Sharing My Russians Outdoor Enclosure

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SpdTrtl

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Home.jpghome2.jpgHome3.jpgHome4.jpgHome5.jpgHome6.jpgHome7.jpgHome8.jpgWe built this enclosure before purchasing our Russians. Originally I was planning to get a Turtle so it had a pool and a pretty waterfall but I ended up falling in love with these little guys (Wally, Soup and Tank) so we adapted it to suit.
We have a nice climate in the spring and summer in Texas so the great outdoors I think is best for them...considering they were all enclosed in a tiny aquarium in a pet store together when I found them it's a step up.
This is built around a kumquat tree in order to give some light shade; we trimmed to reduce the amount of fruit falling and the cover stops them from making a mess in the pen but probably not my best idea. Next time I will stay away from trees.
There are many predators in neighborhood so we have them safely secure on all sides; we had to ensure a raccoon would not be able to lift of the top so it’s also heavy and solid.
We have a wooden box house separated into 3 enclosures, open at the bottom for digging and for getting away from each other when they need space.
We also have a hideaway in a corner with a little bit of sand, this area gets the most sun so the big flat rock is perfect for basking.
There is a “mountain” for them to climb with dirt and rock. My little one, Tank, loves to climb to the top and hang out.
The other half of the enclosure has soft grass and a good size hibiscus for a hideaway and of course this poor thing has been munched on so much I am surprised it has lived this long.
We planted all kinds of edible plants in here but I can’t show them to you because they have either been eaten or stomped. The few you see are the ones they decided they didn’t like.
We plan on making a new bigger enclosure when we move in January so any ideas on how to make it better are welcome! Oh and we do plan on making some kind of separation in the event they become aggressive as they grow older.

Thanks!
 
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Niki

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Looks great... My russian tort Greta, lives outside on an enclosure and likes to wonder the backyard at times. I live in Az so she can live outside 24/7. Your place looks fantastic!
 

wellington

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Looks fantastic. Just keep an eye on them. Russians really do best alone. They can be one of the more ferocious bully's.
 

lynnedit

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Very nicely done. I think the dappled shade/sun will work well in Texas. You will have to grow extra food elsewhere!
 

WillTort2

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Very nice! Excellent design. I even like the tree being within the enclosure.

Do you have anything to prevent escape or intrusion by digging under the edges?
 

Tom

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Very nice. Is the heat lamp because its in a shady spot? For your next one, I would use an opaque barrier of some sort around the bottom. Seems to work better when they can't see out.

Overall a great effort. Nicely done. I give it two thumbs up.
 

SpdTrtl

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WillTortoise said:
Very nice! Excellent design. I even like the tree being within the enclosure.

Do you have anything to prevent escape or intrusion by digging under the edges?

Thank you for the compliment!
We dug below the baseline and placed bricks along the edges. Our ground is pretty tough, we stopped digging when our shovel stopped about a foot 1/2 down.


Tom said:
Very nice. Is the heat lamp because its in a shady spot? For your next one, I would use an opaque barrier of some sort around the bottom. Seems to work better when they can't see out.

Overall a great effort. Nicely done. I give it two thumbs up.

Hi Tom,

Since it's Spring we still have crazy weather where some nights are 70 degrees and some are 40. When it's cold we turn the heat lamp on and cover the enclosure with a tarp to keep them at a decent temp. We don't use it very often but I am sure they appreciate it when we do. :)

An opaque bottom is a good idea. Sometimes I catch them peering out @ the outside world like prison inmates. I feel so guilty I let them exercise in the yard with supervision. :tort:
 
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