The Complete Guide To The Care Of Your Russian Tortoise
When you think about a pet tortoise, a picture of a Russian tortoise probably comes into your mind. These charming and easily cared for tortoises have been the pet tortoise of choice for many years. It’s quite likely that your granny or granddad had one as a pet when they were small children. Also known as the Steppe, Afghan, or Horsfield’s tortoise, these animals have a lifespan of up to fifty years or even more.
They are attractively patterned with brown or black scutes, or scales, on the upper shell and a tan or yellowish body.
If you are a responsible person – and of course you are, because you are reading this – you will want to learn as much as possible about the lifestyle, needs, and care of the Russian tortoise. After all, this is going to be a long relationship with your new pet.
The Russian Tortoise – A Walk On The Wild Side
First of all, let’s look at the way the Russian tortoise lives in the wild. That will help us understand the kind of environment that is going to make him the happiest in your home.
The Russian tortoise makes its home in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Southeastern Russia, Pakistan, Northern Iran, and into China. You will immediately realize that these areas are hot in the summer, can be very cold in the winter, and are mainly dry and arid.
As a result of this, the Russian tortoise may hibernate for long periods of time, and may only be active – mating and breeding for example – for three months or so of the year.
During the summer months, it will aestivate. This is a form of hibernation when the tortoise spends the hot hours of the day hiding in a burrow, that can be two feet or more underground. It comes out at dawn and dusk to hunt and feed and then retreats again.
They enjoy burrowing
They also use these burrows to hide from the bitter cold of winter. Tortoises are social creatures and will visit each other’s burrows. Sometimes, several tortoises will gather together in one burrow, presumably for company, although they may benefit from the warmth of a bunch of bodies gathered together – even though they are actually cold-blooded.
Because they enjoy burrowing, you need to remember this when you are constructing your pet’s habitat. If they can’t burrow they will feel uncomfortable and disoriented, as this is a strong instinct.
Like many tortoises and turtles, they are under threat in the wild. It’s just too easy to catch them, and there has been a ready market for tortoises in the pet trade and even the meat trade. When you get your tortoise, please make sure that he or she is captive-bred. A responsible store or dealer will be able to provide you with proof of this.
You can find more information about the conservation status of turtles and tortoises here.
How Big Do Russian Tortoises Grow?
Russian tortoises are one of the smaller tortoise breeds, so they are very appropriate as a pet for the smaller home. Adult tortoises grow a carapace (upper shell) length of around 8″ to 10″. Females tend to be larger than males because they need the extra body space in which to store their eggs.
Before We Begin
Choose a tortoise that has a nice smooth upper shell, bright clean eyes, no signs of a runny nose, and no obvious wounds on its body. It’s a good idea to get your new tortoise checked out by a vet when you first get him. The vet can check for signs of stress, that he is the right weight for his size, and will also check for internal parasites – which can be easily dealt with if they are found. Once you know that your tortoise is healthy, you can begin settling him into his new home.
You can tell males from females because they have longer tails, which have a kind of spur on the tip. To see the tail, just gently touch the hind legs.
Where Will Your Tortoise Live?
Many people think that a vivarium, with its glass sides, is the perfect home for their tortoise. This is not the case. The glass sides can be stressful, as your tortoise can’t understand glass, and may spend hours on end trying to get through the transparent barrier.
Vivariums and aquariums are also not the best places for tortoises because they can become too humid and damp – remember that your tortoise was born to live somewhere very dry. On the other hand, you don’t want the atmosphere in your tortoise’s shelter to be too dry either.
There is also the matter of size. The more space your friend has, the happier he will be. A good compromise to start out is a fifty-gallon plastic container (without its lid). A better solution is a purpose-made open-topped box about six feet square.
An old wardrobe placed on its back and with the doors removed can be a great idea – and you will have the satisfaction of recycling. This may seem like a large space to dedicate to your tortoise, but you will have a lot of fun creating an environment for him, and watching him go about his daily routines.
Be Careful with Stores
If you buy your tortoise from a store, chances are that they will try to sell you an unsuitable aquarium or vivarium, so have your environment planned in advance.
Once you have your container, you need to fill it with a substrate. You can buy sterilized earth from a garden store or nursery. You should allow enough depth for your tortoise to burrow.
Next, you should give your tortoise a hiding place. A large flowerpot on its side is perfect, especially if you can find one made of clay. Put this in the cooler part of the habitat, and make sure it is out of any drafts. It’s a fun idea to place some pot plants that your pet can enjoy eating, and also some rocks that provide an interesting landscape for him to explore.
Rocks should be thoroughly washed and dried in the sun before being placed in the habitat, to ensure that no harmful materials are carried in. (Be sure that rocks and pots aren’t placed too near the sides of the environment – tortoises can climb!)
