It is not often that you can have a pet that has a lifespan that rivals their human owner. Russian Tortoises have a lifespan of 50-70 years with the potential to live to 100 years. These long lived tortoises are found in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, China and Kazakhstan. The habitat is harsh with the hardy Russian Tortoise found in dry open landscapes in clay and sand deserts with sparse grasses. Often they will be found in rock crevices and will take over rodent burrows. In the wild, they are only active three months a year. During these three months, they are most likely to be found early morning or evening.
Even though, the Russian Tortoise comes from a harsh environment, they are adaptable to many conditions. Water is hard to find in the wild, and they can go a long time without drinking. However, in captivity they must have access to water. In fact, they should soak in lukewarm weather at least weekly. In the wild when they can find them, the Russian Tortoise prefers to chow down on broad leaf plants and especially love dandelions.
Russian Tortoises are not a high maintenance pet at all. If you plan to keep them inside, it is better to keep them in a large storage container than an aquarium. Many turtles including the Russian Tortoise will bump their heads against the glass in an aquarium. They do need lights on for about 12-14 hours daily. The temperature should be in the low 70’s with the basking area 90-95. The best substrate is to use a mixture of play sand and bed a beast. Timothy hay is good for hiding and makes a nice snack.
Russian Tortoises have a tendency to overeat. The best way to solve this problem is to feed them what they can eat in 20 minutes. They are programmed to eat as much as possible since they are only active for 3 months in the wild. Feeding them a variety diet of mustard greens, kale, and collards dusted with calcium will help keep them healthy. Allowing them to hibernate a couple of months a year appears to be a big benefit to the overall health of the tortoise.
The Russian Tortoise is easy to breed. The way to tell the sexes apart is that males have a longer tail and a hook on the end. It is easier to breed 1 male with 3 females. The females will lay 1-5 eggs and normally 2-3 eggs. The eggs hatch in 8-12 weeks.
Like most reptiles, the sex of the babies is determined by the temperature during incubation. The lower temperatures will produce more males.
The hardy Russian Tortoise is a long lived pet that is easy to take care of. In fact, they were the first tortoise in space and one of the first animals to experience space travel.
