Small Tortoise needs knowledgeable home

Conifer near Newcastle, Corvallis OR

Description

***If you are flagging me, have you even read my ad? This tortoise is well loved and I'm trying to find her a good home with someone who will love her too!*** Female Russian tortoise. She will come with all of her supplies and habitat. There will be a rehoming fee to ensure a good home, this tortoise is not free. (I removed the amount because someone keeps flagging me and I can only guess that may be the reason why, but the fee will be reasonable and we can definitely discuss it.) For warm weather, I have a really large outdoor enclosure that is approximately 17 ft long by 13 ft wide. She also has a cave-like structure that she hides in when it gets too sunny, often burrowing down into the dirt. Russian tortoises are notorious escapers. In the wild they have a range of 2 to 3 miles, so if their enclosure in captivity is too small, they will have an intense drive to get out. Her outdoor habitat materials will come with her if you need them. I have an indoor habitat set up too. The substrate is clean, but when you need to replace it, Costco sells bricks of compressed coconut coir in the spring months that is cost effective. I keep her substrate clean by taking her out of her habitat everyday to soak in warm water. That encourages her mess in the water instead of in her habitat. Russian tortoises need some humidity and slightly damp substrate to burrow down into. I have three light fixtures, a UV bulb, a ceramic heat emitter, and an incandescent bulb. I turn both of the light bulbs off at night. Tortoise keepers recommend that you change out the UV bulb on a regular basis (even if it is still putting out light) because over time they don't put off enough of the needed UV spectrum. Do keep track of when you install a new one so that you can replace it again at the recommended interval. I feed her mostly dark leafy greens and dandelion leaves and flowers. Her favorite food is dandelion flowers. But she also loves red things like raspberries, tomatoes, strawberries, etc. but she gets those as a tiny treat only. (The photo was just for fun!) Another small portion of her diet are vegetables like carrots and squash, she can eat fresh pumpkin and pumpkin seeds. She really loves things that have a crunch, like the crunchy part of romaine lettuce and thin carrot sticks. She will follow me around her habitat when she sees me coming because I like to hand feed her carrot sticks, etc. Be careful with your fingers though, her beak is sharp! She'll come with her entire indoor habitat equipment and fixtures and bulbs, soaking pan, flagstone "plate" for feeding, calcium supplement, and a wooden house that she goes inside to hide from her lights. I don't know exactly how old she is but I am the 2nd owner of this tortoise, I've had her for 2.5 years, the previous owner was a friend who got her when she was young. I really love this tortoise I want to make sure she goes to someone who will care for her and hopefully keep her forever. I just can't keep her now that my life and health is such that I can't commit to her everyday care anymore. If you are interested please email me any questions you have, and tell me how you would keep her and care for her, and any experience you may have, or research you've done. Preference will go to someone who will give her safe and secure time in the sun during the warmer weather months (Be aware of the danger from some dogs and other predators.) and who understands her daily indoor care requirements. If your email is too vague or generic like "is this still available?" I will not reply. If you have not yet done so, please do a research online for Russian tortoise care.