i have been feeding the pellet food for about half a year now. The pellets i feed are just dried herbs and grasses which is the natural diet of a russian tortoise. Just mix that with a bit of calcium powder and you have a good base food. some days just add some fresh salad, or some other vegetables to keep the diet interesting for your tortoise.
No problem, after all I like answering questions. If your tortoise will not eat the diet you have to change it. It seems like you tried everything possible and your tortoise still refuses to eat the pellets. So leave out the pellets. If you refrigerate the greens they will last for a week. I know this isn't as much time as the pellets would last but it is something. I know you said you don't want to rely on the greens but you will have to. The greens are fine for the tortoise as long as
In the wild tortoises only have 12h of sunlight max, so it would make sense that the uvb lamp is only on over the day. But if you mean at all time over the day than yes. But over night you got to turn it off as tortoises need their sleep too.
My turtle eats greens in winter, wich I grow myself, this is salad, flax, oats, wheat, carrots(tops), and beets( tops). I make her salads - I rub vegetables on a grater and sprinkle it all with herbs. As a treat,once a week I give her an apple, pear or banana.
I only hold my tortoise on its back for a few seconds which does no damage for the tortoise whatsoever. The lungs only get damaged if the tortoise is on its back for a couple of minutes, but a few seconds (like in the video) of the tortoise lying on its back don't do any harm.
Haha I bet the tort is like "Aaw man, why won't you leave the fruit alone? Why cover it in this slime?" I know my tort dislikes pellets, so I do the same as you, but I think of she could talk she would complain about it xD
Hey there, a 40g tank would only be big enough for young russian tortoises. A single russian tortoise needs a cage with the minnimum dimensions of 150cm x 75cm. The reason my tank is smaller is that I don't have room for anything bigger right now. As long as you provide a outdoor enclousure over the summer your tank can be slightly smaller. As for humidity, don't worry about it. Russian tortoises are dessert tortoises so they need a low humidity. Just misting the tortoises hide once a day is ok.
Cool! I'm not a huge fan of tortoise but when I get a little older I will get a leopard tortoise ;) good to see there's a lot of reptile owners that take great care of the reptiles ;)
Normally no, but there is a few exceptions. If your tortoise is in an outside enclosure were it gets direct sunlight all day for all summer, and you hibernate it in the winter there is no need to buy a uv light for the two months she will spend inside. But they are not expensive nowadays anymore so why not buy one anyways. If your tortoise lives most of its life inside buy it a uvb/uva bulb
Natural food is always better. If someone doesn't know that much about tortoise nutrition, I'd say they should use the usual pellets with supplementary veggie feedings. Some natural veggies is better than none.
fresh food is often better, however, not always. The issue is that you cannot find everything your tortoise needs in fresh. The zoo med food is pretty terrible to be honest and I am glad that I found an alternative consisting of just dried grasses and weeds. It is literally the perfect diet for Mediterranean tortoises and I make sure to supplement her dandelion/kale/romaine lettuce etc with it every time I feed her
As long as there are no artificial fertilizers in the soil any earth is fine to use. Look on the packaging and if it says something like "No artificial fertilizers" or "all natural" it's fine. Before you add it to the cage you might want to check for small pieces of wood that can potentially be harmful because of splinters in the earth.
Vegetables are ok but shouldn't be the main part of the diet. If you have access to vegetables you can also buy lettuce, and herbs (in the summer). I feed my tortoise mainly lettuce sprinkled with calcium powder (which is very important as they use calcium to build their bones aka shell). I want to grow my own herbs as soon as it gets warmer so my tortoise has a more varied diet which was suggested by one of my subs.
