I ended up getting her :D

[Clementine_3]

Well, I got her, and she is a she! I snapped these pics really quickly, this is exactly how they had her set up in the musty basement. UGH. It's a 20 long tank, coconut chunk substrate that doesn't even cover the whole bottom, a stick on thermometer, halogen light, 5.0 UVB/UVA, a few stuck on plants and a really small water bowl. They left the halogen on 24/7 for heat!! She was feeding it carrots, cooked broccoli, a tiny bit of romaine and a lot of fruit. She pooped on the way home, it's loose but not total diarrhea. She is, I believe, wild caught...there are some 'dings' in her shell, nothing bad though. She's about 5 to 5 1/2" long, I didn't want to bother her too much. You can see she has some dry, flaky skin on her head but the rest of her looks good and her nose and eyes are very clear. She's very active and pretty strong too. I'll make an appointment at the vet for her and get a fecal done. She needs a good soak and wipe down and a new house pronto!
I changed her substrate to Aspen for now, couldn't find anything else really...soil/topsoil/playsand at this time of year is going to be a trick! I gave her a water bowl that she can fit in and a cuttlebone. Oh, and I covered all the sides of the tank so she feels secure. I'll feed her tomorrow, I got her some mustard greens, kale, collard greens and ummm, oh yeah, turnip greens. Hopefully she will like that! Now I have to get busy on plans for a table for her, she is very squished in her current tank
Her crappy house that they had her in

and her dry but very cute self

[Boneyman]

I'm not expert on tortoises since I'm an a aquatic turtle guy but I have heard that clear tanks are bad for them because they'll injure themselves by walking into them all day. Most people I know keep them in homemade pens and opaque or translucent tubs.

[Dragnbaron]

Well, I got her, and she is a she! I snapped these pics really quickly, this is exactly how they had her set up in the musty basement. UGH. It's a 20 long tank, coconut chunk substrate that doesn't even cover the whole bottom, a stick on thermometer, halogen light, 5.0 UVB/UVA, a few stuck on plants and a really small water bowl. They left the halogen on 24/7 for heat!! She was feeding it carrots, cooked broccoli, a tiny bit of romaine and a lot of fruit. She pooped on the way home, it's loose but not total diarrhea. She is, I believe, wild caught...there are some 'dings' in her shell, nothing bad though. She's about 5 to 5 1/2" long, I didn't want to bother her too much. You can see she has some dry, flaky skin on her head but the rest of her looks good and her nose and eyes are very clear. She's very active and pretty strong too. I'll make an appointment at the vet for her and get a fecal done. She needs a good soak and wipe down and a new house pronto!
I changed her substrate to Aspen for now, couldn't find anything else really...soil/topsoil/playsand at this time of year is going to be a trick! I gave her a water bowl that she can fit in and a cuttlebone. Oh, and I covered all the sides of the tank so she feels secure. I'll feed her tomorrow, I got her some mustard greens, kale, collard greens and ummm, oh yeah, turnip greens. Hopefully she will like that! Now I have to get busy on plans for a table for her, she is very squished in her current tank
Her crappy house that they had her in

and her dry but very cute self

Ok, well there is alot to go over here.
First, congrats of getting her, she looks liek a real beauty!
I must say, though, that the setup isn't the best for a tortoise. That's great for pet stores but in a long term enviroment it's the worst possible situation. You def need something larger. I keep my tortoises in a 55 gal rubbermaid tub in my living room. They need something they cannot see through or else they will get VERY started and scared, which can lead to a lower immune system and digestive problems, just like it can in humans.
Switch to a UVA/UVB mercury vapor bulb that has heat and UVB. The 5.0 is no where near enough uvb in order to ensure proper shell growth and formation. That may be why her shell has a few dents and dings in it.
She needs a better substrate, something to dig and hide in. I buy the eco earth blocks. for my 55 gallon rubbermaid tun i use 3 eco earth blocks and mix it with natural playsand from home depot. Easy to get all year round. Never buy man made stuff because it's abrasive and can cause shell and eye issues. Coconut husk blocks are ok too, as long as they are mixed with the play sand. I use a 50/50 mixture or until it looks pretty darn good. NEVER use anything with pesticides in it or top soil with fertilizer. All those can kill a tortoise or severely hurt their immune system because of all the chemicals.
It sounds like her old diet might have been killing her. Fruit is only good in small quantities because it is high in sugar and low in starch and fiber. Romaine lettus is low on nutrition and is mostly filler but can kill a tortoise if fed exclusively romaine. Carrotts are only good in small quantities, too. The new diet sounds like it'd be a charm. I go to the grocery store and buy the bags of ready made salad that are all organic. Works well and they love it. I dust the food with calcium to ensure good natural shell growth.
Flakes are her head are nothing to worry about. They shed just like any other reptile and it just takes longer. I have that on my female and she has had it for a year. Nothing to worry about unless it is poking her eye. Their heads are very sensitive so removing it may hurt the tortoise.
A couple hints for finding good substrate. Home Depot or lowes, even feed stores, sell playsand in abundance. 50lbs for 10 bucks where i am. They have it all year round. I use the brickls of freeze dried eco earth because i can get alot of bedding out of one small brick, totally worth it and it smells good mixed with a little timothy hay.
Def use a mercury vapor bulb for uvb, the one that is currently being used will hurt her shell growth tremendously. a nice 100W mercury vapor will be perfect in a 55g rubbermaid.
Soak her once a day for a few weeks in mildly warm water. She will drink and deficate in the water, if so just change and soak again for a total of 10 minutes. These guys hardly ever come across standing water in the wild and must be given water when in captivity. In the wild they drink when it rains so a daily misting in necessary too. If she is comfortable she may leave some eurates if you mist her.
Her shell looks good, although i did notice a growth ring, probably due to a bad previous diet. Just do what you plan on doing and she should be good! Just make sure to use something she cannot see through!
Good luck and keep us updated!

