New Owner Checklist

A Russian tortoise is small, tough and curious, and it can live 50 years or more [1]. Use this checklist to set up right and stay on track.

Home

• Open-topped pen with solid sides, not a glass tank.
• Adult: 7 × 3.5 ft (2.1 × 1.1 m) floor. Young tortoise: 4 × 2 ft (1.2 × 0.6 m) to start [1].
• 6 in (15 cm) of soil and sand to dig in (4 in / 10 cm for juveniles).
• Humid hide with damp soil on the cool end.
• Summer: covered outdoor pen with walls sunk into the ground.

Heat and light

• Basking lamp on a timer and a thermostat, making a 95°F (35°C) spot; cool end 75–85°F (24–29°C) [1].
• Any night heater (ceramic emitter or heat panel) on a thermostat.
• Lights off at night; 65–75°F (18–24°C) room temperature is fine [1][2].
• T5 UVB tube over the warm end, about 14 hours a day in summer and 10 in winter [1].
• UVB tube replaced every 6–10 months, even if it still lights up [9].
• Infrared temperature gun and digital thermometer.
• Remember: sunlight through a window does not count.

Food and water

• Weeds and greens daily: dandelion, plantain, clover, hibiscus, endive, escarole, turnip and mustard greens, spring mix [1][10].
• Go light on spinach, kale, cabbage and collards [1][10].
• No fruit; it can upset the gut and trigger a parasite bloom [8]. No meat, dog food or cat food. No bread.
• Cuttlebone always in the pen.
• Light calcium dusting on food.
• Shallow water dish your tortoise can walk into, changed daily.

Soaking

• Young tortoise: lukewarm, shallow soak 10–15 minutes, about twice a week [1].
• Adult: lukewarm water no deeper than where the top and bottom shells meet, about 20 minutes, once or twice a week, more in hot weather or a dry indoor winter [8].
• Always supervise soaks, and keep the water below the chin.
• Pasty or gritty white urates mean your tortoise is dehydrated; soak more [8].

Daily and weekly habits

• Spot-clean droppings daily.
• Weigh monthly on a gram scale and write it down.
• Check shell growth seams monthly.
• Handle low, scooping from below with two hands, and keep it short [1].
• One tortoise per pen. Two males fight; a male pesters a female [1][2].

Winter plan

• Decide before fall: keep it awake (warm and lit all winter) or hibernate with a vet's guidance [5].
• No hibernation in the first year with you, or for a tortoise that is sick, underweight or very small [5].
• Never hibernate in a garage or shed. Below-freezing temperatures can blind or kill a hibernating tortoise [5].

Call a reptile vet if you see

• Runny nose or bubbles.
• Swollen eyes.
• A soft spot on the shell.
• Straining, or chalky, gritty white urine.
• Pink tissue at the tail.
• No eating for a week while warm.

Find a reptile vet before you need one: arav.org has a directory.

Hand washing

• Wash your hands with soap and water after touching your tortoise, its enclosure or anything in it [13][29].
• No kissing, no kitchen counters, no kitchen sink.
• The CDC says children under 5 should not touch reptiles, and reptiles are not recommended for homes with children under 5, adults 65 and older, or people with weakened immune systems [29].