Leaving a comment about the glass cage on one of my videos is enough, I read and answer all the comments. The airflow really is fine as the walls are fairly low in this aquarium turned terrarium. I see how this can be a problem in an aquarium with higher walls. I read all the books and websites as well, but gathering knowledge from your own pet is a great way to learn as well. My tortoise for example is fine living in her glass cage. She loves the view and doesn't run into the walls
Does ur tortoise actually eat that food? Because I watched this video before i got my Russian tortoise and NOW that I've had him for over 3 weeks. I use the EXACT same pellets u use in the video, but instead of the mixed fruit, i use the mixed fruit and vegetables...same packaging though, so overall the same diet. He won't eat it. He ate leafy greens from spring mix packages i buy him, but they go bad really quickly, so i don't want to rely JUST on the greens. I wish he'd eat the food from the v
I got some of that zoomed grassland food but would like to know is it really ok to feed it to the tort every day? I would have thought myself that just a couple of times a week would be better as the tortoise is not getting too much fibre that way. What do you think? Should I just stick to the instructions on the jar which say feed every day?
you sprinkle calcium powder over them. Also, don't feed him the fruit mix too often, it can cause fungi to grow in your tortoises stomach so I would feed it about once or twice a month as a treat.
First of all, do some research before you buy pets, seccond I'm glad you are asking for help. UV lights can be found in any petstore that covers reptiles. It will say "UVB lighting " or something similar on the packaging. ZooMed lights are of a good quality IMO. Ask a person that works at the store for a UVB light for a desert tortoise species. They should know what you need. A relatively high UVB output.
Well the main part of a russian tortoise diet in the wild is fiber, so you really can't overfeed your tortoise with fiber. If your tortoise accepts the food (mine did only for a month) I would feed it every day alongside lettuce.
Natural stuff like lawn grass and grape leaves are the best for him/her also the shell will pryamid if you feed it too much food the best thing for it is natural stuff you shouldent own a tortoise if you dont have a spacious backyard
Less fruit is always better, I give it to my Russian Tortoises only 4-5 times per year and in very small quantities, but fresh, like figs, strawberries, usually the wild kind and apples. Too much fruit as you pointed out can cause digestive problems. I use the Zoo-Med Grassland Tortoise food as a supplement with their normal food and include in the bedding lots of timothy hay and or bermuda grass hay which these tortoises love to eat. Fresh natural foods like weeds and grasses are always best during the warmer months that we have here in Virginia. We let ours graze in our backyard and garden so that they get natural sunlight on their body and shell too. I used cuttlebone and some D3 calcium supplement, but only 2x month as too much D3 can cause liver problems, same with some of the vitamin supplements. The Zoo-Med Grassland Tortoise food has calcium and other minerals in it so supplements are not as critical IMHO.
2. As for the substrate you really have a lot of choices. Right now I have a coconut fibre sand mix, but I'm gonna change that to a sand topsoil mix next time. I would do a 50% sand 50% topsoil mix. Just make sure there are no fertilizers or anything else added to the earth.
How come my two Russian tortoises ruin there water when it is couple seconds fresh and there substrate is cypress and they will not eat the tortoise diet just romaine lettuce and if there is food they run all over it and since they live in a baby pool they had a old container and the lap is not a clip on and they escape a lot so now I have to fined a good clip on lamp and someway to prevent them from making there water nasty after being a couple seconds fresh ! Oh and by the way there names are speedy and snickers
Not a good idea to wash the bowls in the kitchen sink. The baby's bottles are there. You could cross contaminate and tortoises carry Salmonella. I dump mine outside on the grass. And wash the dishes outside
Do you think that these would be fine as a first reptile. Also would it be okay for me to let the tortoise roam around my room? Thanks and great video.
I think they are a very fine first reptile, low maintenance and no annoying crickets to feed. I used to let my tortoise run around too before I had an outdoor enclosure, just make sure there are no cold drafts when it runs around (especially in the winter) as colds can be deadly for tortoises.
yeah, i dident research them much yet because im not getting one anytime soon ;) next reptile im getting is ether a leopard gecko or a crested gecko:)thanks for the heads up :D
Well, your tortoise is NOT going to die from eating lettuce. The first two years I had my tortoise (I was 10 back then) I only fed it lettuce. So don't worry. If your tortoise wont eat the stuff don't feed it to her. It is a waste of money, instead feed a verity of lettuces. Red leafed, green leafed, and do some research what other vegetables are good as a staple part of your tortoises diet. Just lettuce with calcium powder is also fine until you find a better solution.
