Outdoor... Indoor...?

[Ruszian Tortoise]

Hi! I might move somewhat soon but my tortoise enclosure is currently too small... I can't feed my tortoise from weeds outside... (Weed and Feed) But can I still have an outdoor enclosure? One that isn't permanent. If not, any ideas for a cheap indoor enclosure (again not permanent)?
Thanks
Update:
Do kiddie pools with substrate and furniture work? If so... What should I put on top to prevent invaders(birds etc.)?

 

[iAmCentrochelys sulcata]

They can work. How big is your Tortoise?

 

[Ruszian Tortoise]

They can work. How big is your Tortoise?

She is a three and a half year old female Russian

 

[iAmCentrochelys sulcata]

You shouldn’t be keeping two tortoises together, I doubt a indoor enclosure would be big enough for 2 of them. You’ll need 2 enclosures, Separate them.

 

[Ruszian Tortoise]

You shouldn’t be keeping two tortoises together, I doubt a indoor enclosure would be big enough for 2 of them. You’ll need 2 enclosures, Separate them.

No, she is three and a half. Not four, and there aren't two. There's just one tortoise who is almost 4. Err, half a year away

 

[iAmCentrochelys sulcata]

No, she is three and a half. Not four, and there aren't two. There's just one tortoise who is almost 4. Err, half a year away

Sorry I misunderstood you.

 

[LasTortugasNinja]

a large kiddie pool will work fine. The only birds you really need to worry about are hawks/eagles. Song birds will only be interested in the tort's water dish for bathing. Skunks and raccoons are more of a threat. Don't think you don't have them. I never thought they were around until I got my security system. It gets tripped almost nightly by the scurrying nocturnal mammals. An option is to put the tort outside during the day, and bring him in to his "tiny enclosure" at night. My tort sleeps all night and wakes at 7am, ready to start his daily routine. He doesn't understand sleeping in on weekends. Right at 7am, he's ramming his food dish demanding food.

Anyhoo… to keep out birds, a simple wooden frame with chickenwire stretched across will work fine. With plenty of shade, fresh water, and some nibbles throughout the day, he'll be fine. Chickenwire won't keep out a determined raccoon though.

 

[Ruszian Tortoise]

a large kiddie pool will work fine. The only birds you really need to worry about are hawks/eagles. Song birds will only be interested in the tort's water dish for bathing. Skunks and raccoons are more of a threat. Don't think you don't have them. I never thought they were around until I got my security system. It gets tripped almost nightly by the scurrying nocturnal mammals. An option is to put the tort outside during the day, and bring him in to his "tiny enclosure" at night. My tort sleeps all night and wakes at 7am, ready to start his daily routine. He doesn't understand sleeping in on weekends. Right at 7am, he's ramming his food dish demanding food.

Anyhoo… to keep out birds, a simple wooden frame with chickenwire stretched across will work fine. With plenty of shade, fresh water, and some nibbles throughout the day, he'll be fine. Chickenwire won't keep out a determined raccoon though.

Thank you so much! This is very helpful. So, will it still be ok if the lawn is treated with weed and feed (if the enclosure is off the ground in the kiddie pool with it's own substrate, etc.) and there is rat poison boxes (not too close to the kiddie pool enclosure though)?
Oops, I already said it has weed and feed. So it should be fine?

 

[Ruszian Tortoise]

Thank you so much! This is very helpful. So, will it still be ok if the lawn is treated with weed and feed (if the enclosure is off the ground in the kiddie pool with it's own substrate, etc.) and there is rat poison boxes (not too close to the kiddie pool enclosure though)?
Oops, I already said it has weed and feed. So it should be fine?

Oh, also: I should take her in in the winter... Right??

 

[LasTortugasNinja]

As long as the pool sides are tall enough he can't crawl over it, you are fine. Russians are EXCELLENT climbers. With a screen over the top, and a few bricks or something to keep the screen in place, you should be fine. Weed N feed and rat boxes won't permeate a plastic pool wall. The lid will keep dying rats from getting into the tort enclosure, so the tort won't be able to ingest rat poison from that, either.

