Re: Moisture Requirements

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Posted by Terry on August 15, 2001 at 16:32:45:

In Reply to: Re: Moisture Requirements posted by Suzy on August 15, 2001 at 15:41:19:

Hi Suzy,
it sounds as if you've been given some very bad advise regarding the care of your new tortoise.

The diet is I'm afraid completely wrong for a Russian Tortoise.
Just about everything mentioned should never be fed to a Russian tortoise.

Russian tortoises are herbivores they eat no meat or animal protein. So please never offer dog food or any type of meat product, ever again.
Feeding animal protein to a herbivore can quickly result in kidney and liver failure.Renal failure/death.

Fruits shouldn't be fed either, fruits are way too high in sugar and can cause all sorts of digestive problems including colic.

So no meat, dog or cat food, or fruits from now on!

Veggies such as peas, corn, beans, etc are too high in protein and shouldn't be part of the diet either I'm afraid.

You mentioned lettuce, which lettuces are you giving her?

DON'T feed her spinach, chard or iceburg lettuce. Spinach, chard and even mustard greens contain high levels of oxalic acid. This interferes with the tortoises ability to absorb calcium. So no spinach or chard.

Iceburg lettuce is an empty food, it has no nutritional value at all. So no iceburg lettuce for her either.
Cucumber is another no no, as is tomato. Cabbage is no good and kale is not recommended as a major part of the diet either.

Instead of cucumber try grated carrot, yellow squash or zuccini.

Greens such as Romaine and endive are fine,dandelions are another good food. Rose petals are okay but other flowers are better, hibiscus for example.

My Russians are housed outdoors, they get romaine and endive daily,(chopped up a bit) with a small amount of grated carrot, yellow squash and red hibiscius flowers mixed in with the greens.
You can also feed escarole, chicory and sometimes add a small amount of collard greens.
Variety is the key, but it must be a variety of foods that are good for them

So NO fruits or meat, dog food, cabbage, peas, corn, beans, spinach, iceburg lettuce etc.

Mine also get mulberry leaves and have access to other edible weeds, such as dandelions, clover.

You'll find more info on Russians torts at these web sites, explore them well:

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

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

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

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

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

Plus I highly recommend joing the Russian Tortoise email group at Yahoo.I linked the Russian tortoise web site in my last post. Here it is again:

http://www.russiantortoise.net/

It's a very friendly group.
Nobody is going to judge you.
We've all made mistakes when we first started keeping tortoises. I suspect the pet store you got the tortoise from didn't give you very correct information.
Unfortunately this is often the case, but you can start correcting things from here on out.

As well as correcting the diet I would get the tortoise checked out by a qualified reptile vet ASAP.
This is very important for any new Russian tortoise.
99% of Russian tortoises are wild caught. Just a few months ago your tortoise was probably roaming around free, in it's natural range.
The stress of capture and often horrific conditions these tortoises endure during shipping/holding/etc, can lead to many health problems.
A vet check including a stool test for internal parasites (worms) is a must.
This must be done by a qualified veterinarian.
Don't give over the counter deworming medication to your tortoise. While safe on mammals and even other reptiles, it could be fatal to a tortoise.

This isn't all as dire as it sounds!
Your vet will be able to tell from a stool test if the tortoise has worms. Then he/she will prescribe the correct medication.
For a list of reptile vets try this web site:

http://www.sonic.net/melissk/society.html

Hope this helps, if you have more questions please ask away.
Terry.

: During the day, until about 3:00, she's in a 30 gallon glass tank with pellet substrate and a heating pad under one half (and a hide box)and her food and water at the other. After 3:00, she's loose either in my son's "tutle-proofed" room or in an 8 X 10 garden pen we are still working on. We've only had her about 5 days, and so far the only thing we've gotten her to eat is cucumber. We've tried carrots, apples, bananas, lettuce, peas, dandelions, moistened dog food and rose petals, but so far she's only eaten lots of cucumbers. Any suggestions on diet and trying to get her to eat something else?