[wilomn]

Does this mean that all the years I kept tortoises on newspaper and used fluorescent bulbs I was doing it wrong? I never misted them either, not the hundreds I kept or the few I have now. Dang. Who'd a thought a tortoise who saw rain a few days a year in the wild would need daily misting ALONG with soaks? I sure never did.

Does this mean that my happy, or so I thought, compadres who grew and thrived but had the nerve to show growth rings were not really happy and growing properly? Dang.

Had I only known that there was only one proper way to keep tortoises.

Dents and dings aside, since we can't really see them, your little friend looks pretty good and it sure sounds like it's in a good home now, not that it was in a bad one before; more an unedumacated one.

Post a pic of the ventral side if you can and maybe a better one of the dorsal as well.

Tortoises have a lot of personality. Congrats on getting yours.

[wilomn]

Ya know, while most of what Dragonbaron posted was ok, it just bugs me when someone thinks their way is the only way to keep a certain creature happy and healthy.

I've kept many species of tortoises, both desert and tropical. I've only intentionally bred sulcattas but I have raised up babies that I hatched and bred them so I am pretty sure that what I do works. Combine that with the fact that I've probably sold more tortoises, have established them coming in from the wild as well as getting good babies from breeders, than most of you will ever see, and again, I'm pretty sure that what I do works.

I didn't mean my prior post as a dig, too much, at Dragonbaron, but as I said, there is often more than one good way to keep the creature you want to take care of.

[Clementine_3]

She is actually a he, I didn't mess with him too much when I first got him and there was a lot of stuck crud on his plastron so it seemed flatter than it is .
Anyway, I built him a tort table that is 4' x 3', got a strip florescent 10.0 bulb and am using a 100 watt regular bulb for heat...works well. He's also on aspen, I did mix play sand in at first but he was actively eating it so out it went, silly tortoise! He is eating a lot of good things now, no more yucky stuff, he loves his dandelion and clover (can't wait for summer so I can get it for free). He's really friendly and curious, comes running over and climbs into my hand and loves to go on short walk-abouts on the floor (again, can't wait for summer so he can actually go out!).
Here are a few pics, I think he looks pretty good. Oh, I named him Turtle since everyone always says 'oh, you have a turtle' when I tell them I have a tortoise.

[Dragnbaron]

Ya know, while most of what Dragonbaron posted was ok, it just bugs me when someone thinks their way is the only way to keep a certain creature happy and healthy.

I didn't mean my prior post as a dig, too much, at Dragonbaron, but as I said, there is often more than one good way to keep the creature you want to take care of.

Thanks Wilomn, i never mean to say that how i keep things is the only way to keep them, just what i have had in personal experience.
I honestly keep all my torts outside during the summer and only keep them inside during the winter to prevent brumation. I only suggest what i have seen to produce the best health in my guys for my room restrictions and climate but it is by no means the only or most effective way, just what i found to work for me.
Clementine, good job with the tort table! That seems perfect! He looks like a real great lil tortoise and will do very very well. If your looking for species specific resources www.russiantortoisepictures.com/forum/index.php has some great links, resorces, and how-to's on tortoise tables, heating, lighting, feeding, health issues, etc. There are also some great photos of people's pens and enclosures which is perfect for DIYs. I still say the people on ball-pythons.net are better, though.
Good luck, and let us know how he does!

[wilomn]

I've never seen a russian with such a domed shell.

They are called Tick Tortoises by many because they are so round and flat.

Not saying it isn't, but whatever it is, it's a cutie. Your set up sounds good as long as he's not eating the aspen. It won't break down as well as his greens.

Nice job though.

[mainbutter]

Tortoises have a lot of personality. Congrats on getting yours.

Nothing more true than this!

We took care of a tortoise that was left to us by family friends who moved to New Zealand. We eventually found it a home with our vet who takes care of numerous tortoises with his amazing combo indoor/outdoor facility.. but while we had him, Speedy as he was known, had more personality than any dog, cat, or person I've ever met

He loved to follow people around, enjoyed gentle scratches on the top of his head, and being hand fed arugula.

[wilomn]

I think your tortoise is either a Hermans or a Greek/hermans cross.

Check out these pics.

http://www.pettortoise.co.uk/tortoise_gallery.php