I don't know if it was dechlorinated back then, but now I definitely dechlorinate all the water I use with my reptiles. It is really cheap to do and provides another layer of protection for your pet
That is sadly not how it works. When I made this video I thought the same way (as you can tell by the food I'm feeding), but sadly the food from petstores isn't fresh, and while it might have a bunch of great nutrients a lot of tortoises don't like it. My tortoise used to eat zoo meds grassland tortoise mix but then stopped one day for example, so now I just feed a variety of lettuce with calcium powder. So while some (not all) petstore foods might be good not all tortoises will eat them.
...Video, it would make it alot easier on my, any advice? Oh, and ive already tried mixing the pellets with the leafy greens to get him adjusted to the taste of the pellets, but after tasting the pellets on the greens, he wont even touch the greens anymore....which is weird since thats what the people at the pet store most likely fed him. When i got Eli the lady even said that he LOVES the fruit mix and stuff...i thought i was buying him what he wanted/what he's used too..help? Does ur tortoise
I have talked about the glass thing in many of my videos. My tortoise got used to the glass after being in there for about 7 years, but I appreciate your concern. And I don't soak the hay, I spray it with water. Which is not nearly enough to cause mold. But again I appreciate it when people try to help.
ok, thanks to all you guys commenting about the diet I decided to switch it up. I will now feed my tortoise lettuce supplemented with the zoomed stuff instead of just zoo med stuff. Thank you all for your concerns. I will still ad calcium powder so no more need to worry.
I work, well volunteer, at a petstore each sunday and I have to disagree with you on that one. We do care a lot about the pets and their owners. For example we don't sell pets to people who don't seem capable of taking care of them. The people who work there, only two appart from me, are knowledgeable and friendly. I guess local businesses are different from big chain stores though. I agree that big chain stores are all about the money.
If you mean dechlorinated, no. When I started caring for her 5 years ago I never new about chlorine in tap water (I was 10 :) ) There is no problem with just giving them regular tap water. Dechlorinator is just another way for companies to make money.
Your right. Eco earth turns to dust and can get in the lungs. Reptibark is good. Sand isnt good cause they can swallow it with thier food and get obstructions. The dryer the better no need to spray. You sjould doak them in 2 inches of warm water once a week though. Look on you tube gor Kamp Kennon. Russion tortoise advice
Yeah, back then I used a bad camera (I mean as a kid who has the money right?). Got a camera now that automatically stabilizes and I found it does well.
Hope your tortoise enjoys them! Also, if you are interested in winning some quality tortoise food check out my newest video. it is a contest/giveaway for my subscribers for some tortoise food
you have to be careful with alphapellets as substrate. It is generally not seen as a good substrate for tortoises. They can try to eat it, which isn't good for them as the pellets will expand in their stomach and suck up all the moisture
I just got 2 Russian tortoises 2days a go and I am just wondering does it take long for them to settle in mine are 3 months old. All they are doing us sleeping and eating like a tiny tiny amount of food why do u think this is happening thanks
+Molly Bieber probs fixed by now but reptiles and tortoises espically when they are new to somewhere they dont eat much, give it a week. and since their young they are probs gonna sleep alot.
I found that my tortoise doesn't like eating it on its own as well. To get your tortoise to eat it mix it with its favourite food (lettuce, carrots, cucumber etc) your tortoise will eat its favourite food and without noticing it also some of the grassland tortoise food.
try to avoid fruit and most vegetables. You can get most greens from the grocery store. You can also grow your own, and collect herbs and flowers from the wild (in the countryside) to feed your pet.
