Russian Tortoise

Russian tortoises are small, sturdy and busy: a tortoise that patrols its pen, digs burrows and grazes on dandelions is a daily pleasure for people who like to watch rather than hold. Plan for a 4 x 2 ft indoor pen or, better, a fenced outdoor yard with the fence buried, a UVB bulb, a grass-and-greens diet, and a companion that may outlive you.

Temperament

Russian tortoises, also sold as Horsfield's, steppe or four-toed tortoises, are small, tough and surprisingly active. LafeberVet places them across Central Asia from southeastern Russia to Pakistan and calls them excellent burrowers, and in a pen they spend the day patrolling, digging and testing every edge. They are not social with their own kind: LafeberVet says they are extremely territorial and generally do not mix well with other species of tortoise, and its Mediterranean tortoise guidance is to keep tortoises only in small single-species groups after a quarantine of at least three to six months, so one tortoise per pen is the sensible household plan. Toward people they are calm rather than tame. A healthy tortoise, per VCA, is active and alert, feels heavy, and retracts its head and limbs when handled. The species is on CITES Appendix II and listed as vulnerable by the IUCN, so many older animals in the trade were wild-caught imports.

“Russian tortoises are extremely territorial and generally do not mix well with other species of tortoise.”

LafeberVet

Daily needs and attention

A Russian tortoise's day is greens, water and warmth. Chop a mix of leafy greens each morning; VCA's list is spring mix, kale, collard or turnip greens and broccoli leaves, plus chemical-free hibiscus flowers and only a limited amount of fruit, and LafeberVet says to let tortoises graze on grasses and weeds whenever possible, with a calcium supplement mixed into the food and any pellet built on grass hay. Water is not optional for a steppe species: the University of Illinois says tortoises need access to water and may require regular soaking, and LafeberVet recommends soaks of 10-20 minutes in warm, shallow water at intervals suited to the species; VCA notes most tortoises enjoy a shallow pool in warmer months. Check basking and ambient temperatures daily and keep the UVB on 10-12 hours indoors. Toenails may need periodic clipping in captivity. That adds up to 10-20 minutes a day, plus real weekend time if you build the outdoor pen the sources prefer.

“Even though tortoises are terrestrial, they need access to water and may require regular soaking or baths to stay hydrated.”

University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine

Health and lifespan

LafeberVet says Testudo species can live well into their 50s, possibly to 100 years, so health planning is measured in decades. Its Russian tortoise disease list: herpesvirus (TeHV1 and TeHV3), upper respiratory tract disease, pneumonia, urolithiasis, nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism (metabolic bone disease), renal failure, Hexamita parva infection and eye infections. VCA says the most common viral infections in tortoises are herpesvirus and ranavirus, and that infected tortoises often do not recover, which is why LafeberVet wants any new tortoise quarantined for at least 3-6 months before meeting another. VCA also describes pyramiding, raised pyramid-shaped scutes on the carapace; vitamin A deficiency affecting the eyes, mouth, kidneys and airways; shell rot from bacteria, fungi or parasites; and gastrointestinal roundworms and protozoa, noting that older imported animals may harbor intestinal parasites. A runny nose, gaping breathing or a soft shell is a vet visit now. See a reptile vet, ideally an ARAV member, within two weeks of adoption with a fecal sample.

“Tortoises infected with either Herpesvirus or Ranavirus often do not recover.”

VCA Animal Hospitals

Habits and behavior

Digging defines this animal. LafeberVet says Russian tortoises are especially good burrowers that will dig beneath fencing, and recommends enough substrate indoors for them to construct burrows; the University of Illinois advises burying outdoor fencing one to two feet underground, VCA at least 6 inches. Expect a tortoise that walks the perimeter, wedges into corners and excavates a sleeping hollow. It basks under the lamp or the morning sun, forages, and retreats to a hide or burrow through the hottest part of the day. LafeberVet says the recommended hibernation for a healthy adult captive is about 3 months, and its Mediterranean tortoise sheet strongly recommends a pre-hibernation physical exam; brumation is a choice you make with a vet, not something the tortoise will do safely on a windowsill. Handled, a tortoise pulls into its shell, and VCA counts a firm retraction as a sign of health. Two tortoises in one pen means territorial conflict, per LafeberVet, so one is the number.

“Russian tortoises are especially good burrowers and will dig beneath fencing.”

