Anyone have a pet tortoise?

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!