+Bobby buck This is a fairly old video of mine, I got a new diet video here ruclips.net/video/7xPOjkmA0bc/видео.html Veggies in general should not be part of the diet, it is just not something that tortoises would get to teat in the wild (most of the time). Dark leafy greens, and many things we consider weeds (dandelion, plantain) are much healthier
can you give a tortoise too much calcium? like if i wanted to give it calcium in his food but also a calcium rock that he can chew on if he wants more?
Yes, you can which can cause intestinal blockage, bladder and kidney stones and liver failure if the calcium is supplemented with D3. Don't be afraid to use it, but use it very sparingly if used often. I use it 2X per month and only during the colder months when I can't get them outside to get natural sun and to eat weeds which are high in calcium.
Go to your local petshop as most good ones carry the Zoo-Med products in the UK too. Go to the Zoo-Med website and they may have a UK distributor listed.
The Donald Will they ship it to Northern Ireland or Ireland? Zoomed I believe has an EU distributor too that would maybe make it easier if you are in the Republic.
Question, we have tried our tortoise on the exact same pellets and it will not eat them. The only thing we can get it to actually eat is like collard greens and we're concerned that it isn't getting enough nutrients :/
Mine doesn't eat the pellets on its own either. I have to sprinkle them on top of her greens now. And what oloFTW said is right, calcium powder is very important. I supplement my russians diet with calcium powder every day and then vitamin powder once a month or so
I don't feed my Russian tortoise any sort of pellets or fruit. They need to eat what they would in the wild. Derrick is cheap to keep, he has a bit of rocket and weeds that I gather.
i have been feeding the pellet food for about half a year now. The pellets i feed are just dried herbs and grasses which is the natural diet of a russian tortoise. Just mix that with a bit of calcium powder and you have a good base food. some days just add some fresh salad, or some other vegetables to keep the diet interesting for your tortoise.
I'm getting a tortoise in afue days and I am 100 percent excited they are so cute
No problem, after all I like answering questions. If your tortoise will not eat the diet you have to change it. It seems like you tried everything possible and your tortoise still refuses to eat the pellets. So leave out the pellets. If you refrigerate the greens they will last for a week. I know this isn't as much time as the pellets would last but it is something. I know you said you don't want to rely on the greens but you will have to. The greens are fine for the tortoise as long as
In the wild tortoises only have 12h of sunlight max, so it would make sense that the uvb lamp is only on over the day. But if you mean at all time over the day than yes. But over night you got to turn it off as tortoises need their sleep too.
My turtle eats greens in winter, wich I grow myself, this is salad, flax, oats, wheat, carrots(tops), and beets( tops). I make her salads - I rub vegetables on a grater and sprinkle it all with herbs. As a treat,once a week I give her an apple, pear or banana.
I only hold my tortoise on its back for a few seconds which does no damage for the tortoise whatsoever. The lungs only get damaged if the tortoise is on its back for a couple of minutes, but a few seconds (like in the video) of the tortoise lying on its back don't do any harm.
Haha I bet the tort is like "Aaw man, why won't you leave the fruit alone? Why cover it in this slime?" I know my tort dislikes pellets, so I do the same as you, but I think of she could talk she would complain about it xD
Hey there, a 40g tank would only be big enough for young russian tortoises. A single russian tortoise needs a cage with the minnimum dimensions of 150cm x 75cm. The reason my tank is smaller is that I don't have room for anything bigger right now. As long as you provide a outdoor enclousure over the summer your tank can be slightly smaller. As for humidity, don't worry about it. Russian tortoises are dessert tortoises so they need a low humidity. Just misting the tortoises hide once a day is ok.
