Tortoise found

[RobinHood42]

Hi forum,

the wife & I have just found a tortoise near our local canal lock. We captured it just as it looked like it was about to take a dive into the lock itself.

We asked at the local houses but nobody had lost one so have brought it home and posted on local Facebook groups.

While waiting for her to be claimed, or in case she isn't, should we keep her inside or out, what food should we give her & any other advice anyone can offer?

Thank you.

 

[ZenHerper]

Hello and welcome!

Please post a series of photos of this little escape artist -- proper ID is needed in order for anyone to give you accurate info about care.

 

[RobinHood42]

Hope these are OK.

 

[Chubbs the tegu]

Hope these are OK.

U have a russian tortoise there

 

[Chubbs the tegu]

Russian Tortoise Care Sheet

Russian tortoises have great personalities, are very hardy, tolerate a wide variety of enclosure parameters, stay small, and are generally a good "starter" tortoise in my opinion. Here is how I like to set them up: Indoor Enclosure type and size: Most people want to know the minimum size...

www.tortoiseforum.org

 

[ZenHerper]

This is the Russian tort subforum...lots of care info and discussions:

Russian tortoises

tortoiseforum.org

 

[RobinHood42]

This is the Russian tort subforum...lots of care info and discussions:

Russian tortoises

tortoiseforum.org

Thank you.

 

[Chubbs the tegu]

Hi forum,

the wife & I have just found a tortoise near our local canal lock. We captured it just as it looked like it was about to take a dive into the lock itself.

We asked at the local houses but nobody had lost one so have brought it home and posted on local Facebook groups.

While waiting for her to be claimed, or in case she isn't, should we keep her inside or out, what food should we give her & any other advice anyone can offer?

Thank you.

I would give it a 30 min soak in warm water to hydrate him

 

[Yvonne G]

As is evidenced by the fact that you found the tortoise near the lock, Russian tortoises are very good at escaping their enclosures. I wouldn't put it past this little guy to be able to climb out that wire cage. While you're waiting to see if anyone claims the tortoise, I would put it into a very large plastic tub in the house with a light over it to keep it warm. This is a temporary measure, and not meant for long term living. If you can still buy incandescent bulbs in the UK, buy a clamp light fixture and put a 100 watt incandescent bulb in it. Mount it on one end of the tub. You can just put down newspaper for now. Russian tortoises eat broad leaf plants and weeds, so you can buy a bag of Krispy salad and feed him that for now.

 

[RobinHood42]

As is evidenced by the fact that you found the tortoise near the lock, Russian tortoises are very good at escaping their enclosures. I wouldn't put it past this little guy to be able to climb out that wire cage. While you're waiting to see if anyone claims the tortoise, I would put it into a very large plastic tub in the house with a light over it to keep it warm. This is a temporary measure, and not meant for long term living. If you can still buy incandescent bulbs in the UK, buy a clamp light fixture and put a 100 watt incandescent bulb in it. Mount it on one end of the tub. You can just put down newspaper for now. Russian tortoises eat broad leaf plants and weeds, so you can buy a bag of Krispy salad and feed him that for now.

Thanks Yvonne, that cage on the grass is actually the top half to a plastic tub enclosure so we'll put her in that when we bring her in this evening.

 

[carol quackenbos]

Hi forum,

the wife & I have just found a tortoise near our local canal lock. We captured it just as it looked like it was about to take a dive into the lock itself.

We asked at the local houses but nobody had lost one so have brought it home and posted on local Facebook groups.

While waiting for her to be claimed, or in case she isn't, should we keep her inside or out, what food should we give her & any other advice anyone can offer?

Thank you.

 

[carol quackenbos]

Cold plus wet is bad. Can lead to respiratory illness and death. They can tolerate some cool temperatures, so long as dry, but prefer warm.

I keep mine in an outdoor pen during the day time, but bring him in at night to protect against inclement weather and predators. He loves being in his outdoor enclosure and will scratch against his indoor one in the morning to remind me to take him out. I live in Florida, so it doesn't usually get cold, but if he gets rained on I make sure I dry him off thoroughly with a paper towel when I bring him inside.

Mine loves strawberries as a treat, but give only occasionally as too much sugar. Dandelions are a favorite if you have them, and very healthy. Romaine lettuce also.

 

[Jeffleopardtortoise]

Just a few photos of my happy tortoise family