PLEASE HELP! Rescued Russian from Relatives

sfr3y

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Joined
Sep 21, 2017
Messages
7
Location (City and/or State)
NY
Hi everyone, I recently took in my nephews Russian tortoise simply because he appeared to be neglected and the family had 0 interest in keeping the tortoise alive.

This means I am a new tortoise mom. And I need a lot of help from everyone. I have spent all morning trying to do my research, but I still know very little. This Russian tortoise is 5 years old, lives in a decent sized indoor enclosure with a UV and a basking lamp located in one corner (see attached). I'll refer to the tortoise as a "he" for now, because that's the gender I was told by my relatives but this is not confirmed. He currently has a very overgrown beak (I think!) and it's cracked on one side. He has no interest in the cuttle bone I got him for his beak. He has apparently not eaten in 1-2 months, same goes for pooping. They have never taken him to the vet. They picked him up at petsmart 5 years ago. They feed him pellets. From what I understand this is a poor choice? They also give him some lettuce, kale, endive, and very rarely arugula. They use some shell cream called "VitaShell" (also in attachments).

Again I am a new tortoise mom. Please be gentle, but PLEASE give me as much information as I need. Is he really a he? Is the light location ok? Does he need another light on the other side? Is the enclosure too small? Can anyone give me an example of a diet? Should I get rid of the pellets? What do I do about the cracked beak? Is the cream any good?

I just moved a few days ago and will be bringing the tortoise to a vet ASAP. I gave him a bath today and let him sit for about 30 minutes in warm water and he DID manage to poop (yay, small victory!). He still is not eating, or drinking water unless he is doing it when I am sleeping. I read that tortoises will refuse to eat unless they can heat themselves up to a certain temperature. I try to keep him under the basking light but he keeps moving into the den and banging against it. I'd like the advice of everyone here. Please help. I thank you so much in advance, and hope this lovely baby is not in as much trouble as I feel he is in.
 

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Taylor T.

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Location (City and/or State)
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Welcome to the forum!

Here are some threads to read:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

From the photos you provided, I believe you have a female.

Keep soaking him daily for a while, as this usually increases appetite and bowel movements. For food, he needs mainly broadleaf weeds that have not been treated with chemicals. Here is a list of good foods:

I wouldn't use that cream, as it provides little to no benefit, and can clog pores in the shell.

Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads

Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard

Other good stuff:
"Testudo Seed Mix" from http://www.tortoisesupply.com/SeedMixes
Pasture mixes or other seeds from http://www.groworganic.com/seeds.html
Homegrown alfalfa
Mazuri Tortoise Chow
ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food
 

wellington

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Messages
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He doesn't look bad. Feed him on a flat piece of ruff tile or rock and it will help with his beak. If they had him for five years and purchased from petsmart, he is now most likely around 15 years old give or take a few years. Pet stores don't sell hatchlings and are already wild caught adults when they get them. If you have a good reptile vet you can have them file his beak down. Be sure he can warm himself under a heat bulb that reaches 95-100 or he won't digest his food which will make him stop eating. Nothing in, nothing out.
The vita cream actually isn't bad to use. A member used it in his leopards with good results. Don't put it inbetween the scutes where the new growth comes in. Just on the flat part of the scutes.
Read the threads post above and adjust. When you can get him a bigger enclosure at least a 4x8 foot.
 

wellington

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Welcome to the forum!

Here are some threads to read:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

From the photos you provided, I believe you have a female.

Keep soaking him daily for a while, as this usually increases appetite and bowel movements. For food, he needs mainly broadleaf weeds that have not been treated with chemicals. Here is a list of good foods:

I wouldn't use that cream, as it provides little to no benefit, and can clog pores in the shell.

Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads

Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard

Other good stuff:
"Testudo Seed Mix" from http://www.tortoisesupply.com/SeedMixes
Pasture mixes or other seeds from http://www.groworganic.com/seeds.html
Homegrown alfalfa
Mazuri Tortoise Chow
ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food
Just an FYI. A member used the vita cream on his leopards with great success in keeping his torts from pyramiding.
 

wellington

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10 Year Member!
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Messages
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Location (City and/or State)
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sfr3y

New Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2017
Messages
7
Location (City and/or State)
NY
Welcome to the forum!

Here are some threads to read:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

From the photos you provided, I believe you have a female.

Keep soaking him daily for a while, as this usually increases appetite and bowel movements. For food, he needs mainly broadleaf weeds that have not been treated with chemicals. Here is a list of good foods:

I wouldn't use that cream, as it provides little to no benefit, and can clog pores in the shell.

Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads

Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard

Other good stuff:
"Testudo Seed Mix" from http://www.tortoisesupply.com/SeedMixes
Pasture mixes or other seeds from http://www.groworganic.com/seeds.html
Homegrown alfalfa
Mazuri Tortoise Chow
ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food
Amazing list! Thank you so much!
 

sfr3y

New Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2017
Messages
7
Location (City and/or State)
NY
He doesn't look bad. Feed him on a flat piece of ruff tile or rock and it will help with his beak. If they had him for five years and purchased from petsmart, he is now most likely around 15 years old give or take a few years. Pet stores don't sell hatchlings and are already wild caught adults when they get them. If you have a good reptile vet you can have them file his beak down. Be sure he can warm himself under a heat bulb that reaches 95-100 or he won't digest his food which will make him stop eating. Nothing in, nothing out.
The vita cream actually isn't bad to use. A member used it in his leopards with good results. Don't put it inbetween the scutes where the new growth comes in. Just on the flat part of the scutes.
Read the threads post above and adjust. When you can get him a bigger enclosure at least a 4x8 foot.
Thanks so much! I'll be taking him to see a vet on Saturday so I'll definitely get a beak trim. I do have a question regarding heat. I have his lamp so it reaches the desired temperature but he won't stay under it. He just goes into the dark den and sleeps all day and gets very cold. I try to take him out so he can bask, but he goes back into hiding the moment I look away. Do you have any advice on how to resolve this?
 

wellington

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Messages
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What are the temps in the hide area? A point and shoot temp gun works great for this and are cheap. Like 10 bucks. If the enclosure is too cold he won't move around a lot. If it's too hot, the same thing, he won't move around a lot.
 

Carol S

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Messages
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Welcome to the Forum. Is the UVB bulb new? If it is old it will not produce adequate UVB.
 

Jabon

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Joined
Jul 12, 2017
Messages
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Location (City and/or State)
Utah
Welcome! Congrats on becoming a Tort Mom.

A better shot of the tail could help identify the gender if you like a sure answer, but it looks like a female to me too. (I will admit my lack of experience on this other than looking at this forum a bunch)

It will also help you if you know the temperatures in different locations in the enclosure, in the hide, in the basking area, and in between. You'll want to know how warm when the lights are running (and note Carol S' comment on UVB), and how cold they get at night.

You're doing a great thing by helping her (probably) out. Good for you.
 

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