# Russian Tortoise ( Enclosure from Portugal )



## AdÃ£o (Feb 24, 2013)

Hi guys...

Long time no see... So, I made a new enclosure for my future Russian Tortoise. Me and my girlfriend started to build this new project and I would like your opinions on this matter.






So I covered the bottom of the enclosure with peat moss ( I will put sand later on), a few plants such as Heather Plants, Sedum Album and Aloe Vera... ^^





I will put more decorative elements and obstacles: Stones... Wood.... 





At this moment a glass ceiling is being made to prevent heat loss of the enclosure...





Please give me your more of you opinion... 
Thank you


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## ascott (Feb 24, 2013)

I think that is a good size....it looks good. I would however pay special attention to the area that is raised because I think that they can easily scale the wall there..they are FANTASTIC climbers... I also would not include sand (just my personal issue with it increasing impaction hazard)....You guys did good...and the glass to hold in temps is good---I just would be careful to monitor humidity to make sure it does not get tooooo high for this species..


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## AdÃ£o (Feb 24, 2013)

ascott said:


> I think that is a good size....it looks good. I would however pay special attention to the area that is raised because I think that they can easily scale the wall there..they are FANTASTIC climbers... I also would not include sand (just my personal issue with it increasing impaction hazard)....You guys did good...and the glass to hold in temps is good---I just would be careful to monitor humidity to make sure it does not get tooooo high for this species..



Thank you Im glad you liked it 
Im not worried about any climbing at all cause the glass will prevent that 
Instead of sand Im thinking about putting timothy hay, what do you think?


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## luvpetz27 (Feb 24, 2013)

Look's great!
Great job!!


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## WillTort2 (Feb 24, 2013)

I really like the design. Nice change of elevation will give exercise option to tort.

You may want to line the particle board or put on a moisture protection. I fear that when you add water to the substrate it will cause the particle board to swell and fall apart then be digested by the tort.

Keep in mind that Russians do not need the entire enclosure to be warm; you need a cool side as well as your basking area.

What are you doing for UV light; keep in mind that glass will block much of the UV light.

Nice design! Good luck.


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## AdÃ£o (Feb 24, 2013)

WillTortoise said:


> I really like the design. Nice change of elevation will give exercise option to tort.
> 
> You may want to line the particle board or put on a moisture protection. I fear that when you add water to the substrate it will cause the particle board to swell and fall apart then be digested by the tort.
> 
> ...



First of all thank you for the appreciation 
I miss understood... Are you talking about the plant on the "upper floor" of the enclosure? Cause that is protected by plastic so it doesn't soak the wood... 
The UV light is gonna be under the glass 

Thanks for the suggestions, take care.


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## ascott (Feb 24, 2013)

> Instead of sand Im thinking about putting timothy hay, what do you think?



hay can be a great home/conductor for mold if it gets wet or soiled and that may create a negative health issue in their airway as well as bacteria growth...

Is the tort you are going to acquire a hatchling or an adult? I personally think that if you mix the peat moss with some good ole dirt from outside (clean, chemical free of course) along with a few big piles of leaves from the ground (from tort friendly/safe trees) and muck it all together--you will have a happy tort....as close to the good ole outdoors as possible to me, is a great substrate...


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## lynnedit (Feb 24, 2013)

I agree, stay with the peat moss mixed with topsoil or garden dirt. Timothy hay can mold, so you have to change it a lot.
Looks very nice! 
Portugal is a good location for Russian tortoises. Will you also be able to put him outside at times during nice weather?

You have done a nice job.


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## Laura (Feb 24, 2013)

No sand or hay.. 
If its going to be covered,, then I guess its ok.. otherwise, I'd be worried about him climbing out... they do that very well...

What kind of diet are you planning on feeding?


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## WillTort2 (Feb 24, 2013)

AdÃ£o said:


> WillTortoise said:
> 
> 
> > I really like the design. Nice change of elevation will give exercise option to tort.
> ...



I believe that you will need to pour water onto your substrate in order to keep the moisture level adequate in your enclosure. For a russian tortoise I like to keep the relative humidity close to 60%. In the winter, I find that I need to add water to the substrate several times a week because the heat and the lights dry out the soil/substrate.

Building an enclosure is often a series of steps with improvements made as you gain experience and borrow ideas from other forum posters.

Enjoy your project.


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## AdÃ£o (Feb 25, 2013)

ascott said:


> > Instead of sand Im thinking about putting timothy hay, what do you think?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Wow... I didn't knew that :O
Glad I dint put hay yet, so I just have to mix with dirt is that it? And the turtle is gonna be a hatchling 
Could you give me some names of trees that are friendly to tortoises? Cause most web sites only talk about friendly plants and not trees...

Thanks 




lynnedit said:


> Portugal is a good location for Russian tortoises. Will you also be able to put him outside at times during nice weather?
> 
> You have done a nice job.



Thanks for your words  And yes Im able to do that I have a big backyard to do an outdoor enclosure for her during spring and summer time and maybe Autumn depending on the weather 




Laura said:


> ... otherwise, I'd be worried about him climbing out... they do that very well...
> 
> What kind of diet are you planning on feeding?



Well climbing out is not an issue since Im putting a glass on top of the enclosure... 