Cool! I'm not a huge fan of tortoise but when I get a little older I will get a leopard tortoise ;) good to see there's a lot of reptile owners that take great care of the reptiles ;)
Normally no, but there is a few exceptions. If your tortoise is in an outside enclosure were it gets direct sunlight all day for all summer, and you hibernate it in the winter there is no need to buy a uv light for the two months she will spend inside. But they are not expensive nowadays anymore so why not buy one anyways. If your tortoise lives most of its life inside buy it a uvb/uva bulb
This helped a lot i really want one
Your videos are awesome thanks for all the Russian tortoise info
I heard the pellets aren't great- you can feed them to the tort, but natural veg is a little better. :)
Mine doesn't like the pellets, it won't eat them so I just feed it veggies
+Belle Sargent make sure to also feedi t veggies and spineless cactus. Good nutrition is crucial
+Pannelchannel V43 I meant grasses and cactus sorry
Natural food is always better. If someone doesn't know that much about tortoise nutrition, I'd say they should use the usual pellets with supplementary veggie feedings. Some natural veggies is better than none.
fresh food is often better, however, not always. The issue is that you cannot find everything your tortoise needs in fresh. The zoo med food is pretty terrible to be honest and I am glad that I found an alternative consisting of just dried grasses and weeds. It is literally the perfect diet for Mediterranean tortoises and I make sure to supplement her dandelion/kale/romaine lettuce etc with it every time I feed her
As long as there are no artificial fertilizers in the soil any earth is fine to use. Look on the packaging and if it says something like "No artificial fertilizers" or "all natural" it's fine. Before you add it to the cage you might want to check for small pieces of wood that can potentially be harmful because of splinters in the earth.
Vegetables are ok but shouldn't be the main part of the diet. If you have access to vegetables you can also buy lettuce, and herbs (in the summer). I feed my tortoise mainly lettuce sprinkled with calcium powder (which is very important as they use calcium to build their bones aka shell). I want to grow my own herbs as soon as it gets warmer so my tortoise has a more varied diet which was suggested by one of my subs.
Leaving a comment about the glass cage on one of my videos is enough, I read and answer all the comments. The airflow really is fine as the walls are fairly low in this aquarium turned terrarium. I see how this can be a problem in an aquarium with higher walls. I read all the books and websites as well, but gathering knowledge from your own pet is a great way to learn as well. My tortoise for example is fine living in her glass cage. She loves the view and doesn't run into the walls
Check out my "refined russian tortoise diet" video with a better diet for tortoises. But yes you can feed a greek tortoise the exact same food.
And how do I treat a snotty nose I checked them all over for disease and speedy has a runny nose and that’s all bye
That is a great idea, I don't feed that food anymore though, but if I was that would be very helpful indeed.
You have the right idea but I would feed her veggies like romaine lettuce and collard greens those pellets are not good for them
Does ur tortoise actually eat that food? Because I watched this video before i got my Russian tortoise and NOW that I've had him for over 3 weeks. I use the EXACT same pellets u use in the video, but instead of the mixed fruit, i use the mixed fruit and vegetables...same packaging though, so overall the same diet. He won't eat it. He ate leafy greens from spring mix packages i buy him, but they go bad really quickly, so i don't want to rely JUST on the greens. I wish he'd eat the food from the v
I got some of that zoomed grassland food but would like to know is it really ok to feed it to the tort every day? I would have thought myself that just a couple of times a week would be better as the tortoise is not getting too much fibre that way. What do you think? Should I just stick to the instructions on the jar which say feed every day?
you sprinkle calcium powder over them. Also, don't feed him the fruit mix too often, it can cause fungi to grow in your tortoises stomach so I would feed it about once or twice a month as a treat.
First of all, do some research before you buy pets, seccond I'm glad you are asking for help. UV lights can be found in any petstore that covers reptiles. It will say "UVB lighting " or something similar on the packaging. ZooMed lights are of a good quality IMO. Ask a person that works at the store for a UVB light for a desert tortoise species. They should know what you need. A relatively high UVB output.
Well the main part of a russian tortoise diet in the wild is fiber, so you really can't overfeed your tortoise with fiber. If your tortoise accepts the food (mine did only for a month) I would feed it every day alongside lettuce.
