The Russian four-toed turtle is one of the best-known species. The Latin name for the Russian Tortoiseshell Tortoise is Testudo Horsfieldii, but let's not make it too complicated.
What you expect from a four-toed turtle is that the turtle has four toes. That's right. Other turtles have five. And from a Russian tortoise you expect the tortoise to come from Russia. That is also true, but in even more places in the world. Actually a much larger area in Southeast and Central Asia. Such as Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, but also Iran and Pakistan.
These are areas with warm to hot summers and often harsh winters. Steppe-like areas, with sand and rocks, but close to water. Semi-desert and for this reason four-toed tortoises hibernate in the wild and if it gets very hot even a summer sleep. In the wild, hibernation can last up to nine months. In a terrarium this takes eight to sixteen weeks.
Can tortoises be kept outdoors?
This is possible during the summer months. From May to September and the temperature does not drop below about 10 to 15 degrees, a four-toed tortoise can manage well outside.
They can survive temperatures below freezing, but that is only when they go into hibernation. Then they make a kind of antifreeze themselves, but not in the summer months.
There are a few more things to keep in mind:
- Four-toed tortoises are good at digging and climbing, so make sure they can't escape
- Provide a place for the turtles to hide.
- Make sure that no dogs, cats or other predators can reach it
Russian four-toed turtles are friendly animals and are therefore good to keep in a terrarium. Usually four-toed turtles live alone, but if they are put together young they can also live together. The males can become aggressive towards each other when they are adults in the mating season. Putting strange males together is not a good idea. If you still want to keep several turtles, take two females. Did you know that the males are smaller than the females?
What should I take into account in a terrarium for a Russian tortoise?
- A Russian tortoise grows to about 14 to 24 centimeters. So the dimensions of a terrarium should be at least 100x60x60 cm. Bigger is always better.
- The average temperature should be 28 degrees. With special lamps you create a sunny spot for the turtle. There it may be around 32.
- The four-toed turtle needs about 12 to 14 hours of light and heat per day. During the winter months that may be 2 hours less.
- Pay attention to the correct height of the lamps so that the turtle cannot burn itself.
- A UVB lamp is essential. The animals need these to produce vitamin D3. Very important to prevent metabolic disease (mbd).
- The humidity should be 70 – 80%. So a humidifier is necessary.
- Always have a filled clean water bowl available. Big enough for the turtle to lie in.
- Also provide a hiding place. These are ready-made for sale, but you can also make them from stone or wood. Secure everything firmly.
- Provide good bedding of at least 15 inches (30 cm) depending on the size of the turtle. Large animals need as much as XNUMX inches (XNUMX cm) or more. The four-toed turtle likes to burrow. The substrate should be moist at the bottom and more dry at the top.
What does a Russian four-toed turtle eat?
Russian tortoises are true herbivores. They are not very picky, because in the wild they only have a short time to feed themselves before hibernation. Four-toed tortoises like to eat endive as a basic food, but it is important to supplement this with different types of vegetable food for variety:
- Vegetables (with the exception of spinach or cabbage varieties)
- Fruit (Not too much. And certainly no citrus fruit)
- Plants (including nettle, thistle, clover)
- Flowers (Hibiscus, dandelion, roses, violets)
- Leaves
- Grasses
In captivity, turtles always need supplements of minerals, vitamins and calcium. That should be added to the food at least once a week. In young animals every day. To get enough calcium, it is wise to ensure that sepia scale is always present in the terrarium.
Of course there is also sufficient special food available for turtles on our reptile world in the form of pellets and dried fruit, flowers and plants. There is therefore sufficient choice to provide variety in the food. So there is still a lot to look at when keeping a Russian four-toed turtle. So let yourself be well informed by a specialist before purchasing.
There are of course some costs involved, but if you enjoy keeping and maintaining these animals, you can enjoy your turtle for a long time.
