Everything Blog

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[geeseverythinglog]

Hi i'm so sorry to bother you but i was wondering if i could have some help. The other day i was walking around petsmart and i found a Russian tortoise, i have never really wanted a tortoise but this little guy is in a glass cage that is far to small for him. Since then I've been saving up money to get both to get the tortoise and the things to care for it and spent a lot of my time looking up proper tortoise care and I've read your post about it but i was wondering if you had any info?

Sure, I can give you some tips on how to take care of it. But even if you follow basic care I’ve described here the turtle will be better off in your hands versus staying at the pet store. Trust me these people have no idea how to take care of it. So if you’ll decide to go for it, shoot me your questions and I’ll try to do my best to help :)

[thewhimsyturtle]

Happy Valentine’s Day, Tumblr!

(Remember when I was tiny enough to sit on top of my squishy heart valentine?)

[geeseverythinglog]

My latin teacher has a Russian tortoise as a class pet and I can tell she doesn't really know anything about how to take care of him. I don't know how to tell her she's been taking care of him completely wrong but I was wondering before I confronted her if there was any way he could remain a classroom pet? If not I'm going to try and take him off her hands

Hi there! Well try to approach her in a different way other then openly confronting, because it might just make things worse and she could simply ignore u. For example, print out that tips I posted on how to take care of the tortoise and be like "oh I just thought it would be interesting to u" and hand it to her. If she won't improve poor guy's quality of life I'd seriously consider trying to take him home because at that point it'd be negligence which is totally unfair to the animal. Let me know how that went ( ◠‿◠ )

[geeseverythinglog]

To the Anon that said that Russian Tortoise's NEED hibernation no they do not. The only people that hibernate them are experts and usually only when they are trying to breed the tortoise's.

U r absolutely right, so FYI anon from previous post

[geeseverythinglog]

Hi! I was wondering if I could ask you about my Russian tortoise. I don't know how to tell it she is healthy. She sleeps a lot but when I take her out she move around she takes her time. She's about five years old. Her shell as no white marks and is smooth. She doesn't have any shedding problems and her eyes are black/clear. She doesn't like being touched especially on her back she kinda makes a hissing noise and hides. She usually only will eat lettuce I try to hide other things in her food

Hi! It would be great to see your tortoise pictures so I can tell for sure. Take couple of them, it would be be very helpful. Firstly, can u answer couple of questions?

1) How do you keep it? (Size of terrarium/box, how big is it and where is it in the house)2) What’s the temperature in the terrarium?3) Do you have all the lamps and are they the same as described in my post?4) Do you have cold and warm corner in your terrarium? (I forgot to mention it in my post: your terrarium has to have 2 corners - warm and cold. Temperature in the cold is usually 24-26 Celsius, in the warm is 30-33. Also, in the warm corner it’s better to have little pebble so your tortoise can lie on it). 5) Size of your tortoise.6) How often do you feed it and what do u feed her with? (Besides of what you’ve mentioned).7) Is your tortoise’s shell soft when you touch it?8) Does it’s bottom shell has any rednesses?

[shineonlikethemoonandstars-deac]

1) I have the box the store recommended it’s fairly large but she bangs into the glass sometimes thinking the cage is longer than it is. It’s in the basement (it’s not like a creepy basement it’s actually really nice and we all stay down there a lot it’s heated as well) 2. The terrarium is warm in the 70s about 3. I have both lights and turn them on at their times 4.there is a cold and hot corner the cold corner has a kind of wooden “bridge” which gives it shade as well. The hot corner is on the right side. I didn’t know about the pebble i have to get a new thermometer from the pet shop today I’ll go get one today 5. Isabella (my tortoise ) is about 5.9 inches ( it’s hard to measure her that might be a bit off sorry! 6. I feed her small quantities each day ( that’s what I was asked to do for the tortoises at the place I used to work) I’ll try to give her some dandelion greens cut up and into the lettuce or carrots and occasionally give her some strawberry 7. Her shell isn’t very soft 8. There is no redness at the bottom

[geeseverythinglog]

Ok, from the video I saw she moves slow and hides her head, which are not healthy signs. But it would be awesome to get more pictures from different angles. If it’s not active, try to give it a bath 2-3 times a week (mind the temperature) for 20-30 min. The reason why she’s sleepy might be her disposition. If the basement is dark, move her to the light room. If the shell is soft even a little bit, I would suggest to see a vet (herpetologist would be perfect), so as soft shell is a sign of rachitis. Try to feed it once per 2 days. This is what really helped to my passive tortoise. Feed it with the mix of different veggies as it is suggested in my post. Routine is very important, so make a feeding schedule and follow it. In the pet shop try to find vitamins for your tortoise (later today or tomorrow I will post pics and descriptions, so check it out). Remember that both lamps should be open for 12 hours. Also, check the requirements: UV lamp should be 10.0%. Also, so as its summer now, try to bring your pet for a walk. That would really help.

[shineonlikethemoonandstars-deac]

I’ll send in another video later today thank you so much! I just have to wait until it’s hot enough outside to take her out! Usually she hides her head at the start of a walk and slowly brings it out once she gets comfortable I’ll send in a video of that. I’ve never seen her move extremely fast, but when I go into the other room to get her food she is suddenly far away from the spot she was originally in. Do you think she’s just not very comfortable with me? Thank you!

