Hi, I have three tortoises and I just recently moved them all into their own zoo med tortoise house. One of my tortoises seems sad and won't eat. It got me wondering what the optimal size is for an enclosure for a Russian tortoise. Please help.
A zoo med tortoise house is 2 feet by 3 feet, which is not large enough. Especially with that hide they have on one end. Take out the entrance wall to that hide and that will at least give a little more walking around room.
I would say go as big as you can with the enclosure, but I'd go with a minimum of a 4 foot x 4 foot box.
If you have the enclosures already, is there a way to expand it or add to it so that it becomes larger? Like Tom said, 4' x 8' min. Perhaps you can build something that attaches to the current enclosure that would allow the torts to roam around in a larger space. Also, whenever torts are moved into another environment, it stresses them out. Give them some more time to adjust while you think of a way to expand their space.
If you can't make a bigger footprint for the enclosures then try adding a second story. The ramp will be a good exercise method for your Russian. They are avid climbers.
If you mean you have each of your 3 Russian tortoises in their own enclosure, then it would be ideal to make them larger. You could leave the smallest tortoise in one Zoomed for now. Then combine two Zoomeds together (check Youtube for a video on how to do this).
Then look for a used wood bookcase on Freecycle or Craigslist, remove shelves and turn it on it's side and line with a tarp for the third.
Perhaps eventually you can set up an outside area with logs,plants and rocks, and they may be able to live together there.