Justin 15
Member
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2015
- Messages
- 54
Hi guys this is speedy'a enclosure. Had him in here for over a year now. What do you guys think? Is there any problems? I know it's a bit basic. :|
Hi Yvonne. How big should a tort's enclosure be? Appreciate an answer, as I have decided to change Oli's enclosure. However, I need help and advice here. Thank you.It's a beautiful enclosure, however, it's way too small for that tortoise. Any chance you can get him outside?
Looks beautiful! Congrats.
It's a beautiful enclosure, however, it's way too small for that tortoise. Any chance you can get him outside?
Hi. Do you think that a two x six enclosure would suit an adult Greek tortoise?I agree with the consensus. It needs to be bigger. Two by six is a good place to start. I keep marginateds, and whenever they're indoors during inclement weather (which thankfully isn't as inclement as it must be in Scotland during much of the year, no offense, but your winters must be rather rough), I keep them in six foot diameter kiddie pools, which pales in comparison to their six foot by eighteen foot outdoor enclosures. Tortoises need space, and you can provide it for them relatively cheaply, but there is, unfortunately, no two ways about it. The cage top is also inefficient, as far as heat is concerned. Something with a closed top would be more effective at enclosing and stabilizing essential humidity and temperature.
I know it's often difficult to hear this sort of advice. Lord knows I was once in your shoes, keeping tortoises in overly small, overly dry enclosures, most assured that I was doing things properly. However, once I got around to changing my husbandry practices, invested more in the care and housing of my charges, there was a world of difference when I compared the state of my tortoises then with the state of them now. Put simply, there is no comparison. They are far more healthy, lively, and strong than I've ever seen them.
T.G.
You should start your own thread instead of piggybacking on someone else's. You'll get a better response.Hi. Do you think that a two x six enclosure would suit an adult Greek tortoise?
I'd very much appreciate an answer. Thank you.
I like it! Got my tortoise last Thursday, no where near that big yet However I really like your enclosure and your tortoise looks really healthy/happy!
That's a great looking enclosure! The biggest problem is that it really is too small. My adult Hermann (5.5") has a 2 x 6' enclosure... Even that is on the small side, but using plants, etc, to break up sight lines definitely helps make it seem big to him! Any chance you can make your enclosure bigger?
I agree with the consensus. It needs to be bigger. Two by six is a good place to start. I keep marginateds, and whenever they're indoors during inclement weather (which thankfully isn't as inclement as it must be in Scotland during much of the year, no offense, but your winters must be rather rough), I keep them in six foot diameter kiddie pools, which pales in comparison to their six foot by eighteen foot outdoor enclosures. Tortoises need space, and you can provide it for them relatively cheaply, but there is, unfortunately, no two ways about it. The cage top is also inefficient, as far as heat is concerned. Something with a closed top would be more effective at enclosing and stabilizing essential humidity and temperature.
I know it's often difficult to hear this sort of advice. Lord knows I was once in your shoes, keeping tortoises in overly small, overly dry enclosures, most assured that I was doing things properly. However, once I got around to changing my husbandry practices, invested more in the care and housing of my charges, there was a world of difference when I compared the state of my tortoises then with the state of them now. Put simply, there is no comparison. They are far more healthy, lively, and strong than I've ever seen them.
T.G.
I've done it already and did NOT get much help. Therefore, please do not be so hurtful in your answers instead of helping!You should start your own thread instead of piggybacking on someone else's. You'll get a better response.
2' is a little narrow, but it would work.
You and I have more in common than I initially figured, Justin. I was fifteen once, back in the nineties, and I too know of the difficulties in maintaining a tortoise under the fiscal limitations of your folks' tolerance (and my old man was the one who got me into the hobby, so I can only imagine the challenges you face doing this on your own). With me, it was always a situation in which I butted heads with my old man, given that we both had very different views on the nature of tortoises. Not to get into it too deeply, but he and I often squared off on varying strategies for their care. Keep in mind that this was back in the nineties and early 2000s. We didn't have resources like the forum back then, so there was a lot of bad information going around, and though he was often wrong in his arguments, I was often just as wrong. I killed my fair share of tortoises, given my enormous ignorance, and I tend to think that I've made more than my share of mistakes over the years. It's funny, given that my old man passed on a few years back, and now I've taken full charge of the herd, armed with a great deal of knowledge I've acquired and had reinforced by members on the forum. This is truly an invaluable resource, and it's the best kind of resource, given that it is always flexing and changing as we members collectively learn more and more. Tortoises are truly complex creatures, and the reality is that we've only really scratched the surface when it comes to how they operate, from a behavioral, ecological, and genetic standpoint.
Gillian, to answer your question, it can work, sure. However, I've always been of the "size definitely matters" school of thought when it comes to tortoise enclosures. My first tortoise was a Turkish ibera named Graecus, and I still have him in my collection. As he was the first, he maintains something of a favored status, and I recently remodeled his enclosure to a whopping nine by twenty feet. And he uses every square inch of the thing, given that he's such a tenacious beast. I mean, at the moment, it is still burning hot out, so his activity levels have dropped (as is to be expected this time of year), but in the spring and autumn months, I swear, that little guy runs five miles per day inside his enclosure. I don't know if he's unusual in this regard, given that I've never encountered a tortoise as vigilant (or brutal; I've never been able to house him with anyone, as he automatically resorts to ramming and viscous biting, even against a red eared slider that once escaped into his enclosure; I mean, he will literally attack anything with a shell) and tenacious as he is, but I know that Graecus would never settle for anything smaller than six by twelve. Every autumn during the prelude to hibernation, he is always at the walls of his kiddy pool, given the fact that the six foot diameter circle isn't enough space for him. He pushes all the topsoil in the pool to the center in his attempts to scale the walls before the pre-hibernation fast takes his energy levels down a notch. What's crazy about him is that he's an old man, I would guess he's at least fifty years old, given that he's jet black now, but when I first got him twenty some odd years ago, he had a little gold and yellow. He still does on his plastron, but everything else has turned a charcoal grey. Despite his years, he's as robust and outgoing as ever.
T.G.