LafeberVet

Housing: enclosure, heat and light

LafeberVet says an indoor enclosure of at least 1.2 m by 0.6 m (4 x 2 ft) with 30-36 cm (12-14 in) walls is preferable for a Russian tortoise, and its Mediterranean tortoise sheet asks for pens of at least 12 square feet; outdoor housing is recommended whenever temperatures permit, with fencing buried 6 inches (VCA) to one to two feet (Illinois). Temperatures from LafeberVet: daytime 70-90°F (21-32°C), a 85°F (30°C) basking spot, nights of 65-75°F (18-24°C). This is a dry-climate species: humidity must be kept relatively low, no higher than 65-70%, with an ideal gradient of 40-75%, and VCA says Russian tortoises do better in a warm, dry environment. Indoors, UVB lighting runs 10-12 hours at 12-18 inches, and VCA says the bulb must be replaced every 6 months as its UV spectrum wears out; tortoises housed outdoors get their UV from the sun. Provide deep diggable substrate, hides at both ends, and a shallow water dish it can climb out of.

“An enclosure measuring at least 1.2 m (4 ft) by 0.6 m (2 ft) and 30-36 cm (12-14 in) high is preferable.”

LafeberVet

Challenges

Things to plan for. The fence: an outdoor pen must be dug in and secured, and an indoor 4 x 2 ft pen with heat and UVB takes floor space in a spare room. Humidity: a damp house or a glass tank that traps moisture works against a species that needs humidity no higher than 65-70%, and respiratory disease sits on LafeberVet's list. Origin: VCA notes that older imported animals may harbor intestinal parasites and often suffer from the stress of captivity, so budget for a fecal exam and treatment. Solitude: one tortoise, or a 3-6 month quarantine and a second pen. Brumation: optional, and only after a vet check. Lifespan: LafeberVet's 50-to-100-year range means a will, not a wish. Merck's summary applies: keeping reptiles takes just as much commitment as caring for birds or dogs. None of it is dramatic; it is a fence, a bulb and a bag of greens, kept up for a very long time.

“keeping them as pets takes just as much commitment as caring for more assertively demanding companions like birds or dogs”

Merck Veterinary Manual

The fun part

Nobody expects a tortoise to have a personality until they live with a Russian. It is, by VCA's description of a healthy tortoise, active and alert, and it puts that to use: walking the perimeter, climbing things it should not, and excavating burrows with obvious purpose, the burrowing LafeberVet says the species excels at. On a warm day a pen in the yard is a small nature program: basking, grazing on the grasses and weeds LafeberVet wants it to eat, a wallow in the shallow pool VCA says most tortoises enjoy in warmer months. It is silent, odor-free when the pen is kept clean, and content to be watched rather than handled, which suits a household that is out all day; the patrolling happens whether or not you are home. Feeding is inexpensive and mostly comes from the produce drawer or the lawn. And a tortoise that thrives can be part of a family for generations, which is a rare thing in a pet.

“Most tortoises enjoy a shallow pool to soak in during the warmer months”

VCA Animal Hospitals

Living with kids and other pets

A Russian tortoise is a good animal for a child to watch and feed and a poor one for a child to carry. LafeberVet's handling rule is to hold the shell midway between the front and rear legs, and it calls chelonians an important source of Salmonella infection in humans, recommending gloves for handling. ARAV, citing the CDC, says children under five should avoid contact with reptiles and households with infants under one should not own them; Merck adds children under 10, pregnant women, elderly people and anyone with a weakened immune system as more susceptible, and says to supervise children around the reptile. Everyone washes hands thoroughly after feeding, cleaning or handling, per VCA; no tortoise in the kitchen or dining room, and no soaking it in a sink or bathtub people use. Keep dogs and cats out of the pen entirely; a tortoise cannot outrun anything, and the pen that keeps it in has to keep them out. Other tortoises: LafeberVet says keep them separate.

“Chelonians are considered an important source of Salmonella spp. infection in humans.”

LafeberVet

What to ask the rescue

Ask first whether it is captive-bred or an import, and whether a fecal exam has been done; VCA notes older imported animals may harbor intestinal parasites. Any nasal discharge, swollen eyes or open-mouth breathing, the signs of respiratory disease and herpesvirus? Is the shell hard and smooth, or pyramided and soft? Does it feel heavy for its size and pull in firmly when lifted, VCA's markers of a healthy tortoise? Was it ever housed with other tortoises, and how long ago? Herpesvirus and ranavirus are the reason to ask. Has it brumated, and when did it last wake and eat? What temperatures, humidity and UVB was it kept at? Then plan the vet visit VCA recommends within two weeks, with an ARAV member, and ask yourself who inherits a tortoise that may still be walking its pen fifty years from now. That is not a joke with this species; it is the main question.

Sources

• LafeberVet
• LafeberVet
• VCA Animal Hospitals
• University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine
• VCA Animal Hospitals
• VCA Animal Hospitals
• Merck Veterinary Manual
• ARAV
• Merck Veterinary Manual