New tortoise owner!

[Slscoles]

The vet we see for our two dogs had a Russian tortoise in the waiting room for the past 4-5 years. He was a pet of a former client who simply couldn't care for him anymore. My family has always thought he was the cutest thing. Last week the vet called to ask if we would like to take him home. We, of course, said yes! Now Sir Matthias Crabby-Appleton lives with us. And I am frantically learning everything I need to know about being a tortoise mom. This forum has already provided answers to many of my questions, and I know it will be a great resource as I continually learn how to best care for Sir Matthias. I've already read the care sheets and combed through threads, but any insight or secrets you have regarding this cute little Russian tortoise is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

 

[Jodie]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

Hello ! Welcome he's a cutie

 

[Jacqui]

Hi and welcome to the wacky tortoise world.

 

[Cheryl Hills]

Hi and welcome. Russians are great little tortoises. This is a great place to learn and get all the up to date info. We have many expert tortoise people on here that can answer any questions. I myself have three Russians and two box turtles and still looking for another female Russian.

 

[Slscoles]

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone! I'm really looking forward to learning all I can to give Matthias an awesome life.

One question I have is this: the vet sent us home with with Booster Dietary Supplement and instructions to feed it every day. I haven't seen anyone talk about supplements on here (calcium, yes) and am wondering if this is something he really needs, or if an awesome diet will take care of it. Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

 

[Cheryl Hills]

I would think the awesome diet would be better. If he is eating good then why would he need a supplement unless he is sick or under wait . But, I am not an expert. I am fairly new to owning tortoises , so let's see what others think before you make any final desitions.

 

[kathyth]

What a cutie! I would not use the suppliments. With a good diet, it's just not need d.
Welcome to the forum!

 

[JoesMum]

Hello and welcome!

Pictures... We love pictures

If you post some photos of your enclosure and lighting as well, we can help you perfect it.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

Sir Matthias is pretty fat. My insight for you would be to build him a BIG outdoor yard, safe from predators, and escape-proof so he can get more exercise. Russian tortoises hibernate, so once you get him set up outside, there would be no need any longer for an indoor habitat. We can talk about hibernation later in the year.

 

[Slscoles]

Thanks for the responses.

JoesMum, I KNOW his cage is not adequate - it's what the vet sent us home with and after reading here, is not large enough. We have a friend who's a carpenter who's working on a tortoise table now to fit a space in our home. It will be just over 4.5x6 (I know that's not the 4x8, but we weren't properly educated by anyone before bringing him home. It's being made so we can expand it after the house is rearranged to accommodate it). I also need to upgrade lighting. He only has a single light on his cage. They weren't checking temps, and I ordered a temp gun on Amazon yesterday. I'm still working on understanding exactly what I'll need by way of lights.

His diet was mostly (if not entirely) romaine lettuce. We added dandelion greens and arugula this week, and I'm picking up collard greens this afternoon.

Yvonne, we live in southwestern Michigan, so it gets pretty darn cold. Even yesterday, it was only 52F. I'd love to make him an outside enclosure for the warm weather, though! I didn't have the slightest idea he was fat. As I said, we are super new to this. But we're dedicated! All our animals get the spa treatment here.

 

[JoesMum]

Russians can be little piggies, but with a bigger enclosure for exercise and the correct diet, I'm sure you'll get him back on track

 

[Speedy-1]

Hi and welcome !