Rescued Russian Tortoise

[ajg74]

So excited about the newest addition to our home! My local family owned pet store had a Russian tort dropped off at their door about three months ago. I care for a Sulcata tort as well as a Red Ear Slider and have a love for animals. My heart broke when I heard this story and wanted to give him a good home.
However, due to the circumstances of him being dropped off I was worried about his health. I've watched him for a while and decided to bring him home today. He is incredibly active and no sign of pyramiding. I have a good set up with proper temps and lighting and as far as food, I'm under the impression I can feed him what I feed my Sulcata.
My biggest concern his the length of his nails. They seem to be pretty long and he doesn't walk on the bottom of his feet (I'm assuming it's because of the lenghty nails) I've read different things about cutting the nails and while I have experience cutting cat and bird nails, I don't feel comfortable doing it myself for the first time.
I plan to set up a vet visit just to make sure there's nothing going on but because he is active, eating, and pooping I'm assuming he is in good shape for a drop off.
Also, I've never had a tortoise with a beak like a Russian but it doesn't seem to be too long or anything to worry about. We're all assuming hes about 10 years old but he seems to be in great shape!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, especially when it comes to his nails.

Thanks guys!

 

[MechanicMatt]

He looks to be in pretty good shape! Nails are long yeah, but nothing a quick trim won't take care of. OMG at his beak though! I'm suprised the lil guy can eat good with it, that definately needs to be trimmed down. I've seen a video of it being done with a dremel, but I don't trust my hands. Many keepers on this forum feed on a piece of slate so they scrape their beak across that when they eat.

Him being active with eating and pooping is a very good sign that he's in good health though, glad to see you took him home to give him some good care!

 

[Arnold_rules]

So excited about the newest addition to our home! My local family owned pet store had a Russian tort dropped off at their door about three months ago. I care for a Sulcata tort as well as a Red Ear Slider and have a love for animals. My heart broke when I heard this story and wanted to give him a good home.
However, due to the circumstances of him being dropped off I was worried about his health. I've watched him for a while and decided to bring him home today. He is incredibly active and no sign of pyramiding. I have a good set up with proper temps and lighting and as far as food, I'm under the impression I can feed him what I feed my Sulcata.
My biggest concern his the length of his nails. They seem to be pretty long and he doesn't walk on the bottom of his feet (I'm assuming it's because of the lenghty nails) I've read different things about cutting the nails and while I have experience cutting cat and bird nails, I don't feel comfortable doing it myself for the first time.
I plan to set up a vet visit just to make sure there's nothing going on but because he is active, eating, and pooping I'm assuming he is in good shape for a drop off.
Also, I've never had a tortoise with a beak like a Russian but it doesn't seem to be too long or anything to worry about. We're all assuming hes about 10 years old but he seems to be in great shape!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, especially when it comes to his nails.

Thanks guys!

First, thank you for rescuing this little guy. I don't mean to discourage you but there might be some issues with this little guy:

Although he/she is eating, my initial concern would be the beak. That is quite large and definitely not normal for a Russian. I would feed him on some slate or find a great vet that knows about tortoises to trim it down. The nails can be worn down by exercise. Hopefully someone more knowledgable will chime in because I think long nails can be a sign of other issues. The shell coloration also seems to be a little off too, almost like some type of deficiency in diet.

 

[biochemnerd808]

Thank you for taking this guy in - I have rescued and rehabilitated 2 Russian torts (1 had been kept in a barn without heat or light and hadn't been fed for 6 months!), I own 2 healthy RTs, and am currently rehabilitating 1 more.

The beak DEFINITELY needs a trim. Don't do it with a dremmel... i wonder if there is a reptile rescue society in your area? My friend is the founder of such a society (30 years of experience), and she is always happy to give a free beak trim to a rescue tort. There might be someone like that in your area. Feeding on a slate won't be enough in this case.
You MIGHT be able to trick it to break off the extra piece (worked with my Norbert) by giving him a big tasty piece of winter squash (wash the outside, and leave the rind on). In trying to pry off a piece, he may get his beak stuck, and the extra piece will break.

The nails look fine, they will wear off as he digs. Once it gets warmer, just let him run across the cement driveway a few times per week...

