Just was given a Russian

[mtdavis254817]

A woman my wife goes to class with just gave her her boyfriends russian tortoise said he did not want to anymore. Purchase it at PetSmart a month and a half ago. Seems dehydrated. What worries me is his eyes started watering. They never gave him a soak and they can't tell me the last time he ate. Had one of those big water dishes in a 20 gallon tank but was not sure if you drink from it I highly doubt he did due to the height of the dish. Never have messed with Russians before so I'm completely new to this one. His eyes worry me so what do y'all think

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Soak this guy at 85f-87f for about 30 mins. That will help him drink and rehydrate himself. Set him up per guidelines found here in the russian specie section, and give him a little time to settle in. Offer some broad leaf greens. They really are a fairly forgiving and straight forward tortoise.

 

[mtdavis254817]

Drinking now. Added a lil pediolyte .

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Thanks

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Lol watching this lil guy I wonder why rt have never appealed to me before

 

[stinax182]

aw, he's cute ! you can tell he's enjoying it i would soak him everyday like this until he starts eating and pooping...not so often after that. I'm sure he'll love some dandelion greens

 

[mtdavis254817]

Thank you. Ugh I hate not being prepared. Set him up in a 150 gallon Rubbermaid with peat moss. Getting the saw out now to install brackets to hang his heat and lights. Let him explore his extra room... I feel bad because I want him to have adequate room but I just wasn't ready... It'll do until I build him something more suitable I am hoping

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What I have for Stalin so far.. Used a flower pot for humid hide. Has moss in it. I thought I had an extra uvb tube bulb but was wrong. And my wife is washing the water dish

 

[mtdavis254817]

I need suggestions..... Heat. And enclosure

 

[lynnedit]

He's got to be in heaven now. I bet he was dry before, and that caused his watery eyes.

That's a decent sized enclosure for him! You are doing a terrific job.
Agreed about the daily soaks for a few week or so, then 2x per week while inside. You could even add some baby food (a jar to a small soaking tub; carrot, sweet potato, squash.

Looks like you have a tube fluorescent? Then just basking light (s) for warmth/light. You want to get the basking area 95-100f under the basking light. But the cool 'other' side can be 65-70f. Put a tile or piece of slate under the basking area to help.
You might need two basking lights on the warm side. You can also cover part of the enclosure to help hold heat in.
Get some rocks and small branches or logs and put them here and there for interest.

No night heat, Russians need a temp drop.

I think he has landed in the right spot. They are wonderful tortoises.

 

[Yvonne G]

That's a nice-sized tub you've set up for Stalin. I wouldn't worry too much about humidity for him. At his size, he doesn't need it. Just add water to the substrate occasionally, that'll be enough. Make sure he's warm all over the tub, or he may decide to hibernate.

 

[mtdavis254817]

Great thank y'all. He is eating now. Yayyy

 

[mtdavis254817]

Basking

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Basking temp and cool side

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Eating red and green leaf lettuce with pumpkin and pureed cactus pad and cactus fruit with mazuri and his calcium and vitamins

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Don't feed too much of the cactus fruit. Or any fruit for that matter. The high sugar content can encourage a gut parasite bloom. The temps look real good. The high temp reading is the basking spot, right? The area around that,( warm side) should be in the 80's f. I use digital thermometers found at most home improvement stores.
The tub you are using is a great size.
Where are you located?

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Oops. Sorry, the fruits should be given maybe twice a year in my opinion. I never offer fruits to mine. Well I did once, but that was like once in over 5 years. That's just my feelings. Some feed fruits more often or even regularly, but be prepared for runny stools. You're lucky this guy eats Mazuri. None of my russians see Mazuri as food.

 

[mtdavis254817]

Will the pumpkin be okay. Yes the high temp was under his basking light. About nine inches away from his stone it drops to 80 then drops down to 65 all the way on the other side. Thank you for the info on the fruit ken. He will drop his head in his dish to drink. Has had one soak this morning. Will get another this evening. And going to weigh him after that. I will definitely have to do a fecal scan after Christmas. I would do it sooner but starting Monday we are going to be putting in 68 hours a week until January 7 th

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

The pumpkin is ok. Again, though, I feed it a most once a year when fresh is in season. Focus on the broadleaf greens. That is more what they're designed for. That's a heavy work load, 68 hrs.

 

[mtdavis254817]

Great. Thank you so much again. Yea we call it an overload. And an overload usually last a little over one month. We usually get three overloads a year. But man the extra cash is so worth it in my book..