square footage rule

[pdrobber]

plan to buy wood for tort table sometime this week.
I'm still not sure what my dimensions will be. I have a 6" Russian; is there any rule for appropriate minimum sq ft like 1" per foot? I heard a longer table could make them more likely to pace but a square might not fit in my apartment as well and I suspect would be a little more difficult to clean/reach across...
some of my possible options are anywhere from 2-3 ft across and 3-6 ft long...I know bigger is better but would something like 2X4 be acceptable?

 

[Yvonne G]

I don't remember the reasoning, but I always heard that rectangular is better than square.

 

[Jacqui]

I believe one of the main reasons given for rectangle is that way they have a side that is as long as possible before the wall happens. Sorta gives them the belief they have more roaming room. More room to get up a head of steam, too.

 

[Neal]

As a rule, I would say 10 shell lengths by ten shell lengths as a minimum. That's just me.

 

[Floof]

I use a "rule" of 2 square feet per 1 inch shell length for smaller torts like Russians. It works out to be able to give them enough room to live quite comfortably, without the enclosure being too cramped. I can't remember if I first heard that guideline here, or if I came up with it myself, but I really started taking stock in it after going through 3 enclosures with my first Russian, a 6.5" female--first was a rubbermaid about 3.5 sq ft, and she hated it. Then was a Christmas tree tub.. about 6 sq ft, give or take, and it still wasn't big enough for her. It was when I did a 6x2 ft enclosure (12 square feet) that I found the perfect medium. It was big enough for her to have room to move and live comfortably, without being too big for me to scoot around alone, and without very DIY-stupid me having to build anything (6x2 ft is the dimensions of a standard 5 shelf bookcase). The rule worked perfectly, again, when I later added a 5.5" male Russian and a 4" female Box turtle to the household.. So now it's what I go by for minimum enclosure sizes, at least for the small stuff.

Despite all these "rules" and "guidelines," really, tortoises can be pretty active, and really like their space. The larger you can build your enclosure, the better. If the biggest you have room for is a 6x3 ft table, by all means, build a 6x3 ft table. She'll appreciate as much space as you can give her.

 

[Madkins007]

There is actually a law in some European countries- 8 shell lengths by 4 shell lengths.

Rectangular offers the tortoise a 'run' and encourages it to stretch its legs going from end to end. A 6x3 table would be about 18 square feet. If it was a square space, it would be about 4.25"x4.25"- and not offer quite as much of a space to walk in a straight line in.