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In case your friend wants more info: The gold standards for tortoise information are: For Food: https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk NO spinach or fruit. We get pre-washed Baby Lettuce or Red & Green lettuce salad bags and add Mazuri Tortoise Diet LS (low starch), romaine, endive, or radicchio for variety. https://www.chewy.com/mazuri-tortoise-ls-low-starch-food/dp/124766 Feed them a shell sized pile once a day on a piece of slate. The slate is just rough enough to keep their beak trimmed. https://www.amazon.com/JIH-Reptile-Basking-Platform-Tortoise/dp/B0947QVTQD/ref=mp_s_a_1_3 For Care: the Tortoise Forum (I linked the specific page you should start with) https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/ “Tom” is the expert on the TortoiseForum. They need two light bulbs: 1) basking, and 2) UVB. They are like Goldilocks and always looking for the right combination of light and warmth. So they should have an area under their basking bulb that is 90-95 degrees F and areas farther away from the basking bulb that are 70-80 degrees F. They should not be colder than 70 degrees. These bulbs need to be at different heights above the habitat so don’t get that cool light fixture that holds 2 bulbs at once. You want this UVB bulb. It will last for a year, most stop emitting UVB in 6 months. Without proper UVB Light (which is invisible to humans) your tortoise will not be able to digest food, will have no energy to move, and may get bone deformities. https://www.reptilebasics.com/t5-light-fixtures-kits/arcadia-prot5-uvb-kit-24-with-bulb/ Choose the 12% version. Buy soon as soon as you see them as these bulbs go out of stock often. You can also get this bulb from but it doesn’t include the fixture the bulb goes into. You would have to head to a hardware store for that. https://www.chewy.com/zoo-med-reptisun-100-uvb-t5-ho/dp/257675 Don’t worry about brumation (hibernation in tortoises). That’s how they try to survive very cold temperatures. Try is the important word here. Not all survive. Keep them at 70+ and they will be fine. Some tortoises like to be held and some don’t. You’ll just have to learn their personalities. Russians need 32 square feet of space, that is 4 feet by 8 feet. Don’t believe anyone who tells you that they can live in a glass aquarium tank. Find an experienced tortoise veterinarian preferably before you get your tortoise. You’ll initially want to get them tested for parasites and while generally healthy when your tortoise does have a crisis you will want to get them seen by someone who mostly treats dogs and birds.
get an infrared gun thermometer like this one from Thermoworks. Then test the temperature at the top of the shell. They need areas under the bulb at 90-95 deg F and areas away from the bulb that are around 70 -80 deg F. https://www.thermoworks.com/products/ir-gun-s 2) my quick guide for new owners: The gold standards for tortoise information are: For Food: https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk NO spinach or fruit. We get pre-washed Baby Lettuce or Red & Green lettuce salad bags and add Mazuri Tortoise Diet LS (low starch), romaine, endive, or radicchio for variety.https://www.chewy.com/mazuri-tortoise-ls-low-starch-food/dp/124766 Feed them a shell sized pile once a day on a piece of slate. The slate is just rough enough to keep their beak trimmed. https://www.amazon.com/JIH-Reptile-Basking-Platform-Tortoise/dp/B0947QVTQD/ref=mp_s_a_1_3 For Care: the Tortoise Forum (I linked the specific page you should start with) https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/ “Tom” is the expert on the TortoiseForum. They need two light bulbs: 1) basking, and 2) UVB. They are like Goldilocks and always looking for the right combination of light and warmth. So they should have an area under their basking bulb that is 90-95 degrees F and areas farther away from the basking bulb that are 70-80 degrees F. They should not be colder than 70 degrees. These bulbs need to be at different heights above the habitat so don’t get that cool light fixture that holds 2 bulbs at once. You want this UVB bulb. It will last for a year, most stop emitting UVB in 6 months. Without proper UVB Light (which is invisible to humans) your tortoise will not be able to digest food, will have no energy to move, and may get bone deformities. https://www.reptilebasics.com/t5-light-fixtures-kits/arcadia-prot5-uvb-kit-24-with-bulb/ Choose the 12% version. Buy soon as soon as you see them as these bulbs go out of stock often. You can also get this bulb from but it doesn’t include the fixture the bulb goes into. You would have to head to a hardware store for that. https://www.chewy.com/zoo-med-reptisun-100-uvb-t5-ho/dp/257675 Don’t worry about brumation (hibernation in tortoises). That’s how they try to survive very cold temperatures. Try is the important word here. Not all survive. Keep them at 70+ and they will be fine. Some tortoises like to be held and some don’t. You’ll just have to learn their personalities. Try to get a captive bred tortoise or one that needs to be rehomed. Most pet store tortoises were happily wandering their natural habitat when someone snatched them up, stuffed them in a box with dozens of other random critters, and shipped them overseas. The ones that survive the stress and dehydration usually have infections and parasites. Tortoise owners are trying to reduce the market for wild caught tortoises by getting captive bred or rescued tortoises. Russians need 32 square feet of space, that is 4 feet by 8 feet. Don’t believe anyone who tells you that they can live in a glass aquarium tank. Find an experienced tortoise veterinarian preferably before you get your tortoise. You’ll initially want to get them tested for parasites and while generally healthy when your tortoise does have a crisis you will want to get them seen by someone who mostly treats dogs and birds.