Need help rehabilitating pet shop rescue Russian Tortoise...

[boris_tortoise]

Hello all!

I am Dave, and my tortoise is Boris. Here's our story:

My wife and I were driving through a small town in Central Virginia when we noticed a small 'mom & pop' style pet shop. We figured we'd have a look and say hi to some animals. What we found was despicable. And before you ask, we did file a complaint already. Boris was in a window shelf that was completely blocked up with signs, not allowing light in. He was in a glass sort of terrarium, with no substrate, just glass and a few shreds of wet newspaper. He had no food in sight. There were no lamps on him, and even at 1pm while we were there, no light was reaching him whatsoever. There was no water in sight either, and I assume the newspaper was wet from urine. Then we asked to see him…
When they handed him to us, it was immediately obvious that this animal was malnourished, and hadn't been cared for properly in a long time. His shell is lacking color almost everywhere, lots of milky white like you might find in between scales all over. He also has was appears to be shell rot in a couple of places. It basically looks like there were chunks taken out of him (see pics). The holes are dry and I don't think there is any CURRENT rot, but he is at least scarred from previous shell rot. His eyes were sunken into his head, his toenails are broken, and in fact missing almost altogether on a couple of feet. His tail seems short, or stubby. Also, he seems to be blowing little snot boogers out of his nostrils. We read that these guys are prone to upper respiratory infections, and may need to treat that as well.

My wife and I looked at each other and it was decided. We couldn't leave this poor animal in this condition. We really weren't looking for another pet, but we'd feel guilty leaving him. We decided we'd buy him, give him a better home, and maybe re-home him later once we got him back to healthy. When we got him home, we hit the internet for some quick facts and decided the first thing to do was give him a proper habitat. We read about various substrates, and decided a mix of sand and a coconut fibers was best for what was available to us and what we could afford. We figured a kiddie pool would work great for a tank, and got a UVB lamp for him to bask in. We setup a water dish large enough that he can climb in and out if he chooses, and got him some Rep-Cal tortoise pellets to mix in with some spring garden mix (kale, lettuces, etc), and fresh asparagus we had . After the habitat was built, he explored the perimeter a few times, then started on eating. He seems comfortable for now, so that's an improvement on where he was.

Now for some questions:

Please look at the pics to see his new habitat, and what Boris looks like so you can see all his shell issues.

What do you think of how we're doing so far?
What else should we be doing?
What's the best way to identify/treat the shell rot?
What's the best way to identify/treat the upper respiratory infection?

Thank you all for welcoming us! I look forward to learning from you and Boris thanks you for any advice you can offer!

Dave & Boris

 

[dmmj]

Wow, he prob. feels like he is in heaven now. The RI will need to be treated(blowing bubbles and such), a vet visit and meds will be required. The shell should improve with calcium and sunshine. Russians are neat tortoises( I have a few myself), you have sadly bought yourself a lot of work, no animal deserves to be treated like he has been. Good save.

 

[Yvonne G]

I would remove over half of the sand, add more coir, and mix it all together. Plain sand is asking for trouble...impaction. The new growth on that one side looks great. Hard to tell if this is new growth that was UNDER an old dead section or if the tortoise is just growing on one side only. I think Boris is really Natasha.

 

[leigti]

I think it is great that you rescued him. From what I've learned on this forum sand may not be the best substrate. They can swallow it, especially if it gets on the food, and it can lead to impaction of the bowels. I personally would take him to the vet as soon as possible to check for a respiratory infection and also parasites. Parasites are very common but can be cleared up. Good luck! I will let more experienced people tell you what to do about the shell and give other great info.

 

[dmmj]

I got a second look at that tail, I agree def. looks like a natasha.

 

[boris_tortoise]

Thanks everyone! So far these are tomorrows plans:

-Remove a lot of sand, add a lot of coir.
-Come up with a ladies name (I assume tail size is a good indication of sex?)
-Find a vet in the area that treats reptiles for the URI.

Thank you all so much! We'll post updates and new pictures as the journey continues!

 

[Teacup]

Just wanted to say a big THANK YOU for taking this poor girl in and giving her a proper home.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

You deserve a big pat on the back! What you are about to do is not cheap however. You'll need an exotics Vet, most regular Vets don't take the needed classes to learn about reptiles. She'll need a course of antibiotics and you to really pay attention to her progress. Please keep asking questions, we are all pulling for you...

 

[boris_tortoise]

Thank you! And just a note about reptiles,cost, etc-

This isn't my first reptile, just my first tortoise. I do have a Ball Python that I've had about 11 years now, so I'm familiar with the difficulty in finding a good reptile vet. As for the cost, we'll do what we can a little at a time. I don't expect to fix all of her problems overnight, but just getting her into a more suitable home is a big improvement to quality of life already. The next step is getting her into a routine healthy diet, and of course getting to see a vet.

Also, just thought I'd share with you all that we've been discussing names, and although I like Tatyana, my wife seems stuck on Boris, so we were considering Borislava so we could keep Boris for short. Which do you all like better?

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm a big fan of odd-ball names, so I appreciate male names for females, etc. I think you should keep "Boris" It fits the tortoise.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

A ratio of 50:50 sand is what you're after. Think sandy soil. With some moisture to it. It should not be utterly dry.

You've done a good deed and you're off to a great start. See what pesticide free weeds you can forage. Dandelion leaves & flowers, roses l&f, violets l&f, plantain, grape leaves, rose of Sharon, hibiscus, hosta leaves, cranesbill... Save the grocery greens for when you can't gather fresh ones, and lose the pellets. If she really loves them, save them for winter if she isn't eating well & needs a boost.

Try for sunlight outdoors, too. That's a great healer.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello and welcome to the TFO from AZ, USA . Cute Russian Tort !


