Saphire1313
New Member
I am new to having a russian tortoise. How in the world do i keep the lettuce from going bad? Also what else can i feed him. The lady i got him from said to feed him the premade bagged romaine lettuce.
Lettuce
- Thread starter Saphire1313
- Start date
Hello and welcome to TFO
The short answer is that you develop a healthy diet for you and your family too.
Your tort’s diet is a variety weedy & leafy greens. Lettuce contains few nutrients and little fibre and shouldn’t be the main part of the diet.
Your tort can’t digest sugars properly - they cause digestive and kidney problems - so fruit, bell pepper, carrot and tomato should only be fed very sparingly and very occasionally if at all.
Feed a mound of food roughly the size of your tort’s shell first thing in the morning. If it all gets eaten then feed more at the next feed. If not, then leave it for 24 hours and replace with a smaller amount of fresh. Your tort won’t care if it goes limp.
Write a list of things that grow around you and those that you can buy and look them up on The Tortoise Table Plant Database for suitability to feed.
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/
If you can’t identify plants then post photos on the Plant ID section of this forum and someone will help you.
I am guessing that the guidance you have been given on this tort’s care isn’t the best.
I recommend you read the TFO care guides. They're written by species experts working hard to correct the outdated information widely available on the internet and from pet stores and, sadly, from some breeders and vets too.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/
We will be happy to look over photos of your enclosure and lighting and make recommendations
The short answer is that you develop a healthy diet for you and your family too.
Your tort’s diet is a variety weedy & leafy greens. Lettuce contains few nutrients and little fibre and shouldn’t be the main part of the diet.
Your tort can’t digest sugars properly - they cause digestive and kidney problems - so fruit, bell pepper, carrot and tomato should only be fed very sparingly and very occasionally if at all.
Feed a mound of food roughly the size of your tort’s shell first thing in the morning. If it all gets eaten then feed more at the next feed. If not, then leave it for 24 hours and replace with a smaller amount of fresh. Your tort won’t care if it goes limp.
Write a list of things that grow around you and those that you can buy and look them up on The Tortoise Table Plant Database for suitability to feed.
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/
If you can’t identify plants then post photos on the Plant ID section of this forum and someone will help you.
I am guessing that the guidance you have been given on this tort’s care isn’t the best.
I recommend you read the TFO care guides. 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/
We will be happy to look over photos of your enclosure and lighting and make recommendations
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/
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
Look them up on The Tortoise Table Plant Database if you're not sure what they look like.
http://thetortoisetable.org.uk/
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
Saphire1313
New Member
Thank you. I will read those threads you posted. The lady i got him from didnt tell me much. She had all his stuff outside when i got there to pick him up. Told me how to set up his enclosure and that was pretty much it.
I can see a few problems straight off.
The substrate contains white bits. Tortoises eat chalk - cuttlebone is typical - when they need calcium. White bits encourage them to eat the substrate which is very bad for the gut. Plain, unfertilised, coco coir or fine grade orchid bark is better - it’s cheapest from a garden store or online from somewhere like Amazon.
The substrate must be damp, not dry or sopping wet, to raise humidity.
The basking lamp must hang vertically downwards and have 95-100F /35-37C directly underneath. This is because your tort cannot raise its internal temperature to digest food or be properly active without basking at this temperature.
Those clamp lamps are unsafe. They fail and are a fire risk. You can hang the lamps safely from a store bought reptile lamp stand or make your own. Control the temperature under the basking lamp by raising or lowering it.
You appear to have a second lamp which I assume is a compact UVB bulb. These cause eye problems in torts - replace with tube UVB.
Reptile water bowls are a tipping hazard and not suitable for torts. A terracotta plant saucer, sunk into the substrate, makes a great water dish that your tort can safely use.
Because this tort looks very small, I’ll add this to your reading list
Baby Testudo Care
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/
The substrate contains white bits. Tortoises eat chalk - cuttlebone is typical - when they need calcium. White bits encourage them to eat the substrate which is very bad for the gut. Plain, unfertilised, coco coir or fine grade orchid bark is better - it’s cheapest from a garden store or online from somewhere like Amazon.
The substrate must be damp, not dry or sopping wet, to raise humidity.
The basking lamp must hang vertically downwards and have 95-100F /35-37C directly underneath. This is because your tort cannot raise its internal temperature to digest food or be properly active without basking at this temperature.
Those clamp lamps are unsafe. They fail and are a fire risk. You can hang the lamps safely from a store bought reptile lamp stand or make your own. Control the temperature under the basking lamp by raising or lowering it.
You appear to have a second lamp which I assume is a compact UVB bulb. These cause eye problems in torts - replace with tube UVB.
Reptile water bowls are a tipping hazard and not suitable for torts. A terracotta plant saucer, sunk into the substrate, makes a great water dish that your tort can safely use.
Because this tort looks very small, I’ll add this to your reading list
Baby Testudo Care
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/
Welcome to the forum Saphire!
I think that’s actually a full grown, wild caught tortoise in a largish enclosure. We see so few large enclosures with new users we just don’t expect them. Usually they are teeny tiny! @Saphire1313, what are the dimensions on that enclosure?
JoesMum has given you a lot of good advice. I think it’s always best to get the enclosure right before you get down to food. A tortoise can go longer without eating than they can without the right setup.
If you still have questions setup once you’ve read the threads she’s listed, you should make a new post in the enclosures subforum. You’ll get more feedback there then you will here in the diet subforum.
After that’s all settled, come back here and we’ll help you with food advice that is specific to your area and options.
I think that’s actually a full grown, wild caught tortoise in a largish enclosure. We see so few large enclosures with new users we just don’t expect them. Usually they are teeny tiny! @Saphire1313, what are the dimensions on that enclosure?
JoesMum has given you a lot of good advice. I think it’s always best to get the enclosure right before you get down to food. A tortoise can go longer without eating than they can without the right setup.
If you still have questions setup once you’ve read the threads she’s listed, you should make a new post in the enclosures subforum. You’ll get more feedback there then you will here in the diet subforum.
After that’s all settled, come back here and we’ll help you with food advice that is specific to your area and options.
