You can work with that area and it will become a excellent pen. Russians are very adaptable outdoors, so are sulcatas. However you have the two most prolific tunnelers of the tortoises species that I know of. I've seen Russians on more than one occasion burrow down, under, then out of tortoise...
I have been raising these Sri Lankan Stars for 6 months, they hatched in January 2011. While with me these have had the best of care, including cycled time indoors and outdoors here in Phoenix. Their outdoor pen is well planted providing healthy forage as well as shrubbery creating hide spots...
I have been raising these Sri Lankan for 6 months, they hatched in January 2011. While with me these have had the best of care, including cycled time indoors and outdoors here in Phoenix. Their outdoor pen is well planted providing healthy forage as well as shrubbery creating hide spots and...
I have been raising these Sri Lankan for 6 months, they hatched in January 2011. While with me these have had the best of care, including cycled time indoors and outdoors here in Phoenix. Their outdoor pen is well planted providing healthy forage as well as shrubbery creating hide spots and...
Russians are super tough and will burrow into the ground when temps get too hot. As most have mentioned above, shade availability is important. I have a colony of Russians that have been living outdoors in pens not much bigger than yours year-round here in blistering Phoenix, AZ. When temps get...
I agree, definitely too short of walls to leave your tortoise inside the pen unattended. Russians are known as the one of the best climbers of the 'tortoise kingdom.' Personally I've seen them crawl up and over vertical brick walls four or five times higher than your pen walls. I have friends...
I'd say dehydration would be the issue of most concern for a small Russian tortoise in our AZ climate. Providing cover via lot of shrubbery and water via sprinkler once a day would help keep the young tortoise cool and shaded. You should also build a shaded area that will stay out of the direct...
I donno Tom, I'd be leery feeding mazuri to your roach colonies...risky...probably way to high in protien, they don't eat manufactured pellets soaked in water normally in the wild...:P ...(JK) lol...couldn't help myself.
Consider this...many people use health shakes to supplement their diet...