Russian Tortoise — care sheet

Beginner–Intermediate. Hardy and dog-tame, and often called a good first tortoise — but the space it needs, the ~50-year commitment, the specific weed-and-green diet, and the winter-hibernation question make it more than a casual pet.

A grazing HERBIVORE that needs a high-fibre, LOW-protein, LOW-sugar diet: mostly leafy greens, grasses, and edible “weeds” (dandelion, plantain, clover) plus flowers as treats. NOT the vegetables and fruit from the produce aisle — those are too high in protein and sugar. Fruit and the odd insect are rare treats at most.

Floor space matters far more than height. Indoor minimum for one is 7×3.5×2 ft (about 24.5 sq ft of floor) — a small terrarium or “tortoise table” alone is not enough. An outdoor, predator-proof grazing pen is ideal whenever the weather allows. Add ~10 sq ft per extra tortoise; they’re fine kept singly.

Basking area 95°F (35°C) from an overhead halogen flood on a thermostat (avoid dimmers — they cut the beneficial infrared).

Cool zone 75–85°F (24–29°C), giving a full gradient.

Night 70–75°F (21–23°C); a natural drop is fine.

Strong UVB is essential for a diurnal grazer: a T5 HO bulb giving UVI 3.0–4.0 in the basking area (Ferguson Zone 3–4), plus a bright ~6500K LED for daylight. Run 14 hours in summer, 10 in winter to mirror the seasons. Replace the UVB bulb every 12 months.

Ambient 40–75% — lower by day, higher at night — with a humid hide/burrow. Too-dry keeping is a main cause of a bumpy, “pyramided” shell, so don’t keep them bone-dry.

A deep, burrowable substrate they can dig into (a topsoil/coco/sand mix) that holds a little moisture. They are avid diggers and burrowers.

Provide a cuttlebone in the enclosure (calcium + it keeps the beak trimmed), and lightly dust food with calcium; a light multivitamin on a rotation.

5–10 in (13–25 cm); males are smaller than females

~50 years or more — a multi-decade, sometimes multi-generational commitment

See a reptile or exotics vet if you notice: A soft, lumpy, or badly “pyramided” shell, or a rubbery beak (signs pointing to metabolic bone disease / husbandry problems).; A runny or bubbling nose, or open-mouth breathing (possible respiratory infection — common in tortoises).; Not eating with straining, or a female restless and straining (possible impaction or egg-binding).; An overgrown beak or nails, or swollen/puffy eyes.; Lethargy or weight loss going into or coming out of hibernation — see a vet, don’t “sleep it off”..