Turning Up The Heat
You are going to need a lamp to heat your tortoise’s home. A lamp supplying a temperature of between 86 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit will offer a good basking temperature. A cool area is also needed, which should get colder than 68 degrees Fahrenheit. A simple thermometer on the warm and the cool side will enable you to make sure that your pet is comfortable. Make sure that your tortoise’s environment isn’t drafty.
Although your light will be a source of warmth, you shouldn’t have it on for less than twelve or more than fourteen hours each day. Your tortoise needs to be allowed a natural pattern of day and night, to protect his circadian rhythms, which all animals have.
A Waterhole Comes Next
Your tortoise will appreciate a shallow water dish that he can get right into. Make sure it is shallow though – you don’t want him to drown. His water must be changed at least once a day; twice is better. You can use normal water from your household supply unless you know that it is heavily chlorinated or contains other contaminants. In this case, boiling water for ten minutes first and allowing it to cool down will be helpful.
The water dish is usually best placed at the cool end of your pet’s home. Watching him in the water is fun, so make sure you place it somewhere that it can easily be seen.
Most of the water that it needs to survive will come from the things that it eats. Your tortoise does need to poop and urinate in water, so watch out for this.
Feeding Your Friend
In the wild, tortoises eat grasses, leaves, and flowers. They don’t eat fruit and vegetables, and it is a mistake to give them these as they will find them difficult to digest, and will get sick. A list of things that you can plant in pots for your tortoise to enjoy includes:
- Dandelion – a big favorite
- Grasses – various kinds
- Mint
- Nettles
- Lettuce
- Sunflowers
- Pot marigold
- Comfrey
- Chicory
Other plants that you might find in our garden, or even growing wild, including
- Hollyhock
- Cow parsley
- Daisies
- Purslane
- Dahlia
- Wild carrot
- Rosemary
- Bermuda grass
- Artichoke
- Horseradish (leaves only)
- Fig (leaves only)
- Sweet potato (leaves only)
This is by no means everything that your tortoise friend will eat, but most tortoises absolutely love dandelions, so make an effort to find these. They will eat the leaves and flowers, but as with most plants, don’t offer the roots, as these might contain concentrations of harmful substances, or at the least, be indigestible.
Chop up leaves and place them in a shallow dish in the cool part of the environment. Remove uneaten food after a few hours. Little and often is the best plan, and try to give your pet a lot of variety. Different foods have different vitamins and minerals, and you want to make sure that he is getting everything he needs.
No prepped Tortoise Food
Resist the temptation to buy prepared tortoise food – this is not a healthy diet for your pet, and it’s more expensive than going outside and gathering weeds and leaves and flowers.
It’s very important to make sure that the green stuff you are feeding your tortoise has not been sprayed with chemicals. Growing your own, or getting green stuff from a trusted organic source, is the way to go.
You should provide your Russian tortoise with a cuttlefish bone or a piece of chalk. These will provide calcium. Cuttlefish bones are readily available in most pet stores.
Let’s Go Outside!
In the summer, it’s a great idea to let your tortoise go outside. Either supervise his play yourself or let him roam in a specially built enclosure. Be very careful that your pet dog or cat doesn’t see your tortoise and think it’s a meat pie!
If you plan to leave your pet outside in the summer, he will need the same kind of enclosure as he has inside. In fact, you might consider moving his indoor home outdoors. If you live in a pleasant climate, this can be a big bonus. One thing you should do though is to provide a varmint-proof cover over his home – close woven netting is a good idea. Make sure that he has part of his enclosure in sun, and part in the shade, to provide the optimum conditions for his health.
Breeding Your Russian Tortoise
Breeding your tortoise responsibly is fun and very interesting. Of course, you need at least one male and one or more females to be successful! Make sure that you have plenty of space for each individual. They need to have their own area that they can retreat into.
In the wild Russian tortoises breed in the warm summer month. The male will approach the female, walk around her, and perhaps even bite her to make her submit. During mating the male squeaks and squeals This is one way that you can tell if successful mating has occurred. Once mating has taken place the female will begin to build a burrow and will lay her eggs that will hatch in between two and three months.
Baby tortoises are completely adorable and able to look after themselves from the very start. Once they have an upper shell length of over four inches, provided it is legal in your area, you will be able to sell the extra ones.
A Lifelong Obligation
Make sure that someone will be there to take over the care of your pet if you are no longer able to do so. A well-looked-after tortoise is a pleasure. However, not everybody has the space or the patience to dedicate to ownership of this pet. Make sure that your tortoise is not one of the many that are released into the wild every year, only to die out there.
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