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: : Hi Suzy, : it sounds as if you've been given some very bad advise regarding the care of your new tortoise. : The diet is I'm afraid completely wrong for a Russian Tortoise. : Just about everything mentioned should never be fed to a Russian tortoise. : Russian tortoises are herbivores they eat no meat or animal protein. So please never offer dog food or any type of meat product, ever again. : Feeding animal protein to a herbivore can quickly result in kidney and liver failure.Renal failure/death. : Fruits shouldn't be fed either, fruits are way too high in sugar and can cause all sorts of digestive problems including colic. : So no meat, dog or cat food, or fruits from now on! : Veggies such as peas, corn, beans, etc are too high in protein and shouldn't be part of the diet either I'm afraid. : You mentioned lettuce, which lettuces are you giving her? : DON'T feed her spinach, chard or iceburg lettuce. Spinach, chard and even mustard greens contain high levels of oxalic acid. This interferes with the tortoises ability to absorb calcium. So no spinach or chard. : Iceburg lettuce is an empty food, it has no nutritional value at all. So no iceburg lettuce for her either. : Cucumber is another no no, as is tomato. Cabbage is no good and kale is not recommended as a major part of the diet either. : Instead of cucumber try grated carrot, yellow squash or zuccini. : Greens such as Romaine and endive are fine,dandelions are another good food. Rose petals are okay but other flowers are better, hibiscus for example. : My Russians are housed outdoors, they get romaine and endive daily,(chopped up a bit) with a small amount of grated carrot, yellow squash and red hibiscius flowers mixed in with the greens. : You can also feed escarole, chicory and sometimes add a small amount of collard greens. : Variety is the key, but it must be a variety of foods that are good for them : So NO fruits or meat, dog food, cabbage, peas, corn, beans, spinach, iceburg lettuce etc. : Mine also get mulberry leaves and have access to other edible weeds, such as dandelions, clover. : You'll find more info on Russians torts at these web sites, explore them well: : http://www.sonic.net/~melissk/russian2.html : http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/horsfield_habitat.html : http://www.tlady.clara.net/TortGuide/index.htm : http://www.tortoiselife.co.uk/ : : http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/horsfield.html : Plus I highly recommend joing the Russian Tortoise email group at Yahoo.I linked the Russian tortoise web site in my last post. Here it is again: : http://www.russiantortoise.net/ : : It's a very friendly group. : Nobody is going to judge you. : We've all made mistakes when we first started keeping tortoises. I suspect the pet store you got the tortoise from didn't give you very correct information. : Unfortunately this is often the case, but you can start correcting things from here on out. : As well as correcting the diet I would get the tortoise checked out by a qualified reptile vet ASAP. : This is very important for any new Russian tortoise. : 99% of Russian tortoises are wild caught. Just a few months ago your tortoise was probably roaming around free, in it's natural range. : The stress of capture and often horrific conditions these tortoises endure during shipping/holding/etc, can lead to many health problems. : A vet check including a stool test for internal parasites (worms) is a must. : This must be done by a qualified veterinarian. : Don't give over the counter deworming medication to your tortoise. While safe on mammals and even other reptiles, it could be fatal to a tortoise. : This isn't all as dire as it sounds! : Your vet will be able to tell from a stool test if the tortoise has worms. Then he/she will prescribe the correct medication. : For a list of reptile vets try this web site: : http://www.sonic.net/melissk/society.html : Hope this helps, if you have more questions please ask away. : Terry. : : : During the day, until about 3:00, she's in a 30 gallon glass tank with pellet substrate and a heating pad under one half (and a hide box)and her food and water at the other. After 3:00, she's loose either in my son's "tutle-proofed" room or in an 8 X 10 garden pen we are still working on. We've only had her about 5 days, and so far the only thing we've gotten her to eat is cucumber. We've tried carrots, apples, bananas, lettuce, peas, dandelions, moistened dog food and rose petals, but so far she's only eaten lots of cucumbers. Any suggestions on diet and trying to get her to eat something else?

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