OT turtle or tortoise?

mikejones

Member
So my parents took our dogs for a walk and they found one!
Any one knowledgeable with turtles can help identify this one?
Any info would be greatly appreciated!!
 

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Russian tortoise. We have one. Loves green leaf and romaine. Looks like a male to me. Probably close to full grown. They a very hardy don't need to hibernate, though some do so. Dry habitat 75 watt. Feed several times weekly and soak in 1/2 inch of water occasionally.
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What I mean is some owners hibernate theirs... But there is a whole procedure to doing it that includes keeping them in your refrigerator for months. We have had our male for ~15 years and he was estimated to be 25 years old when we got him. If you are looking for a quiet and low maintenance pet...you can't be a Russian tortoise. We made a box out of plywood because they don't understand glass and can get stressed out.

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Russian tortoise. We have one. Loves green leaf and romaine. Looks like a male to me. Probably close to full grown. They a very hardy don't need to hibernate, though some do so. Dry habitat 75 watt. Feed several times weekly and soak in 1/2 inch of water occasionally.
fd1dbf5cc8c0164da80a11d57bb54107.jpg
e0477e80e8942aa4b43366d68290f27c.jpg


Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk

Thank you for the info, something told me it was from a dry habitat. We did put it in a small tube with about that amount of water for about 30 minutes, but it looked stressed out so I took it out and put it on the floor and within minutes it went to sleep!! One more question, why he's beak is that long, is that normal?
 
Thank you for the info, something told me it was from a dry habitat. We did put it in a small tube with about that amount of water for about 30 minutes, but it looked stressed out so I took it out and put it on the floor and within minutes it went to sleep!! One more question, why he's beak is that long, is that normal?
I was going to mention that. The beak will grow out like that over 5-7 years. Yours is on the long side. Last time ours had a check up we asked the vet to trim it down. But make sure the vet is knowledgeable.

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Also some say that a cuttlebone would help with that...but we left one in the box for years and he never touched it. He also wouldn't touch that we tried to add calcium powder to so we stopped trying early on and ours seems healthy still.

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nice! I bought some turtles in middle school... i think they will outlive me.

long commitment
 
I was going to mention that. The beak will grow out like that over 5-7 years. Yours is on the long side. Last time ours had a check up we asked the vet to trim it down. But make sure the vet is knowledgeable.

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Yeah it looks unnatural, because it impedes a proper feeding and makes it hard for the tortoise to eat. That's why I'm researching info about it to properly care for it. I really appreciate all the information!
 
Very nice! If you can provide it with natural sun light, that would be ideal, but if kept inside use UVA/UVB daylight bulbs. Stay away from fruit (only as a treat once in a while) and high protein foods, feed mostly wild flowers, dandelions (and similar) weeds, etc.
His beek definitely needs a trim. These guys are one of my favs, they don't get huge and have tons of personality. Great find!


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^ If you have a local FB group to where you live I would suggest posting it as a found pet, but to be honest it would be hard to prove who was the previous owner.

Also it looks like it needs a nail and beak trim for sure.

I have a CA desert tortoise that I found in 1987 as a hatchling.... I was 9 at the time! This thing will probably out live me lol!

If you do decide to keep just make sure you do what is proper to keep it healthy and happy.
 
^ If you have a local FB group to where you live I would suggest posting it as a found pet, but to be honest it would be hard to prove who was the previous owner.

Also it looks like it needs a nail and beak trim for sure.

I have a CA desert tortoise that I found in 1987 as a hatchling.... I was 9 at the time! This thing will probably out live me lol!

If you do decide to keep just make sure you do what is proper to keep it healthy and happy.

I don't use Facebook anymore!! I was hoping the owner to post an ad or something, but hasn't happened. The beak broke off the second day we found it. My mom wanted to keep it, but we don't have the room for it, so she gave it to my aunt who has a back yard. She's gonna have a someone make a enclosure for it!
 
I would suggest checking if anybody posted on the Nextdoor app looking or him. Lots of lost/found pets get posted there.
 
I would suggest checking if anybody posted on the Nextdoor app looking or him. Lots of lost/found pets get posted there.

We actually have two theories regarding why was the tortoise in that lot. One is that somebody abandoned it on the empty lot, or it was kept next to the empty lot which is a community garden hence it's over grown beak and nails. I would try that app and see what happens.
 
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