check out boris's new pad -need some input

mkp0821

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May 9, 2015
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so I bought Boris, my russian tortoise, back in early Summer from a young lady that couldn't take care of him anymore and had him on Craigslist...she gave me his home and all the fixin's...but he was only in a 20 gallon long aquarium, which after checking out sites about tortoises and this forum, I knew it wasn't big enough for him.

While I was figuring out what I wanted to make hiim I put him in a Ster-lite plastic tote which was 6" wider and 3" longer than the 20 gallon tank he was in.
temp home for boris 2.jpg
So after 2 months of planning, purchasing materials, and weekends at my dad's place prepping, cutting, and then building, Boris now has a new pad.

Since I live in a townhouse with limited space, I did go with a wooden enclosure that is 50" L by 24" W by 14" H to fit in my corner of the livingroom. I chose 14 inches tall as it was the same height as the old plastic container and had the correct heat temp with the basking lamp so I wanted to keep it similar so I could utilize all my existing lamps.

Here is a view of the 2nd floor loft up the ramp that I made...he has a picket fence yard....
2nd floor loft look.jpg

lower level has his first hide that I have placed eco earth and spagnum moss in the hide....from the hide there are stones kind of like a walkway that goes out towards the basking side and his 2nd hide... 1st hide on cooler side.jpg
The 2nd hide I made out of a plastic container that I cut out the side for entry, covered the entire container in black gorilla tape for privacy, covered the top in material that matches the front entryway of his other hide, and a stone tortoise on top for decoration and to keep the hide in place.



2nd hide on basking side.jpg

On the other side of the plastic container hide I have a plastic tree that he loves to hide under and then his basking spot....the back wall is covered with a waterfall aquarium background that has gorilla tape on the bottom of it so it stays in place under the 4 to 5 inches of substrate which is eco earth and a cypress much/wood bark blend. The entire bottom is covered with pond liner stapled in place, and then the top of the liner is covered with black Gorilla tape as well.

side window view.jpg

I only made the cover long enough to be able to handle the full size UV light and the heat lamps that he has for day and night. His 2nd floor loft is open where I can place his food or see him full view when he is on top.
top view.jpg


and here is a front shot of the entire cage...added his name in front...the wood had to be cut up and secured with glue and nails, so I wanted it to have a finished look but didn't want to use anything harmful like stain or poly...so I actually found a really nice contact paper that looked just like the wood and covered the entire facade and used a exacto knife to cut out around the window trim.
full front view.jpg


closer front view.jpg

so after a couple days of stress moving him into his new home, he is walking around enjoying his new environment...so now I have a couple questions.

1...all over this site, they state you can use a cypress mulch and coco coir mix for the substrate...i can't find just cypress mulch...I found a cypress mulch blend and a cypress mulch/wood bark blend....are either of these bad?

2. in the corner of the 1st hide you will see a tortoise that is a bobble head tortoise..i thought it would be cute for a decoration..today, as Boris was exploring, he saw it from across the cage, and started bobbing his head going towards it...and I think he thought it was real...while I found it fascinating, I am wondering if this will stress him out and I should get rid of it or is it okay to keep it in the tank?

3. Is the hide on the basking side too big and should I try to find a smaller container so he has more room or is this okay?

Let me know your thoughts!
 

wellington

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I think it's very cute. I would use just the coir, I wouldn't use anything that is a blend or mix without knowing what is in it. I would make the one hide smaller to give him more room. In the wild, Russians cover a lot of ground for their small size. As for the bobble head, if he seems to keep bobbing his head at it and not leaving it alone, then I would remove it. Most likely it's not really going to bother him.
 

Yelloweyed

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Is the cypress/bark blend made for reptiles - like ZooMed or Zilla? If yes, the bark is usually fir bark which is safe for torts.
 

Gillian M

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A lovely enclosure-well done!

And a very warm welcome to the forum.

Would you please be kind enough to post both a pic of both the first and second floor of the enclosure in ONE pic? I am planning to change the enclosure of my tort and I need ideas. I may have to make a two floor enclosure, due to the fact that I don't have much space.

Thank you.
 

mkp0821

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May 9, 2015
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as for the cypress mulch, no....the site here said to purchase cypress mulch from homegarden center like Lowe's or Home Depot to save money, so that is where it is from...my original tank I was using repti bark and eco earth with a little sand but not using sand now after I saw on this site how it could be harmful..the original sites I was looking at didn't report that. As I was concerned about that as well, I will return them and continue with the repti bark unless someone can advise on something else that can be found easily. I will watch him with the bobble head and if he continues to look concerned about it I will take it out, and try to find a smaller plastic hide as well. He originally had open sided log hide, but on the site it said it was better to have a humid hide created...should I put his old hide back in for now in place of that one?

Will take off the top and try and get a picture of the inside showing the ramp & 2nd level. It is all wood, and the 2nd floor / lower hide / ramp is actually a separate piece that I inserted into the habitat that I can pull right out of the hide for any modifications or cleaning. The bottom of that piece is wrapped thoroughly with gorilla tape so it won't be damaged by moisture of substrate. the ramp going up is also taped all of the way up, and then wrapped tightly in a ragged string that I bought at the store so he has something to be able to grab unto when he climbs up it. The ramp is hinged so it can match any level of the substrate below.
 
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