Sent from my iPhone using TortForum

 

[boris_tortoise]

Per your help, Borislava now has a fairly homogenous mix of sand and coir. She's nibbling on some fresh dandelions, and we've taken her for walks through our yard to let her get some sunshine (and nibble some weeds while she's at it). I've also added a sort of shelter/den for her to get out of the light if she so chooses. I know my snake, and most reptiles in general do enjoy having a hide box.

Question about weeds and such:

Is there any types of plants/weeds I should avoid giving her? I know what a dandelion is, and clover patches, etc, but I can't identify every thing that grows. Should I be wary of anything, or is she good to much on most any weeds we find?

Thank you everyone! I'll add a couple pics of her habitat with the 50/50 substrate, as well as her enjoying herself out in the yard.

 

[Yvonne G]

See if you can't figure out a way to hang the lights - maybe from the ceiling?? - so that they point straight down. You're losing most of the benefits because they're pointing out into the room instead of down towards the tortoise. Also, if one of them is a MVB (mercury vapor bulb) they tell you to mount them vertical otherwise it shortens the life of the bulb.

 

[SunnySideUp]

That substrate looks much better. A website that a lot of forum members use for plant identification is called www.thetortoisetable.org.uk . I'd highly recommend it.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

RTs are great climbers so make sure that none of her furniture is close enough to the side to give her a boost up & over.

Deep enough substrate to burrow?

As already said, aim lights straight down. Why are there two? Can't remember if you said what kind of bulb you have?

A timer is a dandy thing for the light. You also want the temps to drop at night.

 

[boris_tortoise]

I'm so glad I joined this forum! You all are such a wealth of information!

I will see what I can do about the lights. I was thinking about a way to hang them already, I just having figured out a good way yet. Thanks for the tip though! I didn't know it could shorten bulb lifetime, and as expensive as the bulbs are I don't want to waste any!

The two lamps are a heat bulb, and a UVB bulb. To buy the one bulb that does both was over $100, so I just bought one of each. I will have my eyes peeled for a timer, but for now we're just shutting the lights off at night, and since she's setup on our sun porch, the temp does drop in there, but not so much so as to freeze her out!

That website will be a great resource for identifying the best things to forage for. We're very outdoorsy people anyway, so we'll keep our eyes out for anything good to bring back to her while we're outside.

I've been careful to make sure she cannot climb up and over the wall, and she has absolutely made an effort where she can. As it is now, at her highest climbing point she can just peek over and see what's going on outside. She seems to spend all day just roaming the perimeter. She'll walk through her food dish (no matter where I put it), through the water, over to her basking rocks, over or under that piece of driftwood, and loop around again and again. I'm glad she's getting the exercise, but I wonder if she's bored.

As for burrowing, there's probably 3" or so of substrate in the deeper areas. She's probably about 4" tall, so I don't know that she could fully burrow. She can use her den/hidebox as that sinks down below the higher stuff for a pseudo-burrow, but so far she seems content to just run laps

Thanks again everyone, and if I've missed anything let me know!

 

[Tom]

I would do daily warm soaks for at least a couple of weeks to insure good hydration.

I recommend against any sand at all. It is an impaction risk and possible skin and eye irritant. Over the years I have seen dozens of tort X-rays of torts that were housed on sand mixes and are now all blocked up. Little bits of it stick to the food, and over time it builds up and creates a blockage. Better to just not use it. Coir, orchid bark or cypress mulch work just fine alone and they all pass if accidentally ingested.

Those clamps on those lamps will eventually fail, and that could be disastrous. Disastrous as in burn your whole house down disastrous. Happens all the time. Figure out a way to mount them from over head. If you are using one of those coil type UV bulbs, I'd shut it off immediately. They can burn reptile eyes.

Do you know what the temp under your bulbs is?

You CAN ID every weed and you need to. This was a challenge for me, but its necessary. We have lists here on the forum to help, you can post pics and we can try to help, you can go to a nursery with samples and ask for help there, or there is an app called "Garden Compass" that is awesome for this. Weeds are the best food for them and they are FREE! You just have to know WHICH weeds you are offering.

Your tortoise NEEDS some real sunshine and exercise in a large, safe outdoor enclosure. This should be your next priority in her recovery. Here is one way I like to do it:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...table-but-safe-outdoor-baby-enclosures.30683/

Here are a couple of threads that will help you:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

 

[dmmj]

Russians are wanderers, it's what they do, so roaming around their enclosure is pretty much normal. Probably feels like taking off a pair of small shoes being in a nice sized enclosure now.

 

[boris_tortoise]

We have been doing daily soaks. We'll probably continue this until that shell starts to look better. The outdoor pens are a great idea, and do look very easy. I'll definitely build one myself. For now, we just sit outside with her while she wanders the yard, so we can keep an eye on any trouble she mind wander into.

The UVB bulb is coil type. Absent this, I'm not sure how else to get her the necessary UVB. This was the only type of UVB bulb available at the pet store. Right now, the temp at the basking rocks is about 90. It would be higher but I have the windows open and a nice breeze is blowing through.

I'll definitely download 'Garden Compass' as I'm sure that will be a fun thing for us to do while walking the dogs. If I haven't mentioned it yet, we live in a part of Virginia that is famous for the civil war and known for 2 types of landscapes- forest, and farmland. That being the case, there's vegetation of literally all sorts all around us. We run the dogs through open pastures where farmers cut fresh hay, and it will be fun to pick out various plants along the way. We wash everything we pick, and to avoid any chance of pesticides we only pick things that are outside of lawns or farm areas. Most of the stuff we find is along dirt road trails through the woods.

Thanks again! Borislava thanks you!