Re: Russian Tortoises

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Posted by Eric T. on June 13, 2000 at 19:16:35:

In Reply to: Russian Tortoises posted by Taryn on June 13, 2000 at 14:49:06:

:Hi Taryn:
I keep my russian tort-Skippy- in my apartment for the most part. During warm weather I put him outside so he may get natural sunlight and have a chance to graze. Russians are very temperature tolerant, meaning they can handle cool and even cold weather. I think that's what people mean when they talk about keeping russians outside- they allow their russians to over-winter or hibernate outside.
If you are going to keep your tortoise inside there are some things you should take into consideration. Russians may be small but they like to have room enough to explore, with interesting rocks and wood to climb on. It may seem strange to think of a tortoise as a climbing animal but Russians are climbers.
You are going to need a full spectrum light to provide UV radiation for your tortoise. They need this to produce vitamin D and this vitamin is what binds calcium to bones and shell- no sun, no calcium!
You are going to need to provide a wide variety of healthy vegetables and something with fibre. A varied diet will also help provide calcium. But you shouldn't feed it any animal protein- no dog food, no cat food, no monkey biscuits- just strictly vegetables (and a little fruit as a treat).
And finally, remember that the odds are your little Russian is wild-caught. Take it to the vet as soon as possible for a check-up. Wild tortoises are often filled with parasites, and your vet can give you medicines to help this problem.

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Re: Russian Tortoises Heather 06/15/00 (0)
Thankyou so much! Taryn 06/14/00 (0)

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: :Hi Taryn: : I keep my russian tort-Skippy- in my apartment for the most part. During warm weather I put him outside so he may get natural sunlight and have a chance to graze. Russians are very temperature tolerant, meaning they can handle cool and even cold weather. I think that's what people mean when they talk about keeping russians outside- they allow their russians to over-winter or hibernate outside. : If you are going to keep your tortoise inside there are some things you should take into consideration. Russians may be small but they like to have room enough to explore, with interesting rocks and wood to climb on. It may seem strange to think of a tortoise as a climbing animal but Russians are climbers. : You are going to need a full spectrum light to provide UV radiation for your tortoise. They need this to produce vitamin D and this vitamin is what binds calcium to bones and shell- no sun, no calcium! : You are going to need to provide a wide variety of healthy vegetables and something with fibre. A varied diet will also help provide calcium. But you shouldn't feed it any animal protein- no dog food, no cat food, no monkey biscuits- just strictly vegetables (and a little fruit as a treat). : And finally, remember that the odds are your little Russian is wild-caught. Take it to the vet as soon as possible for a check-up. Wild tortoises are often filled with parasites, and your vet can give you medicines to help this problem.

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