern- how can i tell if my tortoise is constipated? because he poops a little everyday but but every time I look in his tail I still see alittle poop.

That's all for now and if you see anything unusual please tell me. thank you ❤

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Hi Ashley, and welcome to the Forum!

Thor is a male Testudo (or Agrionemys) horsefieldii. The spurs on his back thighs is perfectly normal for this species.

His plastron (bottom shell) shows some damage, but it's not new damage and is not causing him any pain. It will always look like that until eventually, a year or more, that old dead part will pop off and new shell will be underneath.

Russian tortoises want to hibernate. It's sometimes very difficult to keep them awake in the winter. But I think Thor's problem is just that he's not sure he's in a safe place yet. Give him a couple weeks to acclimate. Take him out every day and place him in front of the food, just to get him used to getting out of the hiding place.

He's much older than that. Thor is a full grown, wild caught Russian, and there's no way to know his age, but he's more than 10 years old.

Yes, your temporary enclosure is too small. It would help if you were to buy another tub just like that one and cut out opposing ends on each tub then put them together. Also, it looks like you're using walnut substrate???? That's not a good substrate. You can use either coco coir or orchid bark, or even clean dirt from your yard.

For about a month, soak Thor daily in warm water in a tub he can't climb out of for about 15 minutes each time. He's probably dehydrated. Hydration and walking activity are two things that help keep the digestive tract in good working order. After about a month of daily soaking, you can move on to once a week soaks.

I like to use clay plant saucers for water and a tile or piece of broken cement for the food.

We have good care sheet stickied at the top of our Russian tortoise section.

 

[SupportingThor]

While I'm on a roll, your tort's diet is leafy weedy greens. A very tiny pinch of calcium powder powder should be added to food 3 times a week.

Your tort can't digest sugars properly, so fruit, tomato, carrot and bell pepper should only be fed very sparingly and very occasionally - if at all.

In the winter months, when weeds are hard to come by, grocery store greens supplemented by a good pellet food such as Mazuri (avoid Maxuri LS - torts don't seem to like it) are fine.

Look up greens that grow around you and that you can buy on The Tortoise Table (TTT) Plant Database for suitability
http://thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plant_database_14.asp

Here's a list of suitable greens

Look them up on The Tortoise Table Plant Database if you're not sure what they look like.
http://thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plant_database_14.asp

Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads

Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard

I use eco earth substrate, I give him kale because that's all that he would eat right now i tried giving him other things that you've listed but kale is all that he eats right now, I can't really get him a bigger tank right now because my room is VERY SMALL but the plastic storage bin is a HUGE upgrade to what my parents had him in when I first got him, for now I use a zilla UVB bulb (see picture) and a day time heat bulb and a night time heat bulb ( see pic) and I keep all the bulb on at the sametime which keeps his bin around 85 degrees which with addition heat from my space heater, I'm certainly searching on Amazon for another heat bulbs ( see screenshots) I wish my parents would have told me that they were getting him for me for I could have gotten all the right things for him

 

[Kasia]

I use eco earth substrate, I give him kale because that's all that he would eat right now i tried giving him other things that you've listed but kale is all that he eats right now, I can't really get him a bigger tank right now because my room is VERY SMALL but the plastic storage bin is a HUGE upgrade to what my parents had him in when I first got him, for now I use a zilla UVB bulb (see picture) and a day time heat bulb and a night time heat bulb ( see pic) and I keep all the bulb on at the sametime which keeps his bin around 85 degrees which with addition heat from my space heater, I'm certainly searching on Amazon for another heat bulbs ( see screenshots) I wish my parents would have told me that they were getting him for me for I could have gotten all the right things for him

Hi Nice looking tortie you got there, if you don't have the space in your room ask your parents to fit him somewhere in their living space - he needs a lot of space as Yvonne and JoesMum mentioned in previous posts. I keep mine in 2 m x 2 m enclosure in cold months and in the yard during spring and summer. Maybe you have some space in the attic or garage to spear? I keep mine tort enclosures at the attic Good luck, wish you both all the best