• a very popular pet tortoise, one of the most common tortoises for beginner keepers
• for a pet, always buy a captive-bred one
• aka Horsfieldii, Steppe, Iranian, Turkish tortoise
• adapts to most environments with proper care
• can tolerate some heat and cold, but cannot tolerate damp conditions which can be detrimental
• up to 7"-8"
• wide range through Russia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East
• lives on dry and sandy soil
• likes to climb, dig, and burrow
• outgoing and spunky with a fun personality
• hibernates
• For a listing of current subspecies, see the IUCN/SSC Turtles of the World Checklist [offsite].

Russian Tortoises

• by E. J. Pirog
• TFH Publications, 2006
• covers all aspects of Russian Tortoise care
• ISBN-10: 0793828821
• ISBN-13: 978-0793828821

Turtles of Russia and Other Ex-Soviet Republics

• by Sergius L Kuzmin
• Edition Chimaira, 2002
• ISBN-10: 3930612585
• ISBN-13: 978-3930612581

Web sites

• BCG - British Chelonian Group, UK, Care Sheet for Mediterranean Tortoises
• Radiata - Care and Breeding of the Afghan or Steppe tortoise, DE, pdf file, in English
• Russians in the UK - by Lisa McIntyre
• The Russian Tortoise - Joe Heinen
• The Russian Tortoise - Is it a boy or a girl?
• SDTTS - San Diego Turtle & Tortoise Society, caresheet
• Slowcoach - Mediterranean tortoises, UK
• Tortoise Trust - caresheets
• Tortoise Trust - care manual for Mediterranean tortoises, pdf file
• Tortsmad - Russian tortoises, UK
• TPG - Tortoise Protection Group, UK, caresheet
• TTPG - Turtle and Tortoise Preservation Group, US; Testudostan: Our Post-Cold War Global Exploitation of a Noble Tortoise (Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society, 45(1):1-9, 2010), exploitation of wild-caught Russian tortoises in the pet trade
• World Chelonian Trust - Russian Tortoise

Discussion

• Shelled Warriors - Mediterranean tortoise discussion board, UK
• Tortoise Forum - Russian Tortoise discussion board, US & international