Vivarium or tortoise table

mikeyjuffs

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What is the best for a hermanns tortoise a vivarium or a tortoise table thanks
 

Heather H

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well to answer that we need other questions answered.
how old is the hermanns? how big is the vavarium? is the table open or closed? how big is the table? an adult hermanns will need at least a 4 by 8 with 18 inch walls
 

mikeyjuffs

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Mine is 2 and a half she's in a 3ft by ft vivarium at the moment but been reading on some websites that vivariums cause problems
 

Heather H

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Mine is 2 and a half she's in a 3ft by ft vivarium at the moment but been reading on some websites that vivariums cause problems
some tortoises dont like the glass sides. She will need a bigger enclosure. Can you post pictures of the enclosure and of her? I will be starting my Hermanns in a glass enclosure because I have better control of the heat and humidity. when he gets older he will be in a large table. and he will have a 12 x 6 outdoor enclosure.
 

Heather H

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it looks very dry. the water dish is a flip hazard. It should be flush with the substrate so she can walk right in and out. I use a terra cotta plant saucer and sink it into the substrate. They also like to dig a lot and the bark is hard for them to dig in. Most people use coco coir, top soil or orchard bark ( fine ) . What is the white stuff on the left ?
 

mikeyjuffs

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Okay she's never had that problem before and it is orchid bark in the vivarium
 

mikeyjuffs

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Right okay this orchard back is from our reptile shop where we brought her where else can I get fine orchard bark
 

mikeyjuffs

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Yeah she's always been used to the paper so we don't want to keep changing it. It's probably people preferences on what to use.
 

Iochroma

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Be sure to ask if they have orchid bark, not bark for landscaping. I like the fine grade for babies.
 

mikeyjuffs

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Okay the bark I have she seems to be okay with it she has no problem digging down
 

Heather H

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What age would you swap them over
i don't think anything with tortoises is about age. I thinks its all about size. I will change enclosures when he is too big for this one. granted I don't have him yet. he is 22 days old today so when I get him he will be able to stay there for a while .
 

Heather H

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i copied this from the russian care sheet. Might help answer your questions :
Indoor Enclosure type and size:
Most people want to know the minimum size enclosure that they can keep their tortoise in. Instead, I say figure out the maximum! Russians are a very active species and wild ones cover a lot of ground in very large territories. Any normal tub or tank is going to be too small for an adult. GO BIG! I like a minimum of a 4x8' table for an adult. Babies are fine in 40-100 gallon tanks or tubs. Adults do well in open topped tables. I like a damp, natural substrate that they can dig into. Plain soil with no guano, perlite or other additives, orchid bark, cypress mulch and coco coir all work. These substrates can be bought in bulk at most hardware or garden centers at a tremendous savings over pet store prices. Regular dirt from your yard will work too, if its of a suitable composition. I don't like to use sand in any amount for Russians, or any other tortoise species. It can be a skin and eye irritant and an impaction risk. Damp substrate will help to maintain moderate humidity and allow them to dig in and create their own little microclimate. I also like to offer a humid hide box for them to sleep in and retreat to. This will really help to maintain hydration and good shell growth in an open topped table. For babies I like to use large tubs or tanks and partially cover the top to maintain 50-70% humidity. I also offer a humid hide and my substrate of choice for babies is about 3-4" of damp coco coir. I hand pack it down to reduce the messiness. I don't worry about what the humidity level is for adults, AS LONG AS they have a damp substrate that they can dig into and a humid hide to retreat to. All russians should have water available and I like to use appropriately sized terra cotta plant saucers sunk into the substrate for this purpose. They are shallow, low sided and offer good traction to wet tortoise feet. This type of bowl greatly reduces the chances of your tortoise "high-centering" or tipping over when entering or exiting the water dish. I use 4" saucers for babies and 12-14" ones for adults. Here are a couple of my indoor baby enclosures. Keep in mind that my area has very low humidity. These are somewhat plain, but functional:
 

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