Natural stuff like lawn grass and grape leaves are the best for him/her also the shell will pryamid if you feed it too much food the best thing for it is natural stuff you shouldent own a tortoise if you dont have a spacious backyard
Less fruit is always better, I give it to my Russian Tortoises only 4-5 times per year and in very small quantities, but fresh, like figs, strawberries, usually the wild kind and apples. Too much fruit as you pointed out can cause digestive problems. I use the Zoo-Med Grassland Tortoise food as a supplement with their normal food and include in the bedding lots of timothy hay and or bermuda grass hay which these tortoises love to eat. Fresh natural foods like weeds and grasses are always best during the warmer months that we have here in Virginia. We let ours graze in our backyard and garden so that they get natural sunlight on their body and shell too. I used cuttlebone and some D3 calcium supplement, but only 2x month as too much D3 can cause liver problems, same with some of the vitamin supplements. The Zoo-Med Grassland Tortoise food has calcium and other minerals in it so supplements are not as critical IMHO.
John Saia
just go for the zoo med product. The size I have costs about 16$ Canadian
2. As for the substrate you really have a lot of choices. Right now I have a coconut fibre sand mix, but I'm gonna change that to a sand topsoil mix next time. I would do a 50% sand 50% topsoil mix. Just make sure there are no fertilizers or anything else added to the earth.
How come my two Russian tortoises ruin there water when it is couple seconds fresh and there substrate is cypress and they will not eat the tortoise diet just romaine lettuce and if there is food they run all over it and since they live in a baby pool they had a old container and the lap is not a clip on and they escape a lot so now I have to fined a good clip on lamp and someway to prevent them from making there water nasty after being a couple seconds fresh ! Oh and by the way there names are speedy and snickers
thanks, next tortoise video in six days. I don't have enough bandwidth for more than one vid every three days
I have a video on that, but if you have a turtle it doesn't need to be bathed as it lives in water. Only tortoises need a bath
Not a good idea to wash the bowls in the kitchen sink. The baby's bottles are there. You could cross contaminate and tortoises carry Salmonella.
I dump mine outside on the grass. And wash the dishes outside
***** try putting a thin layer of nail polish on each shell it wont harm them unless u put too much on xxx i hav done the same for mine xx
Leopard tortoises look great. Just be aware of the size they can get.
Do you think that these would be fine as a first reptile. Also would it be okay for me to let the tortoise roam around my room? Thanks and great video.
I think they are a very fine first reptile, low maintenance and no annoying crickets to feed. I used to let my tortoise run around too before I had an outdoor enclosure, just make sure there are no cold drafts when it runs around (especially in the winter) as colds can be deadly for tortoises.
RussianTorts can do I have to feed them any live insects?
yeah, i dident research them much yet because im not getting one anytime soon ;) next reptile im getting is ether a leopard gecko or a crested gecko:)thanks for the heads up :D
Interesting I like this video. Be careful how much fruit you feed your tortoise Anna.
Well, your tortoise is NOT going to die from eating lettuce. The first two years I had my tortoise (I was 10 back then) I only fed it lettuce. So don't worry. If your tortoise wont eat the stuff don't feed it to her. It is a waste of money, instead feed a verity of lettuces. Red leafed, green leafed, and do some research what other vegetables are good as a staple part of your tortoises diet. Just lettuce with calcium powder is also fine until you find a better solution.
That's a good plan. Just make sure to add calcium powder
Hey, i know this video is kinda old (i love your videos) but is the water that you put in the bowl dechlorinated?
just curious because im getting a new russian tortoise soon
I don't know if it was dechlorinated back then, but now I definitely dechlorinate all the water I use with my reptiles. It is really cheap to do and provides another layer of protection for your pet
I tend to go over board on that ;)
Anywhere from 60 to 80 years if you take good care of them. So really think about buying them first. It's a life long thing.
A quick read up online will tell you different. Always research the species of tortoise you want to get before buying them.
What are you asking. I would really want to help you but I don't know if I can without you writing english
That is sadly not how it works. When I made this video I thought the same way (as you can tell by the food I'm feeding), but sadly the food from petstores isn't fresh, and while it might have a bunch of great nutrients a lot of tortoises don't like it. My tortoise used to eat zoo meds grassland tortoise mix but then stopped one day for example, so now I just feed a variety of lettuce with calcium powder. So while some (not all) petstore foods might be good not all tortoises will eat them.
