Re: Russian Tortoise...care and keeping?

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Posted by Eric T. on September 04, 2001 at 15:19:50:

In Reply to: Russian Tortoise...care and keeping? posted by Dan on September 03, 2001 at 22:50:01:

: Hi Dan:
I hate to burst your bubble but for $65 the tortoise is most likely wild caught. Many stores claim captive bred but are actually selling wild caught.
As long as the baby is not too small I would recomend getting it. I have found that the younger the tortoise the quicker they adjust to new situations. I just becoms far mor important to make sure that your tortoise is well hydrated. Bbay tortoises can't take as much stress as adults.
Full size depends on your tortoise: there are some possible subsrecies of Russian tortoise and some of these varients get larger than average. On average an adult male is 6" while a female is larger; up to 8". This measurement is measured straight along the top shell (not over the shell curve) and is called straight carapace length (SCL). It takes a russian tortoise approx 20yrs to reach full size depending on environmental conditions. But during the early years the young tortoise can grow pretty rapidly. Too rapid of growth can lead to shell and bone problems so it is best to limit the ammount of protein that your tortoise eats. Most tortoise owners agree that feeding animal protein is a bad choice and that beans are not the best food. Grasses, greens, and weeds are your best foods avoiding cabbage and relatives, spinich, and iceberg lettuce.
In the weed catagory dandelion is a very good choice, both the flowers and the leaves.
I'm sure others on this forum can give you more food information and links to the Tortoise Cafe and other sites.
Good luck.
-Eric-

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: : Hi Dan: : I hate to burst your bubble but for $65 the tortoise is most likely wild caught. Many stores claim captive bred but are actually selling wild caught. : As long as the baby is not too small I would recomend getting it. I have found that the younger the tortoise the quicker they adjust to new situations. I just becoms far mor important to make sure that your tortoise is well hydrated. Bbay tortoises can't take as much stress as adults. : Full size depends on your tortoise: there are some possible subsrecies of Russian tortoise and some of these varients get larger than average. On average an adult male is 6" while a female is larger; up to 8". This measurement is measured straight along the top shell (not over the shell curve) and is called straight carapace length (SCL). It takes a russian tortoise approx 20yrs to reach full size depending on environmental conditions. But during the early years the young tortoise can grow pretty rapidly. Too rapid of growth can lead to shell and bone problems so it is best to limit the ammount of protein that your tortoise eats. Most tortoise owners agree that feeding animal protein is a bad choice and that beans are not the best food. Grasses, greens, and weeds are your best foods avoiding cabbage and relatives, spinich, and iceberg lettuce. : In the weed catagory dandelion is a very good choice, both the flowers and the leaves. : I'm sure others on this forum can give you more food information and links to the Tortoise Cafe and other sites. : Good luck. : -Eric-

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