How long?

Hey guys, I'm planning on moving some of my Russians into larger runs. How long should the current runs stay empty before you would consider it safe to move in other tortoises? The one with the longest use is 8'x8' and has held Mama Mags for about 14 months. The one with the shortest use holds Voldetort, is of similar size, in use for two months. Thanks in advance for thoughts and advice!

12 months should do it.

You could spray with a dilute bleach solution, wait a month and then spray with a dilute ammonia solution, and that should kill anything on the surface.

Thanks,Tom. I appreciate the input. No problem waiting a year, but hesitant to spray bleach and ammonia, dilute not withstanding.

I would suggest 12 months as well. And the bleach and ammonia sounds like a good plan. Russian tortoises are notorious for being carriers of the herpe virus without being affected by it so the cleaner you can do it the better. But 12-month sounds good

Ok, how much do I dilute the bleach and ammonia? Will it have any negative effect on the plants, skinks, anolies, and house geckos that infest the yards?

And I mean infest in a good way!

I wouldn't do bleach and ammonia if you have plants and lizards that you don't want harmed.