Pictures of Frank

[incendium]

I have made a few posts on this most excellent forum, but have never really introduced Frank!

He's the first tortoise I have had, he's about 1 1/2 years old now (Not 100% sure, he came from a pet shop, I consider him a bit of a rescue tortoise, lol).

He's such a character really, he has little strops when he doesn't get a dandelion flower on top of his breakfast and goes back to bed until I've gone to work. Then he comes back out to eat. Lol.

Also, what do you guys think of the tortoise table? We bought one on ebay at first, but it was small and I didn't think much of the build quality, especially for the £60 I paid for it, so my dad built a new one. Its pretty huge although you cant see the size so well in the picture. Do you think the decorations are OK, or is there anything I can do to improve it do you think? The substrate is a mix of soil and sand, with a little bit of straw in the corner for him to bed into. The first table had a wooden box for him to sleep in but he didn't use it, so we didn't bother building a new one in the new table.

 

[Stazz]

Frank is very very cute I have a few different places for my tort Tallula to hide....like you can use a clay pot, on he can fit into, to hide in, as well as the log you have. I put Tallula's log up against the side of the enclosure (so that the one opening is blocked against the wall), they seem to like it darker that way Sand and soil substrate is a good one, some torts like to bury themselves into it I can't see from the angle of the pic, but can Frank fit into his water dish? Its good to have one big enough for them to climb into themselves for them to soak. Torts also like little "obstacle" courses, like with some smooth pebbles (big ones) to climb on, and maybe even things to climb over/under/into Some other edible plants could work too, for some hidey areas.

 

[incendium]

He can just about fit into his water dish, but only just. He does get a bath pretty much every day though. I will have to keep an eye out for some pebbles and bits and pieces.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Incendium: Frank is a very nice-looking Russian tortoise. Thanks for sharing your pictures with us. I like the tort table that your dad made. I think Stazz's suggestion about placing the log hide with its back up against a wall is a good one. That way the tortoise feels like he's going into a cave and feels safe.

Yvonne

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I just took another look at your pictures, and I may be wrong about placing the log up against the wall. If you do that, Frank might be able to climb on top of it and reach the top of the wall to escape. Maybe you can butt the log up against a wall, then place a piece of wood across the corner of the table to keep him inside.

 

[Crazy1]

incendium, that is a nice table your dad built and you have done a pretty good job with it. I suggest a little larger water bowl. so that Frank can soak if he so desires, as Stacy suggested. And as Yvonne said if you place the log up against the side he may be able to get out so you can fill the back with straw so it make it more dark especially the large one. or you can make a back out of wood for it.
Have to ask is he yellow because of the Dandelion pollen?
What kind of lighting do you have for him and what is the distance from the substrate? What is the humidity in his pen? Do you know what the temps are? These are just a few questions that always come to mind when someone shows me their pens. Here is a nice place to get great info on Russians www.russiantortois.org
By the whay were are you located? Just being nosey

 

[Stazz]

Yeah I agree about the log, he will DEFINITELY climb on top of it at some point. I am lucky, my man built Tallula a 2 storey enclosure, so her ground floor is far away from the top of the enclosure, thats where I moved her log to, as I caught her trying to climb out on the 2nd floor, on top of the log. SO yeah, just build a piece of wood onto the one end, they like dark cave type hides or even with a bunch of straw And I hear Russians are really good climbers

 

[incendium]

I see what you mean, but I'm pretty sure he is still a bit too small to climb on it yet. The soil/sand is a few inches deep, maybe I will dig him a shallow area and put the logs there instead.

The temps and stuff are all fine, did loads of research on that when we got him (about 4 months ago) and he has a nice MVB to sit under that covers about a quarter of his table.

I will get a new water bowl for him when I'm at the pet place next.

We are in the south of England, and its a nice warm weekend at the moment so Frank might be having his first venture outside for a while!

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Also, the yellowy colouring on his shell isn't pollen, he has always been that colour. I think the picture makes it look more yellow than it is, but he is still quite an odd coloured tortoise compared to others that I've seen.

 

[Madortoise]

What a cutie and how unique is he with such intense (vs mellow) yellow coloration!
It's interesting that an English dandelion even looks a little different to me than ours in California.
Love your table.

Mado

 

[desertsss]

Adorable. I do like the tort table. He looks happy and healthy. Good to see.