Well I live in a area with wild plants so Im planning on give her dandelions, milkweed, chicory... Buy some pansys, sedum album, aloe vera, opuntia cactus... Many things 




WillTortoise said:


> I believe that you will need to pour water onto your substrate in order to keep the moisture level adequate in your enclosure. For a russian tortoise I like to keep the relative humidity close to 60%. In the winter, I find that I need to add water to the substrate several times a week because the heat and the lights dry out the soil/substrate.
> 
> Building an enclosure is often a series of steps with improvements made as you gain experience and borrow ideas from other forum posters.
> 
> Enjoy your project.



Thanks for sharing... 
Yes I will buy a hygrometer to keep in mind that levels of moisture...


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## lynnedit (Feb 25, 2013)

Your outdoor and feeding plans for your tortoise sound wonderful.

Yes, you can just use untreated garden soil mixed with the peat moss. I agree skip the sand, it just sticks to everything, sometimes their eyes.

Here is a good general site for safe plants for tortoises. If you can't find one you are interested in, you can email them, they are so helpful.

http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plants_19.asp


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## AdÃ£o (Feb 26, 2013)

lynnedit said:


> Your outdoor and feeding plans for your tortoise sound wonderful.
> 
> Yes, you can just use untreated garden soil mixed with the peat moss. I agree skip the sand, it just sticks to everything, sometimes their eyes.
> 
> ...



Thanks for your help...  The good thing about where I live is there's a lot dandelion, milkweed and chicory around  So for spring and summer time I don't have any problem finding food for him, but yes I will have a look on that website 
Once again thanks


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## AdÃ£o (Mar 10, 2013)

Hi all 

So I made some modifications to the enclosure...




As you can see I put a glass in front of the enclosure in order to see better the inside of it...





I use a vase just to be one more hiding area for him...






CanÂ´t wait to have the little fella ^^ however I need your help to decide where to put the UVB and the Heal Lamp I can't made up my mind...

Thanks all... 
"Obrigado"


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## laney (Mar 10, 2013)

That looks really nice  !!

It's hard to see in the pics how much clearance the cross bar at the top has but if there is enough height and you are using a strip UVB I would put it under there so you get most coverage


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## lynnedit (Mar 10, 2013)

Perhaps put the heat lamp in the middle of the side with the Aloe plant. And if you have a tube UV light, position it so it covers most of the enclosure in the longest direction?


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## Torts4Life! (Mar 10, 2013)

That's an amazing enclosure for the little guy!! You've given me some inspiration for updating my russian tort indoor enclosure! The elevated area is a great idea for his exercise! Great Job!!


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## AdÃ£o (Mar 11, 2013)

laney said:


> That looks really nice  !!
> 
> It's hard to see in the pics how much clearance the cross bar at the top has but if there is enough height and you are using a strip UVB I would put it under there so you get most coverage



Thanks for the reply... Its really low to put the lamp under that, I'm still studding an option but I have no idea...


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## Lasciels Toy (Mar 11, 2013)

Nice looking enclosure so far Adao, I especially like the cornered platform and double ramps. If you're still taking some advice, I'd like to offer some. I'm gonna do this like a bandaid and get the painful one out of the way first lol:

-You need to completely clear everything out down to the wood and seal it. You're using particle board which does not go well with water. You need to seal it and I don't mean just the bottom, the walls, everything that is made of particle board needs it for protection from moisture. I'm just trying to ssave you from a future headache and possible danger to your tort. I would suggest using either polyurethane if your fine with the bare look, or a coat of enamel or latex, then poly. Particle board is used to make most cabinets and some counter tops but it's protected by a veneer and even that is not 100% against moisture.

-Do away with the glass top and instead lay a 1"x4" across the top edge, flush with the outside, so that there is a 3" overhang all the way around, as long as there are no obstacles to climb on the platform, this should prevent your RT from climbing out there. This will also allow you to setup your heat light on a chain, overhanging the enclosure. As others have noted, RT's are not so dependent on humidity and even temperature, so a solid top is not required and you can see similar open top tables like yours that do without. 

-I would move your tortie soak pond to the front left and that corner I would use to hang the heat lamp over. Actually offering hides in a warmer and cooler area in the enclosure and keeping from heating up or evaporating the soak to fast. The UVB should be fine mounted under that center support, just make sure to push it to the far right to keep if as far away from the platform as possible. The support looks to close to the platform to allow a safe distance.

Hope this helps, keep up the nice work, your RT's gonna love it, I'm sure


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## AdÃ£o (Mar 26, 2013)

Hey guys here's an update of the enclosure... 





I made a completely new area for the enclosure because I'm getting two Russians tortoises...




I plant some spider plants and add a few rocks in other for them to exercise and for basking area... 





So they arrive this morning and I give them there first bath... 





I present Ã½ou " Tchee"! The male... HeÂ´s the one with the brightest head... 
And "NÃ´nÃ´", the female, the one with the darker head... 

Here they are in the enclosure special made for them... 



















And Tchee already eats something... 





I'm really happy with my new companions  Tell me what do you think of the enclosure and mi little fellas... 
Thank you


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## alliegaga (Mar 26, 2013)

Wow! That looks great, they look like they're loving it!


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## Torts4Life! (Mar 27, 2013)

Looks great!!! I Love your Torts, they'll be happy!!


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## AdÃ£o (Mar 27, 2013)

Thank you all... I'm glad you like it!


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## R114 (Mar 28, 2013)

Wow, very cool. One of the best indoor enclosures I've seen. Wish I was more handy, I just used a bookshelf lol. I need to add a 2nd story.


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