Russian Tortoise as Pets

The smallest and the most adorable legally available tortoise as pets is the Russian tortoise. The Russian tortoise as pets are very friendly and active creatures. This makes them a great choice as pets for kids. The Russian tortoise as pets can prove to be a bit of a challenge, as they require specific dietary care. On the whole, they are fairly easy to care for creatures.

Russian Tortoise Habitat
The Russian tortoise habitat consists of the dry, arid regions ranging from southern east Russia, eastern Iran, northwest Pakistan and Afghanistan. It also includes China to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. They are also found in habitats with hot, dry summer and cold winters. They are found on sandy steppes and loamy areas. Russian tortoise habitat also consists of the rocky or hilly terrains that are closer to springs and vegetation. They live in burrows they dig or abandoned animal holes.

Russian Tortoise Description
The Russian tortoise are small creatures with a stocky appearance. They have a rounded oval carapace or upper shell that is greenish to olive-brown in color with dark patches. Their bottom shell (plastron) is rigid with no movable hinges. The head and legs of a Russian tortoise is yellowish brown. They are the only members of the genus Testudo that has four instead of three claws on the feet. The tail has a terminal claw and it is longer in males than females. The Russian tortoise size is about 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 cm) and few may grow up to 9 inches (23 cm).

Russian Tortoise Diet
The Russian tortoise loves to munch on grasses and mixed vegetable salad. You can even feed him fruits sparingly (it is OK if you avoid fruits altogether). The regular diet of a Russian tortoise should consist of:

• Cabbage (Occasionally)
• Chicory
• Collards
• Endive
• Escarole
• Kale
• Mustard greens
• Radicchio
• Red and green leaf lettuce
• Romaine lettuce
• Mixed salad greens
• Turnip greens

Other yummy munching for Russian tortoise include:

• Californian Poppy
• Chia
• Chrysanthemum flowers
• Cornflowers
• Dandelion
• Dayflower (flowers and leaves)
• Forsythia (flowers and leaves)
• Hibiscus (flowers and leaves)
• Hosta
• Ice Plants
• Mallow (flowers and leaves)
• Mulberry leaves
• Plantain like weed plantago major
• Prickly pear flowers, fruit and pads
• Rose (flowers and leaves, pesticide free)
• Sedum

You should avoid fruits, as they contain high sugar content and can cause parasite blooms. Also you need to avoid Bok Choy, bread, pasta, meat, dog food, cat food, iceberg lettuce and all human food that are not included in the above vegetable list. You should provide Russian tortoise with additional calcium supplementation. Vitamin complex including vitamin D3 supplements given occasionally are also recommended.

Russian Tortoise Housing - Indoors
Russian tortoise should not be kept indoors for a long time. You should house the Russian tortoise in a tortoise vivarium that is 2 feet by 4 feet. You should use a mixture of ½ sand and ½ peat moss as a substrate that should be deep enough to burrow. The Russian tortoise should be provided with a basking spot that should be maintained at 90º to 95ºF or 32º - 35ºC. A hide box should be placed at the cooler end of the temperature gradient. A UVA/UVB lamp should be placed to keep the shell healthy. The humidity of the tank should be about 60%. A shallow dish of clean water should be placed in the tank at all times.

Russian Tortoise Housing - Outdoors
The Russian tortoise can be kept outdoors for all its life. They love warm, dry environment as it matches the wild Russian tortoise habitat. An outdoor pen should offer enough heat, secure place and plenty of water. The Russian tortoise tends to hide under a shady bush or dog house during hot days or extremely cool days. Russian tortoises are agile burrowers and will dig their way out of an enclosure. Thus, one needs to make the enclosures predator and escape proof.

Russian Tortoise Handling
The Russian tortoise as pets are very friendly and tame. They are agile creatures and you need to keep their surroundings 'baby proof'. This is because they tend to flip over their backs and this can prove to be injurious to the creature. When kids are handling or picking up the tortoise, make sure you tell your kids to sit down as a fall can prove to be fatal for the tortoise. As most of these Russian tortoise are captive bred, they become tame. When handled they will not retreat in their shells and take interest in their surroundings.

Russian Tortoise Breeding
If the Russian tortoise is well fed for a year, they tend to be fertile and need a cooling period. They hibernate for 3 to 5 months. Most of the tortoises are in heat after the winter period followed by hot days. The male tortoises tend to get very active in search of a female and the females have low appetite and seem restless.

The Russian tortoise will nest about 6 to 8 weeks after end of hibernation and a clutch of 1 to 5 eggs is produced each season. The clutch is buried 2 to 5 cm deep in the ground by the female. The eggs hatch after 77 days of incubation period with incubation temperature of about 86° to 95°F or 30° - 35°C.

You can find Russian tortoises as pets being sold at most pet stores, online pet stores, reptile shows and expos. A Russian tortoise can be sold at about US$ 55 to US$ 95 at a pet store. A captive bred hatching can be sold at US$ 150 to US$ 175. You should take good care of your Russian tortoise and you will have a companion for life. A Russian tortoise can live up to 50 years when given optimum living conditions. You will find Russian tortoise to be a great companion for anyone looking for a long-term buddy.