I am thinking about getting a Russian Tortoise. We have been researching them for a few months. Does anyone else have a pet tortoise? Any tips? Know of a good place to buy one (we live in NW Missouri but I've read you can have them shipped to you.) Thanks for your tips/ideas.
While I don't have a tort at the moment, I've worked with many species over the years. Russian torts are awesome, they stay small are are usually personable. However, there are some things to watch out for! Almost all adult Russian torts are imported, which means they are caught in the wild and shipped to our country to wholesalers. A wild caught tort will almost ALWAYS be haboring parasites, and will require a vet visit and fecal to procure the correct medication to solve this problem Wild caught animals can also carry a number of illnesses, which will become worse through the stress of shipment. I would recommend buying a captive bred young tort, or at the least, buying one from a reputable seller and making a vet visit soon after receiving. To research a potential seller, we reptile people have the Board of Inquiry at FaunaClassifieds.com. Register there and use the "Search" function for the person you are considering purchasing from. You can also search their classifieds for torts, as well as Kingsnake.com's classifieds. Here are a few excellent and comprehensive care sheets for the Russian Tortoise: http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/russiantortoises.htm http://www.russiantortoise.org/care_sheet.htm http://www.russiantortoise.org/ http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs-russian.htm Best of luck to you!