Is my enclosure to small?

RetroFangirl

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He always runs into the side of the glass and runs up and down the length of the cage. Does that mean his cage is too small? he is a Russian tortoise and I think he is roughly 6 or 7 years old. I am also worried that he is too small for how old he is. Here are some pictures of my tortoise enclosure. and my tortoise, The bottom is 3ft by 2ft squared. sorry i do not have a very good camera.

IMG_20171104_182653.jpg IMG_20171104_182711.jpg IMG_20171104_182809.jpg
 

TechnoCheese

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Yes. Adult Russian tortoises need at least an 8x4 foot area. He is in desperate need of an upgrade.
 

Tom

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He always runs into the side of the glass and runs up and down the length of the cage. Does that mean his cage is too small? he is a Russian tortoise and I think he is roughly 6 or 7 years old. I am also worried that he is too small for how old he is. Here are some pictures of my tortoise enclosure. and my tortoise, The bottom is 3ft by 2ft squared. sorry i do not have a very good camera.

That size enclosure is what the pet stores typically sell, and it is way too small for an adult russian tortoise.

We are very glad you are here and asking questions! Learning more will help you give your tortoise a better life, and that is what all of us here want. Keep asking all your questions, and feel free to ask us to explain things in more detail if something doesn't make sense or isn't clear.
 

WithLisa

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Or get two Christmas tree storage bins and join them tothether with a tunnel.
The storage bins I've seen so far were not big enough, you would have to put at least 5 of them together. Makeable, but not the best solution.
 

TechnoCheese

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Yvonne G

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The storage bins I've seen so far were not big enough, you would have to put at least 5 of them together. Makeable, but not the best solution.

Maybe you can't find these in Austria. "Christmas Tree Storage Bin mfg'd by Iris"
 

KelseaB

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That math is off. If you joined two 2x4 foot bins side by side you'd get a 4x4 cage. If you joined them end to end you'd get a 2x8 foot cage. You'd need 4 bins joined end to end and side to side in to get the full 4x8 size you mentioned. Either way two bins would be an upgrade to what is currently available.
 
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WithLisa

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Maybe you can't find these in Austria. "Christmas Tree Storage Bin mfg'd by Iris"
Those that are 52"x20"? Yes, you would need 5 of them to get a minimum space of 4x8 ft. Or are there even bigger ones?
 

TechnoCheese

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Wait... I don't just suck at math do I? Please tell me I'm not going crazy [emoji23]IMG_0908.jpg
 

KelseaB

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@TechnoCheese
You're doubling both the length an width, that is the trouble. If you take 2 bins and lash then side by side you double the width but not the length. Putting them side by side doesn't change the fact they are only 52" long.

If you attach them end to end you double the length but it doesn't change the fact they are only 20" wide.

To get the 4x8 you would need to attach two of them end to end, then attach two more side by side. That would double both the length and the width. If you are visual like me here's the best doodle I can make with my phone.

So we want 4x8 which would look like
|----|
|----|
|----|
|----|
|----|
|----|
|----|
|----|
If you have two bins attached side by side it will give you the right width but wrong length like:
|----|
|----|
|----|
|----|
And if you attach them end to end to would be the right length but too thin
|--|
|--|
|--|
|--|
|--|
|--|
|--|
|--|

Anyway back to the original question two of those bins is better than the current set up so if you can afford it or something else go for it! :)
 

TechnoCheese

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@TechnoCheese
You're doubling both the length an width, that is the trouble. If you take 2 bins and lash then side by side you double the width but not the length. Putting them side by side doesn't change the fact they are only 52" long.

If you attach them end to end you double the length but it doesn't change the fact they are only 20" wide.

To get the 4x8 you would need to attach two of them end to end, then attach two more side by side. That would double both the length and the width. If you are visual like me here's the best doodle I can make with my phone.

So we want 4x8 which would look like
|----|
|----|
|----|
|----|
|----|
|----|
|----|
|----|
If you have two bins attached side by side it will give you the right width but wrong length like:
|----|
|----|
|----|
|----|
And if you attach them end to end to would be the right length but too thin
|--|
|--|
|--|
|--|
|--|
|--|
|--|
|--|

Anyway back to the original question two of those bins is better than the current set up so if you can afford it or something else go for it! :)

Ooooooooh! I need to pay better attention in math class! Thank you :)
 

KelseaB

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No problem!! I only caught it cause I build things often but I totally see where you were coming from ;)
 
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