Russian Tortoise Habitat

The Russian tortoise is a small, adaptable tortoise. The tortoise is native to Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, northern and eastern Iran, northwestern China and Kazakhstan.

  1. Natural Habitat

    • The Russian tortoise's natural habitat is dry, open landscape. The tortoise prefers sandy locations with scarce wild grass and bushes. Seldom are they found in grassy fields or thick shrubbery. Humidity is an important factor to the tortoise. Although the tortoise lives in arid climates, they can survive when humidity is 70 percent; providing the tortoise continuous low levels of humidity is ideal for its survival.

    Activity

    • In the wild, the Russian tortoise hibernates from October to March and during the hottest times of the summer. The tortoise roams the land and mates from March until mid-June, when it goes into summer hibernation.

    Food

    • The tortoise eats broad-leaf plants and weeds. Dandelions are a favorite snack for the tortoise.

    Water

    • The Russian tortoise can survive with minimal amounts of water. Although depriving the tortoise of water can lead to major complications, they have adapted to reserve all water from food and to eliminate uric acid. Uric acid is eliminated using significantly less water than other animals need for the process, allowing the tortoise to reserve water.

    Captive Housing

    • A Rubbermaid tote layered with sand and brick can work well as a habitat for the tortoise. You can also use a reptarium, which is similar to a fish tank but shallower and has ventilation holes. Open pens, such as a dog run, are the best kind of housing for a captive tortoise. The Russian tortoise is a wonderful digger, so an 8-inch barrier must be put in place below any kind of fencing, and a lid should be secured over the play area because they are great climbers.