Re: Russian Tortoise

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Posted by Terry on July 18, 2001 at 19:00:17:

In Reply to: Russian Tortoise posted by Lisa C on July 18, 2001 at 15:34:19:

Hi Lisa.
99% of Russian Tortoises are wild caught. Unless you paid $150-$200 for your tortoise, it's wild caught.

Wild caught Russian torts cost between $30 -$70.

So you have a tortoise which was until a few months ago living in the wild.
It has since had to endure the stress of capture and probably horrific conditions during holding and shipping etc.

So it will take a while for it to get used to captivity and to being around humans.

I have a pair of Wild caught Russians, both eat from my hands. But they are not totally trusting and as friendly as my captive bred tortoises.
It took quite a while for the male to trust me enough to eat from my fingers.

One thing I highly recommend is a vet visit including fecal float/test. Many newly imported Russian tortoises are infested with internal parasites/worms. This must be treated by a qualified vet.
If left untreated it can lead to other health problems, even prove fatal.
The stress of capture/shipping/crowded conditions during holding etc, often causes these infestations to get out of control.

So that vet visit is very important for any new wild caught tortoise.

I house my Russian Tortoises outdoors in a fairly large 20'-10' enclosure.
I find that they do much better housed outdoors, even if the weather in your area will only permit that during the summer.

Here's some web sites with info on Russians and enclosure ideas:

http://www.sonic.net/~melissk/russian2.html

http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/horsfield_habitat.html

http://www.tlady.clara.net/TortGuide/index.htm

Check out Jane's lovely Tortoise gardens at this next web site. You'll also find care info etc:

http://www.tortoiselife.co.uk/dietandgarden.htm

More enclosure ideas here:

http://www.turtlecafe.net/habitats.htm

http://turtlestuff.com/enclosures.html

And check out the link below for lots of info on Russian Torts. Scroll down to the end of the home page. You can also join the Russian Tortoise list serve, I highly recommend it. A very friendly and helpful group of experts, breeders and beginners.
You'll find a link to join the list at the Russian Tortoise web site below.
Hope this helps and congrats on your new tort.
Terry.

Russian Tortoise.......

Follow Ups:

Re: Russian Tortoise Lisa C 07/19/01 (1)
- Re: Russian Tortoise Terry 07/20/01 (0)

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: Hi Lisa. : 99% of Russian Tortoises are wild caught. Unless you paid $150-$200 for your tortoise, it's wild caught. : Wild caught Russian torts cost between $30 -$70. : So you have a tortoise which was until a few months ago living in the wild. : It has since had to endure the stress of capture and probably horrific conditions during holding and shipping etc. : So it will take a while for it to get used to captivity and to being around humans. : I have a pair of Wild caught Russians, both eat from my hands. But they are not totally trusting and as friendly as my captive bred tortoises. : It took quite a while for the male to trust me enough to eat from my fingers. : One thing I highly recommend is a vet visit including fecal float/test. Many newly imported Russian tortoises are infested with internal parasites/worms. This must be treated by a qualified vet. : If left untreated it can lead to other health problems, even prove fatal. : The stress of capture/shipping/crowded conditions during holding etc, often causes these infestations to get out of control. : So that vet visit is very important for any new wild caught tortoise. : I house my Russian Tortoises outdoors in a fairly large 20'-10' enclosure. : I find that they do much better housed outdoors, even if the weather in your area will only permit that during the summer. : Here's some web sites with info on Russians and enclosure ideas: : http://www.sonic.net/~melissk/russian2.html : http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/horsfield_habitat.html : http://www.tlady.clara.net/TortGuide/index.htm : Check out Jane's lovely Tortoise gardens at this next web site. You'll also find care info etc: : http://www.tortoiselife.co.uk/dietandgarden.htm : More enclosure ideas here: : http://www.turtlecafe.net/habitats.htm : http://turtlestuff.com/enclosures.html : And check out the link below for lots of info on Russian Torts. Scroll down to the end of the home page. You can also join the Russian Tortoise list serve, I highly recommend it. A very friendly and helpful group of experts, breeders and beginners. : You'll find a link to join the list at the Russian Tortoise web site below. : Hope this helps and congrats on your new tort. : Terry.

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