new owner of R-T, in need of advice

[concretegirl24]

Hi, my name is Vanessa, I got my Russian tortoise Reznov (please tell me somebody else has played COD 5?) about 5 days ago. A family friend had connections and was able to get him for me from a "tortoise shelter." I know nothing about this tortoise shelter, not even its name. I don't know how old Reznov is, what his previous living conditions were, how he was fed, anything like that. I only know he's a male (because he has a long tail), he has a 4 and a half inch long carapace, and his beak is too long.

He seems unhappy with his terrarium, because when he is in it he won't eat or do anything, really. He hid in his shelter for only a day, and now whenever he is in there, he digs a hole and sits there, and sleeps. The terrarium is 40 gallons (37" by 15") and bedded with fir bark (deep enough for him to do some digging) that i bought from petco. He has a food dish, a full spectrum uv light, a heat bulb, a shelter to hide in, a water bowl that he can climb into, some small rocks for scenery, a basking rock, and a cuttle bone (which he hasn't touched). Am I missing something, or did i do something wrong? please tell me.

Since he is inactive in his terrarium, I take Reznov outside during the day. I put him in a planter in my backyard. The planter is 15' by 2-5' (its shape is irregular) and is bedded with bark (not sure what kind). There are various plants (none of which are poisonous) and rocks in the planter. He seems to love being in there, because he roams around in it for hours on end, and its the only place where I can get him to eat. This is the 6th day I've had him, and he's only eaten a few small hibiscus leaves and nibbled on a few blades of grass all week. I've offered him hibiscus leaves that have been lightly dusted with a calium and vitamin d supplement, but he won't eat them.

questions:
How do I get him to eat his cuttlebone?
Is there a way I can trim his beak myself?
How do I get him to eat regularly?
Are the living conditions of his terrarium adequate?
Is there anything in general I am not doing right for him?

[moeNlily]

i wouldnt recommend you trimming his beak unless you have done it before. if its too long and he has trouble eating you can get a vet to do it (someone experienced with reptiles) a lot of us feed our torts on a piece of slate or tile and that keeps the beak at a good length and may help to wear his beak down.

RTs do not like change and it often takes them awhile to adjust and start eating normally. it has taken some peoples torts almost 2 weeks before they really start eating so at least yours is nibbling on a few things. as a general rule we usually feed them as much as they can eat in 20 mins everyday or for an hour every other day.

for his living conditions; is the terrarium glass? if so, glass is not good because they get stressed if they can see out, it holds in the temps too much and provides poor air circulation. you can either build a tort table, some of us has posted pics of ours or you can get a big rubbermaid container. make sure that he has water at all times, i think its good to have one big enough where they can crawl in and out of it (not too deep though). the bark is not good, they get their moisture from the substrate so you want to use coconut coir. we use a 50/50 mixture (by weight) of coconut coir and play sand. it holds the moisture and they love to dig in it. for your uv light, make sure it includes UVB, thats the most important. one side should be in the 90s and the other temp side should be in the 70's so they can regulate their body temps.

they will eat their cuttlebone if they feel they need it. it is good to just leave it in there. mine take a bite every once in awhile. you can use a knife and scrape the cuttlebone over the food if you want. i use joe's TNT on my torts food.

you should be soaking him 2-3 times a week in baby warm water (up to the bottom ridge of their shell) for 20 mins. this keeps them hydrated. it also often gets them to go the bathroom and sometimes de-stresses them.

I hope that was helpful, i know its a lot of info. this is a great site; http://www.russiantortoise.org/   it will tell you everything you need to know. good luck!

[concretegirl24]

Thanks for that! I hope the vet doesn't charge too much for trims, but it's probably best I let a pro do it. The terrarium is glass, but at least I had the temperatures right for the inside. I do have a water bowl that he can climb into easily and is big enough to hold him, and I haven't soaked him really, so i think I'll try that. Thanks again!

[moeNlily]

NP. if you want to post a pic of his face we can tell you if his beak is too long.

[Upstart68]

Most of the time you have to leave the cuttle bone in the enclosure for a few weeks to let it get all beat up and stained. I swear its the only tim mine will eat of of one lol
Take him to the vet for a trim

[Jules]

If he is eating in the planter, he may not need anything else.  Have you soaked him?

[concretegirl24]

I have soaked him once, and I think it's time to do it again. The only thing within his reach in the planter is some mondo grass, which he hasn't touched. I found out the other day that he absolutely loves day lily petals. I don't feed them to him every day, because I try to keep his diet varied, but it's the only thing he will eat more than 4 bites of. And it's also the only food he won't give up on. When I feed him hibiscus and dandelion leaves, he'll eat a few bites, but his beak often gets in his way. After about 4 times of trying to get the food into his mouth, he gives up on eating. It's very sad to watch. He'll be getting it trimmed very soon so he can eat normally.

[concretegirl24]

In case you can't tell in the picture I have up of him, his beak goes well below his lower lip. He has to angle his head down in order to get any food in his mouth.

[Jules]

He'll eat better once his beak is trimmed.  Hope that is soon.

[herplove]

My pair of RTs seem to love Redleaf Lettuce,small amounts of chopped celery,small amounts of shreded carrot,small amounts of colard greens,and small amounts of corn.You can pick thoes up at most grocery stores.Also dandielions,clover,and grass (most weeds will do,watch for the few poisonus weeds) growing on a lawn with NO CHEMICALS AT ALL (pesticides herbicides) is a good diet,more natural then supplamental foods.Give these a shot.Tell me how they do with your tort?

[Didi]

Hey Herplove welcome to the forum. Check out this page for recommended foods.  I don't think corn or carrots or celery are the best.
http://www.russiantortoise.org/russiantortoisediet.htm

[herplove]

Dear Didi,Your information is accurate. Thank you for your advice.I did state in "small amounts".Their just treats.Any who, I do look forward to blogging with you and all the others in the future!I appreciate advice dearly!Wish me luck.