Enclosre for Russian tortoise? (Seeking advice)

[stayincolor]

Hey everyone n_n My names Joe. I'm new to the forum as of today and I had some questions that I'm sure you guys can answer for me.

For the last week and half I've been planning on buying a (from what I was told) a 5 y/o 6 inch Russian tortoise from petsmart. I had a look at him and he looked pretty healthy and the lady taking care of him seemed to love him. He seemed to be in a pretty small enclosure so I was hoping by building an enclosure with my dad I could save money and give him a good home. Ive been researching a lot about the requirements for his space and learned more than I thought I would have to about taking care of tortoises! Anyways, me and my dad went to lowes and bought a 2 foot piece of wood for the bottom and seven inch high sides so he can burrow in the substrate. Here's a photo of how it should look with the tape measure being the turtle >>>

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I was a little bit concerned about the space because I don't want it to be too small. Ive read that at least 36 inches would be appropriate but space was sort of limited ): Can someone tell me if this enclosure would be suitable for a 6 inch russian tortoise?
Any tips, advice, and comments would be very much appreciated. Thank you for your time and help!

If you would like to see here is the list of supplies ill be purchasing after the project is finished

1. (Zoo med mini combo deep dome lamp fixture) ]Zoo med mini combo deep dome lamp fixture

2. (Zoo med eco earth compressed coconut fiber substrate) >>> ]Substrate

3. (exo Terra thermometer + hygrometer) >>> ]thermometer

4. Half log hiding place, water dish, ect.

 

[lynnedit]

You want as big an enclosure as you can get. So try for 6'x2'. Or 4' x 2' with a ramp to a smaller second level.
Russians are great torts, but they like to climb. So 7" high won't be enough after you add 4" + of substrate.
You could extend the height of your enclosure doing something like this:
http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/Tortoisetable.htm (measurements are in cm's, and it's different wood, but the point is the idea of the polycarbonate making the sides higher). You want your sides at least 12 inches, perhaps 16". You can cap the corners with a triangle of wood.
If space is an issue, could you make an 'L' shaped enclosure, using the piece of wood you have and extending it?
The coco fiber substrate is great. You can use that alone, or mix with organic topsoil from a place like Home Depot.
For a light fixture, you can get a 'brooder' or 'shop' light with a ceramic base at a lower cost than a pet store at Hardware stores too. If you get one from the pet store, get a single 'deep dome' fixture so you can get the right bulb:
http://www.zoomed.com/db/products/EntryDetail.php?EntryID=109&DatabaseID=2&SearchID=3
You will probably only need the one bulb, as Russians don't need heat at night (don't let them sell you a heat mat).
The log hides are great, you can add a second hide as an overturned flower pot submerged in the substrate. Your water dish can be the tray of a pot, nice and shallow.
This is a lot of information, so keep asking questions!

 

[slowpoke]

put very well lynnedit ... i did the L shape to save room in my computer room , if you go with the one bulb go with the The PowerSun self-ballasted mercury vapor lamp not just a heat light as they need uvb and uva , they can cost a bit more but you have every thing in one bulb ... if you have the room but not the money for a mvb you can get the zoomed fluorescent tube lighting dont use the compact ones they can do harm to your tort and then a heat light ... the cost is half of what the mvb is , but you have to change out the fluorescent tube every 6 to 8 months because they start to lose there uvb ... but yea your going to need alot more room than that the smallest i would go is 4' x 2' , ill up load a pic of mine so you kind of get the idea ... the last picture was slowpokes first on it was 4'x2' , that was before i got sassy and started looking for another female

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Joe:

Welcome to the Tortoise forum!!

May we know appx. where in the world you are?

Good luck with your new Russian tortoise. They're great little guys.

 

[TimTortise]

Howdy Joe, I'm also new to the forum and the world of russians. I'm also trying to upgrade my Regina's habitat. Do you people think I should build one or just upgrade to a large plastic tub?

 

[lynnedit]

Tim, why don't you start a new thread in the enclosure section so we can rattle on advice to you as well? That way, the threads don't get mixed up.
(A big enough plastic container, like a Rubbermaid 54 gal, for example, works. If you can build a tort table, you can make it even bigger. I like the L shaped one that slowpoke posted pics of.)
We would love to hear more!

 

[stayincolor]

You want as big an enclosure as you can get. So try for 6'x2'. Or 4' x 2' with a ramp to a smaller second level.
Russians are great torts, but they like to climb. So 7" high won't be enough after you add 4" + of substrate.
You could extend the height of your enclosure doing something like this:
http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/Tortoisetable.htm (measurements are in cm's, and it's different wood, but the point is the idea of the polycarbonate making the sides higher). You want your sides at least 12 inches, perhaps 16". You can cap the corners with a triangle of wood.
If space is an issue, could you make an 'L' shaped enclosure, using the piece of wood you have and extending it?
The coco fiber substrate is great. You can use that alone, or mix with organic topsoil from a place like Home Depot.
For a light fixture, you can get a 'brooder' or 'shop' light with a ceramic base at a lower cost than a pet store at Hardware stores too. If you get one from the pet store, get a single 'deep dome' fixture so you can get the right bulb:
http://www.zoomed.com/db/products/EntryDetail.php?EntryID=109&DatabaseID=2&SearchID=3
You will probably only need the one bulb, as Russians don't need heat at night (don't let them sell you a heat mat).
The log hides are great, you can add a second hide as an overturned flower pot submerged in the substrate. Your water dish can be the tray of a pot, nice and shallow.
This is a lot of information, so keep asking questions!