...Video, it would make it alot easier on my, any advice? Oh, and ive already tried mixing the pellets with the leafy greens to get him adjusted to the taste of the pellets, but after tasting the pellets on the greens, he wont even touch the greens anymore....which is weird since thats what the people at the pet store most likely fed him. When i got Eli the lady even said that he LOVES the fruit mix and stuff...i thought i was buying him what he wanted/what he's used too..help? Does ur tortoise
I have talked about the glass thing in many of my videos. My tortoise got used to the glass after being in there for about 7 years, but I appreciate your concern. And I don't soak the hay, I spray it with water. Which is not nearly enough to cause mold. But again I appreciate it when people try to help.
You would get use to a cage too if u were stuck in it for 7 years...wtf
ok, thanks to all you guys commenting about the diet I decided to switch it up. I will now feed my tortoise lettuce supplemented with the zoomed stuff instead of just zoo med stuff. Thank you all for your concerns. I will still ad calcium powder so no more need to worry.
I work, well volunteer, at a petstore each sunday and I have to disagree with you on that one. We do care a lot about the pets and their owners. For example we don't sell pets to people who don't seem capable of taking care of them. The people who work there, only two appart from me, are knowledgeable and friendly. I guess local businesses are different from big chain stores though. I agree that big chain stores are all about the money.
I don't get the imperial system. The metric system is so much easier to use, but thank you
How can you tell how old they are & what gender?
If you mean dechlorinated, no. When I started caring for her 5 years ago I never new about chlorine in tap water (I was 10 :) ) There is no problem with just giving them regular tap water. Dechlorinator is just another way for companies to make money.
that is correct, my tortoise stopped eating it after a month so I went back to lettuce with calcium powder
EcoEarth is not really the substrate to use for russian tortoises. And this is my old diet, I know feed her fresh lettuce each day.
Your right. Eco earth turns to dust and can get in the lungs. Reptibark is good. Sand isnt good cause they can swallow it with thier food and get obstructions.
The dryer the better no need to spray. You sjould doak them in 2 inches of warm water once a week though.
Look on you tube gor Kamp Kennon. Russion tortoise advice
Why don't you ever let her out its good for them to roam around in your house
Yeah also it's good for them to go outsid
good vid
When you total change the substrates?
I heard that you need to leave the UVB light on at all times is that true?
Wait, So you dont use these pellets anymore?
I was the 200th liker I'm so satisfied
I think its 1.20m by 50cm plus minus 10cm
Can u feed your Russian carrots or bell peppers???
I already replied to your other comment. Yes you can, but only in moderation.
How do you wash your turtle?
Where did u get the water bowl
Do you need to put water in the food and why
how big is the enclosure?
sorry that was my other channel. god dammit youtube
can a russian tortoise go without the uv. lights?
great vid. lots of valuable info little shaky though.
Yeah, back then I used a bad camera (I mean as a kid who has the money right?). Got a camera now that automatically stabilizes and I found it does well.
sweet. thanks for these uploads. gonna buy that grass diet and calcium tomorrow.
Hope your tortoise enjoys them! Also, if you are interested in winning some quality tortoise food check out my newest video. it is a contest/giveaway for my subscribers for some tortoise food
sweet thanks dude. I got some today I mixed it with her favorite lettuce. :) we ended up getting her alpha pellets litter.
you have to be careful with alphapellets as substrate. It is generally not seen as a good substrate for tortoises. They can try to eat it, which isn't good for them as the pellets will expand in their stomach and suck up all the moisture
How Many Meals Do They Eat?
Say u find a good rock on the beach and u wanna put it in the cage after u wash it with water can u put it in?