If you have cold winters below 60 degrees, then yes, he'll need to be in during the winter. A plastic pool won't allow enough substrate to bury for hibernation properly.

 

[Yvonne G]

Unless you bought the tortoise from a breeder, it's likely your Russian tortoise is quite a bit older than almost 4 years. Pet stores are bad about telling customers the russian tortoises are babies, because they're small and the clerks don't know any better. By the time a russian makes it to a pet store, in order to be legal (4" front to back) it is already about 8 or 10 years of age.

So, at that age, there is no worry about birds carrying your russian tortoise off. If I were to make a temporary outdoor enclosure for a Russian, I would buy some cinderblocks and make a pen. You only need to make it two blocks high. You can use the house or fence as one wall, then you only need blocks to make three more sides. Here's an example from the 'net:



You can make it as big as you have money for blocks. (they're about a dollar apiece)

 

[LasTortugasNinja]

You can make it as big as you have money for blocks. (they're about a dollar apiece)

You MIGHT be able to find them for $1 a piece on classified ads, but most garden or home improvement stores now charge around $2 - $2.50 a piece for them.

 

[Yvonne G]

I stand corrected. Home Depot now sells them for $1.85 apiece. Geez. . . inflation!!

 

[LasTortugasNinja]

I stand corrected. Home Depot now sells them for $1.85 apiece. Geez. . . inflation!!

It's ok. Don't feel bad. The other day I made a Ziggy Stardust reference and just got blank stares.

 

[Ruszian Tortoise]

Unless you bought the tortoise from a breeder, it's likely your Russian tortoise is quite a bit older than almost 4 years. Pet stores are bad about telling customers the russian tortoises are babies, because they're small and the clerks don't know any better. By the time a russian makes it to a pet store, in order to be legal (4" front to back) it is already about 8 or 10 years of age.

So, at that age, there is no worry about birds carrying your russian tortoise off. If I were to make a temporary outdoor enclosure for a Russian, I would buy some cinderblocks and make a pen. You only need to make it two blocks high. You can use the house or fence as one wall, then you only need blocks to make three more sides. Here's an example from the 'net:

View attachment 295178

You can make it as big as you have money for blocks. (they're about a dollar apiece)

Okay, thank you! I've had my Russian for 3 years- when I got her (from a breeder) she was a tiny 6 month old (very small, definitely less than 4"). Wouldn't cinder blocks hurt her nails/shell if she scratches or rubs against the wall?

 

[Ruszian Tortoise]

As long as the pool sides are tall enough he can't crawl over it, you are fine. Russians are EXCELLENT climbers. With a screen over the top, and a few bricks or something to keep the screen in place, you should be fine. Weed N feed and rat boxes won't permeate a plastic pool wall. The lid will keep dying rats from getting into the tort enclosure, so the tort won't be able to ingest rat poison from that, either.

If you have cold winters below 60 degrees, then yes, he'll need to be in during the winter. A plastic pool won't allow enough substrate to bury for hibernation properly.

So how tall should it be? Is 1 foot good?

 

[Ruszian Tortoise]

So I was searching online, is a five-foot diameter with a depth of a foot an okay choice for a kiddie pool? Also, does it matter the colors of the pool?

 

[Ruszian Tortoise]

Anyone?

 

[Ruszian Tortoise]

Someone? Sorry. Can i make a new thread?

 

[LasTortugasNinja]

So I was searching online, is a five-foot diameter with a depth of a foot an okay choice for a kiddie pool? Also, does it matter the colors of the pool?

That's fine for a temp enclosure. Make sure there is plenty of access to shade, because plastic pools absorb heat really well and tend to be 5 to 10 degrees hotter than the surrounding air, and in texas, that can BBQ a tort if he doesn't have a shady space to hide. Color doesn't matter. Then just build a weighted lid out of some 2x2's and chickenwire.