Thanks for the advice. Im going to be buying a solar glo mercury bulb instead! Sadly my dad already started building the enclosure without me and it's going to have to do for now... I was going to take the wood back because it was 16 dollars but it's too late )-: I hope he'll be comfortable for a while since his petsmart tank was beyond tiny. Hopin for the best but ill probably end up sticking him in a rubbermaid bin for a while! and do they really not need the heat at night? ive been getting alot of mixed answers online for that. Thanks again lynnedit very informing.

 

[stayincolor]

put very well lynnedit ... i did the L shape to save room in my computer room , if you go with the one bulb go with the The PowerSun self-ballasted mercury vapor lamp not just a heat light as they need uvb and uva , they can cost a bit more but you have every thing in one bulb ... if you have the room but not the money for a mvb you can get the zoomed fluorescent tube lighting dont use the compact ones they can do harm to your tort and then a heat light ... the cost is half of what the mvb is , but you have to change out the fluorescent tube every 6 to 8 months because they start to lose there uvb ... but yea your going to need alot more room than that the smallest i would go is 4' x 2' , ill up load a pic of mine so you kind of get the idea ... the last picture was slowpokes first on it was 4'x2' , that was before i got sassy and started looking for another female

Thanks for the input. I didn't have enough wood for the L shape but it looks like a really good idea. And those enclosures you made look sweet. If you don't mind me asking did you build that black one? I wish I could find something just like that.

 

[stayincolor]

Hi Joe:

Welcome to the Tortoise forum!!

May we know appx. where in the world you are?

Good luck with your new Russian tortoise. They're great little guys.

Warminster PA is where I'm residing thanks for the welcome!

 

[slowpoke]

put very well lynnedit ... i did the L shape to save room in my computer room , if you go with the one bulb go with the The PowerSun self-ballasted mercury vapor lamp not just a heat light as they need uvb and uva , they can cost a bit more but you have every thing in one bulb ... if you have the room but not the money for a mvb you can get the zoomed fluorescent tube lighting dont use the compact ones they can do harm to your tort and then a heat light ... the cost is half of what the mvb is , but you have to change out the fluorescent tube every 6 to 8 months because they start to lose there uvb ... but yea your going to need alot more room than that the smallest i would go is 4' x 2' , ill up load a pic of mine so you kind of get the idea ... the last picture was slowpokes first on it was 4'x2' , that was before i got sassy and started looking for another female

Thanks for the input. I didn't have enough wood for the L shape but it looks like a really good idea. And those enclosures you made look sweet. If you don't mind me asking did you build that black one? I wish I could find something just like that.

yes i did build the black one it was a rolling laptop desk i had sitting around

 

[Jason M]

[/quote]

Thanks for the advice. Im going to be buying a solar glo mercury bulb instead! Sadly my dad already started building the enclosure without me and it's going to have to do for now... I was going to take the wood back because it was 16 dollars but it's too late )-: I hope he'll be comfortable for a while since his petsmart tank was beyond tiny. Hopin for the best but ill probably end up sticking him in a rubbermaid bin for a while! and do they really not need the heat at night? ive been getting alot of mixed answers online for that. Thanks again lynnedit very informing.
[/quote]

hi there,

They don't need the light or heat lamp on at night as long as the temp does not drop to low, I have all my electrics plugged into a timer so that it turns it all on in the morning and turns it all off at night, my RT seem to like it cooler at night

 

[lynnedit]

Thanks for the advice. Im going to be buying a solar glo mercury bulb instead! Sadly my dad already started building the enclosure without me and it's going to have to do for now... I was going to take the wood back because it was 16 dollars but it's too late )-: I hope he'll be comfortable for a while since his petsmart tank was beyond tiny. Hopin for the best but ill probably end up sticking him in a rubbermaid bin for a while! and do they really not need the heat at night? ive been getting alot of mixed answers online for that. Thanks again lynnedit very informing.

Don't worry. Start with what you have. If the sides are too low, you can add a second layer to the wall, and/or a 1x3 as an edge around the top. Watch those corners. You could even cut a doorway on one side and put it right up against a rubbermaid or a Sterilite tub, with a matching door cut in that. Or, you can add a second section later this Spring. Be creative, but get your basic table set up and go from there.
You are right, he will be better off, and perhaps you can look forward to getting him some outside time when it warms up. In Pa, he will be able to get outside sometimes in May, June to August and sometimes in September.

They really don't need extra heat at night as long as the enclosure is not in a drafty area, with temps >60. Give him a hide to burrow in and he will be happy. They love to come out to their light in the morning to warm up.