My Russian is a Pig not a Tortoise!

[pickadillydo]

I got my Cecil on the 6th of July and I have never seen a tortoise eat as much as him lol.. He will sit in his dish for 30 min 3 to 4 times a day and eat eat EAT.. Is this normal behavior for a 3/3.5 inch tort? Silly question I know but we have tortoises at work that dont eat this much for this long lol Sometimes, while hes still eating, I have to go in the kitchen and get more because he runs out!

 

[dmmj]

Remember where russians come from they are up in the mountains, so their active time is a lot shorter than normal for tortoises, so they cram as much as possible into them as quickly as possible, after awhile when it knows food is regular it may slow down a bit. remember keywords, "it may slow down", mine after 10 years of having them still act like pigs.

 

[Jacqui]

One of the two reasons I first got my Russians was because they are little piglets. They were my equalizer to help combat frustration with a trio of hingebacks that were the pickiest eaters ever.

 

[pickadillydo]

I love that he eats alot too! I bring him outside daily for about 20 min to get some sun but he doesnt seem interested in eating any gress or weeds.. he just walks marathons.. He did try to take a bite of a weed and decided he didnt want it and that was that..ever since then he hasnt tried to eat anything outside..

 

[dmmj]

They like to move a lot, and the weed may just have tasted funny to him, try dandelions, grow them if you can.

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I always find it funny but to me when russians walk, it looks like they are on a mission or something.

 

[angel_82]

lol Tokyo is the same, a right little pig but he is picky on one or two things, like grapes ( he has them occasionally as a treat ) but they have to be red, he wont touch green ones! tokyo's also proves the myth that tortoises are slow, he does move and loves to do laps of the garden or living room.... i do wonder though when hes older whether he can live less in the vivarium and more in the house??

 

[68merc]

No Holly he shouldn't live on the floor in the house. To cold and dusty. Outside is always best or better than the floor inside anyway. That's not to say he can't run around on the floor while your cleaning his vivitarium.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Yep, sounds like a Russian tortoise, all right.
It's good for them to put on a little weight, especially if you plan on hibernating them (they'll need those energy reserves). Just don't let them get so chubby that they have trouble withdrawing into their shells.