Hello everyone! I have found this forum extremely helpful. My 5 year old son is very smart/caring for his age and is extremely interested in ALL reptiles. He has been begging for a turtle for over a year, so we decided to get a new family pet. I did a ton of research before and continue to keep learning what to do to care for our new member as best as possible. Her name is Sharpie and we've only had her a day, so she is still scared of us, but hoping she gets comfortable soon. I have told my son to just let her be until she gets comfortable and I left some food for her and when I checked on her this morning, it appears that she's eaten some and taken a few bites off her cuttle fish bone. She was basking when I checked on her. I hope this is a good sign! Any tips and tricks for a new RT would be welcomed!! Thanks!
New Russian Tortoise Parent Here!
- Thread starter sharpie
- Start date
iAmCentrochelys sulcata
Well-Known Member
Feed weeds, and soak every day.
Happytort27
Active Member
Hope she’s settling in okay and getting used to her new enclosure. Pictures are always welcome!
You're gonna love your russian more as the time goes on. Some things I would tell a new owner are;
-don't feed romaine or lettuces a lot in the beginning- they'll get addicted and picky
-go big for enclosures, they use the space (I assume you already have an enclosure though, but if you ever get a new one)
-start growing a constant supply of food, it's super fun and easy on the owner, can save lots of money too.
-give them a naturalistic enclosure and they'll act super cool, natural, and like they would in the wild (not hiding all the time, lots of exploring, grazing, walking)
-keep changing up lunch, always introduce new foods, if you constantly give the same thing they will get picky
Just a few things I've seen. Good luck with your russian, post pics!
-don't feed romaine or lettuces a lot in the beginning- they'll get addicted and picky
-go big for enclosures, they use the space (I assume you already have an enclosure though, but if you ever get a new one)
-start growing a constant supply of food, it's super fun and easy on the owner, can save lots of money too.
-give them a naturalistic enclosure and they'll act super cool, natural, and like they would in the wild (not hiding all the time, lots of exploring, grazing, walking)
-keep changing up lunch, always introduce new foods, if you constantly give the same thing they will get picky
Just a few things I've seen. Good luck with your russian, post pics!
Hello and welcome.
tortoiseforum.org
The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise
I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...
tortoiseforum.org
Happytort27
Active Member
The Testudo Mix from Tortoise Supply is a great seed mix that sprouts really quickly. You can grow it in little trays or in her outdoor enclosure. (She’ll really benefit from a large outdoor enclosure if she’s big enough.) It’s quite hardy once it grows bigger. I planted this mix in my tortoise’s outdoor enclosure, and it’s really taken off! Of course, variety is key and you can order other mixes from them or Amazon. You can also search up some safe flowers to grow to make the enclosure pretty haha. Spirea is a hardy plant, and I especially recommend it for people who are just getting into gardening. Squash or cucumber leaves, Campanula, Aster, pansies, African violet, Coreopsis, the list is endless! You can also find some safe weeds growing in your backyard and transplant them into the enclosure. For example, sowthistle, dandelion, clover, and plantain, are just a few so called ‘nuisance’ weeds that your tortoise can eat. Once the plants get going, your tortoise will love it! He’ll have such a good variety, leading him to a happy life! (Yeah, I’m sappy like that.)
Happytort27
Active Member
Sorry, I just realized that I wrote so much! I don’t mean to overwhelm you, but I just get so excited for some reason ?. You can just start off with one seed mix, and from there you can expand the list.
Hello, and welcome!
thanks, I can take all the advice you are giving. You can never learn too much. I imagine mine is wild caught and he is taking some adjustment, but this morning he ate a little cucumber. I am trying to get a stool sample to take to the vet to see if he needs to be wormed.
Easy-nice warm,long soak. My Russian lives to poop in his soak!
Thank you all for the info!!! I believe she is settling in well but I know it’ll take some time. She has an indoor enclosure for now that will hopefully be temporary because my husband and I plan to build her a large indoor enclosure. She does have an outdoor enclosure I’ve been putting her in on the nice sunny days. I do have a question about her poop. I am out of town but she pooped on my son today and I don’t know if the look is normal or not. So I’m going to attach some pictures of her and her poop. (Pleasant i kno lol)