[geeseverythinglog]

No, I think she loves you, but you just gotta change her environment a little bit and that's it. Would be great if you show your pet to the vet and do all the changes I recommended in her everyday life. Btw, where are you from? Hope it's not so cold there and you will be able to walk with her outside. Any ways, hope to hear some good news from you ^_−☆

[shineonlikethemoonandstars-deac]

geeseverythinglog here she is! Thank you so much if you need more photos I’ll send some more

[geeseverythinglog]

I would recommend you to see a vet, so as the beak is way too long and it's nails should be cut. If you are afraid to do it yourself, it's better to ask a professional. And it seems very sleepy, so give it a bath (to check the way it should be done, see a video on my page). Good luck with that and let me know if the changes I recommend to do helped your tortoise. You will probably notice it in 1-2 weeks. ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

[geeseverythinglog]

I hope nobody gets your post about tortoises wrong because some tortoises NEED hibernation.

SOME, but not Russian Tortoise though (I’m 100% sure, I have couple haha). It is quite hard to make special conditions for hibernation and if they were not provided, it might get dangerous for tortoise.

[geeseverythinglog]

The way tortoises have to take bath （＾◇＾） Don't forget that it usually takes from 15 to 30 min.

[geeseverythinglog]

How to Take Care of Russian Tortoise

So, long ago when I just got my tortoises, I realized people have no idea of how to properly take care of these little things in order to avoid diseases and all other kind of unpleasant stuff. People think tortoise don’t really demand much care, but they actually do! What I’m going to talk about does 100% apply to Russian Tortoises; however, I believe it can also work for alike kinds, but I still suggest to double check. 

You should have:

• A terrarium. Your tortoise should not be on the floor or any other places but it’s terrarium, as it is pretty cold for it on the floor and you can also occasionally step on it. In addition, being on the floor all the time leads to deformation of tortoise’s nails (they get crooked). It should be in a warm place (don’t put terrarium on the windowsills, so as tortoise might catch a cold). If you can’t get a real glass terrarium, you can get just a big plastic box from Walmart or any other place. 

• 2 lamps: heating and UV. As long as tortoise’s shells need calcium, they need sunlight, but it is not always possible to spend 12 hours per day outside with the pet. At this point, UVB lamps 10.0% should be provided. It is suggested to change UV lamp at least once per year. Heating lamps should be 40-60 watt. Both lamps should be open for 12 hours.

• Base. Base layer should be at least 10 cm. It is better to use mix of hay and pressed sawdust. DO NOT USE sand or soil, because it’s not good for tortoise to be in this dust. 

You should do:

• Bath. You should give your tortoise a bath at least once per week for 30-15 minutes. (Check video on my profile for more details). Temperature should not be lower than 30 degrees celsius and not higher than 35 (use special water thermometer which you can get in baby’s section in any store). 

Why it takes so long? The thing is, that you should give your tortoise time to drink (they absorb water through skin) and also to relieve themselves. Don’t forget to change water once they did it and to dry them with soft towel after bath (✿◠‿◠)   

• Food. You DON’T have to feed your tortoise every day. As long as they are no longer in their natural habitant, (where they actually eat around once per week), they don’t walk much, but eat a lot, which can lead to obesity. With that said, it is better to give them food once in 2 or 3 days. 

What is better to feed them with? Lettuce, pumpkin, red pepper, carrots, dill, dandelions. Make mix of, for example, lettuce, pumpkin and carrots. From time to time you can treat them with apples, but be careful, don’t give too much, otherwise it will lead to gastric problems. Make sure all foods are warm (not right from the fridge)!

NEVER FEED TORTOISE WITH HUMAN FOOD (milk, cheese, meat, bread, whatever else you can find on your table). Tomatoes and cabbages are also BAD for them.     

• Cut nails and beak. Since you’ve noticed your tortoise has nails that give it hard times moving, or a beak that does not allow it to eat, means that it’s time to cut it a bit. Usually there is no need to cut a beak in couple of years and you are supposed to cut nails once in about half of the year. Often there is no need to cut a beak if you feed your tortoise right, but if you think it’s too big, it is suggested to do so.

Helpful videos on how to cut nails and beak (sorry, there are no good videos in English):

Beak: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-P8NCdkFtCY&feature=youtu.be

Nails: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzQbdEkdlQ0&feature=youtu.be

If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, ask a vet for help ＿〆(。。)

• Go for a walk. In summer, when the temperature is higher than 20 celsius, it is good to take your tortoise for a walk, so it can enjoy real sun and eat some fresh plants. But be careful and don’t lose your pet ʘ︵ʘ

More important things:

• Tortoise SHOULD NOT go into hibernation. Even though in their natural habitant they do, while living in captive they should be active all year round! If they will sleep in wintertime it might be dangerous for their health. 

If you noticed your tortoise wants to go into hibernation, try to give it a bath more often (like 3 times per week).

• DO NOT color their shells and DO NOT smear it with anything.

• Try to keep them away from contact with other animals, so as it gives tortoise lots of stress. 

• Vets don’t always know how to treat tortoises properly, so it is better to double check on the internet if you got any suggestions or if you got any medication prescribed to your tortoise.

I hope it was helpful, and don’t hesitate to ask questions if you have any ◕ ◡ ◕