Russian Tortoise Enclosure

[swanny06]

Hi all,

I'm looking at getting a Russian Tortoise and I want to make sure I have his enclosure right before I pick him up. I have a 40gal breeder tank, is that big enough? I'm also looking at putting live plants in there somehow he can munch on, any tips on that? Also what types of plants would be the best? Also, do y'all know of any water dishes that could sort of filter themselves? I was checking out the repti waterfall by Zoomed but I'm worried that won't be big enough. Thanks!

 

[Yvonne G]

I know "40 gallons" sounds like a lot, but when looking for a tortoise enclosure, you want floor space, and the gallons referred to in containers is up the walls and how much liquid it holds. Actually, 40 gallons isn't very big when you think of a little Russian tortoise wandering for many hectares in search of food. So buy the absolute largest container you can. You can get a pretty big plastic bin or tub for pretty cheap.

Here's a list of the different types of weeds and plants tortoises can eat:

Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard

You can plant any of those.

Just buy a plant saucer that's big enough for him to get into. You have to change the water daily and sometimes more than once a day...so what?

Welcome to the Forum!! We have a pretty good care sheet for Russian tortoises pinned at the top of our Russian section.

 

[TheWarTortoise]

May I ask where you're getting the Russian from?

 

[swanny06]

I know "40 gallons" sounds like a lot, but when looking for a tortoise enclosure, you want floor space, and the gallons referred to in containers is up the walls and how much liquid it holds. Actually, 40 gallons isn't very big when you think of a little Russian tortoise wandering for many hectares in search of food. So buy the absolute largest container you can. You can get a pretty big plastic bin or tub for pretty cheap.

Here's a list of the different types of weeds and plants tortoises can eat:

Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard

You can plant any of those.

Just buy a plant saucer that's big enough for him to get into. You have to change the water daily and sometimes more than once a day...so what?

Welcome to the Forum!! We have a pretty good care sheet for Russian tortoises pinned at the top of our Russian section.

Thanks for all of that! I'll be sure to upgrade to a bigger tank. I appreciate it!

 

[swanny06]

May I ask where you're getting the Russian from?

I have a family owned exotic pet store near my house and they have a few of them.

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

I have a family owned exotic pet store near my house and they have a few of them.

What size will he/she be? How big your enclosure needs to be depends on this, and care requirements are a little different for hatchlings than older ones.

 

[swanny06]

What size will he/she be? How big your enclosure needs to be depends on this, and care requirements are a little different for hatchlings than older ones.

From what they told he's 4 years old. I'm not sure how big he is, but if I had to guess I'd say around 10".

 

[Yvonne G]

No, a four year old Russian tortoise would barely be about 3" from front to back in a straight line. Most Russian tortoises get to be about 6 or 7" for females and an inch or two shorter for males.

 

[swanny06]

No, a four year old Russian tortoise would barely be about 3" from front to back in a straight line. Most Russian tortoises get to be about 6 or 7" for females and an inch or two shorter for males.

Ah. Maybe they told me wrong information then.. 10" was a guesstimate but it's definitely not 3" lol.

 

[Tom]

Ah. Maybe they told me wrong information then.. 10" was a guesstimate but it's definitely not 3" lol.

It is most likely a wild caught tortoise. Some of those will acclimate, not be diseased, and not be full of all sorts of parasites. Others don't fare so well. And they can survive for months with any or all of the above.

You'd be MUCH better off getting a captive bred one. Last I checked Tyler over at http://www.tortoisesupply.com had some good ones for sale.

Check these out:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

I also wanted to agree with what Yvonne said about enclosure size. A 40 would be the minimum size I would recommend for a tiny brand new hatchling. Just wanted to give one more vote in that direction.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Alexio]

For a 4 ish year old Russian tortoise I feel like building your own enclosure is the way to go. For a little over 100 you can buy most of the materials to construct a nice tortoise table. Partially enclosed setups work well for older Russian Tortoises who like a little more fresh moving air and who don't need crazy right humidity or night heat.
I recently built two enclosures for my Russians and they went together fairly easily this is a 4x6


I did make a few modifications to the sides to make a few of them talked and more enclosed to hold the humidity better but it's mostly the same look.
This also happens to double as a table. I also just finished a 4x4 enclosure as well which looks a little nicer from the sides. I'd be more than happy to assist in this as well.