The Russian tortoise is an active and friendly creature that will make a great first pet for your child. Between watching him prop himself up for a nose dive into his food to watching the little helmet shaped animal dig, your child will be entertained by this non-aggressive, docile pet.
Tortoises are sturdy and grow to an average of 6-8 inches long. Their strong shell offers protection from the small squeezing gestures of a child. Just be sure you child is always sitting when holding the tortoise. You must never allow your tortoise to suffer a fall. It may crack his shell and cause serious medical problems, including infection.
Since tortoises can live up to 50 years with proper care, be sure your new pet is well received and cared for by all family members.
Your child’s pet tortoise will need to be fed a diet rich in fiber and calcium, and low in proteins. Dark leafy vegetables including spinach, romaine lettuce and kale are some of the tortoises’s favorite foods. Fresh chopped fruits and vegetables should also be included in your tortoises’s daily diet. Strawberries, mulberries, raspberries, green beans, broccoli and corn were among the favorites of the tortoises my family had as pets when I was a child.
I loved watching the tortoises eat strawberries. They would hoist their heavy unbalanced bodies up on their front two legs, and dive at the berry, attacking it with their soft beaks. As they ate, they looked like miniature santa claus’ with red beards of juicy fruit.
Children can easily get involved in the tortoises daily feedings by helping with fruit and vegetable selection and preparation. Pet feeding time is also a good learning tool for finicky children who refuse to eat their fruits and vegetables. Parent’s can easily introduce new fruits and vegetables to their children by pointing out that since their pet likes them, they must be good, and they should try eating them too!
Extra calcium can be incorporated into a tortoises’s diet by adding calcium supplement powder to his daily food. On occasion, an earthworm for protein will be a welcomed treat by your tortoise. And, always remember to have fresh water always available. In my family, we found that they liked a water bowl big enough to get their whole bodies into so they can also soak. Just be sure to change the water bowl daily.
Tortoises need a large tank-like enclosure. A minimum of 3′ by 12″ will comfortably house your tortoise. Be sure the enclosure has high walls, and enough depth to provide “digging room” for your tortoise.
Line the enclosure with a bedding that is safe if accidentally eaten. Aspen pellets, rabbit food pellets or other natural biodegradable substrate can be used. Line the cage with at least 12″ of the substrate to allow digging room for your pet tortoise.
Be sure to keep the cage dry and offer a hiding box or cave area for your tortoise to hide. You can also decorate the cage with plastic foliage and driftwood.
Be sure your cage has full spectrum florescent lighting with UVB rays and maintains a temperature of 85F on the warm end and as low as 75F on the cool end. An under-tank heat pad or incandescent spot light can help raise the temperature in your tortoise cage.
