Bold one hour, buried the next
A young Russian tortoise usually shows more confidence in its first week than a gecko does, marching around the enclosure, testing the walls, and investigating its hide within the first day. Then, often on day two or three, it digs down into the substrate in a corner and stays there, and new owners assume something has gone wrong. In most cases nothing has: this is a burrowing species from dry, open country, and digging in to rest and feel secure is part of how it settles.
Judge the week by the active hours rather than the hidden ones. A settling youngster warms up under the lamp in the morning, eats a reasonable pile of greens, walks with its shell carried clear of the ground, and leaves firm droppings, even if it also takes long dug-in naps between those activities.
Build the day around heat and light
Russian tortoises run on a clear daily cycle, and week one goes best when you provide it from the start. The basking spot should be genuinely hot, around the mid nineties Fahrenheit, with the far end of the enclosure much cooler, and a long day of bright light including ultraviolet so the tortoise can make use of the calcium in its food. A youngster that never warms up properly will not develop an appetite, however good the greens are.
Give a shallow, lukewarm soak most mornings in water that reaches only partway up the shell. Many young tortoises drink and pass waste in the soak, and this simple habit quietly protects hydration while the animal is still deciding whether its water dish is trustworthy. Keep the substrate deep enough to dig in, and slightly varied in moisture rather than bone dry throughout.
Greens first, grazing always
Feed a broad mix of leafy greens and safe weeds as the core of the diet from day one, offered after the morning warm-up in the same feeding spot, and dust lightly with calcium as part of the standing routine. Expect enthusiastic eating on warm, bright days and pickiness after a dug-in day; appetite in a young tortoise tracks temperature and light more than mood.
Resist offering fruit or soft treats to tempt a slow starter. A healthy youngster will come to the greens once its basking routine is right, and early treat habits are hard to undo in a species that can live for decades.
Changes that deserve a vet visit
Contact a reptile veterinarian if your tortoise stops eating entirely for close to a week despite correct basking heat, if its eyes stay swollen or shut, if you hear clicking or see bubbles at the nose, or if it walks dragging its shell rather than lifting it. A new tortoise also benefits from a general first check and a droppings test once it has settled, since parasites are common in youngsters and are far easier to deal with early.
Morning soaks, greens after warm-up, and a daily lamp check are small jobs that suit sharing, and KinsLe Care Teams lets you hand them to different family members for your tortoise, with each completed task timestamped so the routine holds even on busy days.