You mentioned that you don't see pyramiding, but he actually does have the Russian tort version of it - they start to look "quilted" instead of displaying actual pyramids. There are some irregularities in his shell growth patterns, indicating that he probably was fed wrongly... nothing that can be done about it, but giving good UVB, feeding exclusively dark leafy greens and offering a cuttlebone will help in the future. Some RTs prefer a (boiled) egg shell as a source of calcium.

Best of luck!

 

[ajg74]

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Took the poor guy to the vet yesterday and as suspected, he has a few issues due to past poor nutrition. The vet seemed to be a little concerned at first but as he saw how active the tort was he said he was pretty amazed.
The beak was a pretty big problem and the vet trimmed it up as well as the nails so he looks much better. He said he would like to take some more off but didn't want to stress the tort out too much more.

I brought him home and tried to feed him thinking his interest in food would increase without the beak but it seemed to do the opposite. He hasn't eaten in two days now I'm beginning to get worried. I've tried Zoo Med Grassland Tortoise pellets, Organic green leaf lettuce, Endive, Radicchio, kale, Carrots, and Cactus pads but he has no interest, just walks right through the food.

I have a 100W Powersun UVB light on him as well as a heat like and keep a low black heat light on him in the evening. He's got access to water and i've given him soaks. I've also put Zoo Med Tortoise Shell Conditioner on his shell as there are a few rough patches.

He still remains active even without eating. In fact, he follows me around everywhere I go and sits on my feet. I know i've only had him for a couple days and I'm sure he's stressed with all he's been through but i'm not quite sure how to get him to eat. Hopefully I brought him home in time and I can turn his health around =/

 

[ajg74]

Took the poor guy to the vet yesterday and as suspected, he has a few issues due to past poor nutrition. The vet seemed to be a little concerned at first but as he saw how active the tort was he said he was pretty amazed.
The beak was a pretty big problem and the vet trimmed it up as well as the nails so he looks much better. He said he would like to take some more off but didn't want to stress the tort out too much more.

I brought him home and tried to feed him thinking his interest in food would increase without the beak but it seemed to do the opposite. He hasn't eaten in two days now I'm beginning to get worried. I've tried Zoo Med Grassland Tortoise pellets, Organic green leaf lettuce, Endive, Radicchio, kale, Carrots, and Cactus pads but he has no interest, just walks right through the food.

I have a 100W Powersun UVB light on him as well as a heat like and keep a low black heat light on him in the evening. He's got access to water and i've given him soaks. I've also put Zoo Med Tortoise Shell Conditioner on his shell as there are a few rough patches.

He still remains active even without eating. In fact, he follows me around everywhere I go and sits on my feet. I know i've only had him for a couple days and I'm sure he's stressed with all he's been through but i'm not quite sure how to get him to eat. Hopefully I brought him home in time and I can turn his health around =/

 

[Arnold_rules]

He definitely looks much better. Give him some more time to get used to his new habitat and new and improved beak. He should start eating very soon, just keep offering.

 

[mainey34]

Poor guy. He defiantly looks better. His eyes look brighter..give him time.

 

[lynnedit]

Yeah, keep soaking him.
You can do the baby food soaks: small container with shallow warm water and a jar of strained squash or sweet potato mixed in. They can absorb some through the skin, and of course if they take a drink. Do it daily for several days then as needed.
Other than soaks and maintaining his enclosure, leave him alone (unless he is very used to handling), so he can settle in.
He does look a lot better, but may be adjusting to his new 'face'.

 

[dmmj]

Wow amazing what a little rhinoplasty can do, that was probably the worst beak I have ever seen. While a beak trim is not painful, it is stressful, so I would not worry about the not eating yet, he probably feels 1000 times better now that when he does start eating he can do it with less problems now. My russians go crazy over hibiscus flowers, maybe if you can find a few of those it may stat him eating.

 

[jeninak907]

When I brought my lily home she didnt eat for about 7 days. Yours might take that or longer due to the fact that its been through alot of stress. Keep offering food, one day it will eat. Have patience!

 

[Laura]

they hibernate, so if she has been too cold or not enough daylight, they stop eating.. so warm her up, give her minimum of 12 hours of light a day and see if that helps her activity.