I would boil the rock in water first, just to be sure
I just got 2 Russian tortoises 2days a go and I am just wondering does it take long for them to settle in mine are 3 months old. All they are doing us sleeping and eating like a tiny tiny amount of food why do u think this is happening thanks
+Molly Bieber probs fixed by now but reptiles and tortoises espically when they are new to somewhere they dont eat much, give it a week. and since their young they are probs gonna sleep alot.
hey dude how long could a Russian Tortoise live
I found that my tortoise doesn't like eating it on its own as well. To get your tortoise to eat it mix it with its favourite food (lettuce, carrots, cucumber etc) your tortoise will eat its favourite food and without noticing it also some of the grassland tortoise food.
Could i feed the same thing to a Greek Tortoise?
Can i use eco earth for substrate?????
Are they sensitive to chlorine
where do u get your veggie and frit mixes
try to avoid fruit and most vegetables. You can get most greens from the grocery store. You can also grow your own, and collect herbs and flowers from the wild (in the countryside) to feed your pet.
i feed my russian tortoise the natural grassland food to except i mix ith with small tortoise food and put water in it
I feed mine veggies is that ok to
sorry that was my other chanel
So at night when I myself go to sleep, do I have to shut the lights?
+PROCO_00 Yes. The lights should be on 12h a day
+RussianTorts Ok, thanks again... :)
Wat about veggies
+Bobby buck This is a fairly old video of mine, I got a new diet video here ruclips.net/video/7xPOjkmA0bc/видео.html Veggies in general should not be part of the diet, it is just not something that tortoises would get to teat in the wild (most of the time). Dark leafy greens, and many things we consider weeds (dandelion, plantain) are much healthier
i thought they dident get big? thats why i was going to get them
Did any one else notice the hair in the sink at 1:36 😬🤢🥺😂😂😂
can you give a tortoise too much calcium? like if i wanted to give it calcium in his food but also a calcium rock that he can chew on if he wants more?
Just sprinkling his food every day should be fine. I don't think you would need another calcium source for him
Yes, you can which can cause intestinal blockage, bladder and kidney stones and liver failure if the calcium is supplemented with D3. Don't be afraid to use it, but use it very sparingly if used often. I use it 2X per month and only during the colder months when I can't get them outside to get natural sun and to eat weeds which are high in calcium.
Where can i get those pellets you use to feed it in the UK?
Go to your local petshop as most good ones carry the Zoo-Med products in the UK too. Go to the Zoo-Med website and they may have a UK distributor listed.
FredorFoe I buy on eBay cause can't find here in uk
The Donald Can you get them on line? I thought ZooMed had distributors in the UK?
John Saia maybe in England, but not in Ireland
The Donald Will they ship it to Northern Ireland or Ireland? Zoomed I believe has an EU distributor too that would maybe make it easier if you are in the Republic.
Question, we have tried our tortoise on the exact same pellets and it will not eat them. The only thing we can get it to actually eat is like collard greens and we're concerned that it isn't getting enough nutrients :/
One word. Suppliments. Give your tortiose vitamin powder and calcium powder
Mine doesn't eat the pellets on its own either. I have to sprinkle them on top of her greens now. And what oloFTW said is right, calcium powder is very important. I supplement my russians diet with calcium powder every day and then vitamin powder once a month or so
Thank you so much! We will definitely try that out
What is your tortoises name
+gun guru His tortoise is a female and her name is Potilla. (Pronounced as pah-tilla)
I don't feed my Russian tortoise any sort of pellets or fruit. They need to eat what they would in the wild. Derrick is cheap to keep, he has a bit of rocket and weeds that I gather.
Can u feed the same stuff to hermans tortoise
+Bobby buck yes for sure
To my knowledge no, I always use water straight out of the tap
AKA 3 feet by 1 feet (estimated)
what is the substance the walk on
I use sand in my enclosures
it would have been better to scoop the fruit with a sifter or something
How do I know if my tortoise is sick?
if it behaves different than normally
It also closes his eyes
I know what you need, you need a tripod XD
If you spell out the whole word I might be able to help you
i did alot of research and its very bad to put ur tortoise upside down cuz it crushes its lungs why do u do that