Permanent habitat

mamameg

Active Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2017
Messages
172
Location (City and/or State)
Detroit, MI, USA
No. If your only going to build a 4x8ft enclosure you may aswell keep it low like a box so you don't have to heat a big area. I was thinking of a 8x10ft enclosure that you can walk into.

I'm now thinking you maybe better off with 2 enclosures. Build a 4x8ft indoor enclosure for winter, And build a 4x8 night box that is in a garden area for summer months.

Personally I would use a 8x10ft shed that you could grow tropical plants in. But that's me. I can't see a way of making it for less £1000. Also in the winter you will be able to sit in there watching your tort, and no doubt you'll want more in the future. Our weather is so unpredictable, with my tort house it doesn't matter.

Your tort is only small. You have months/years to build something big. Plan for it and do it correctly. No rush job :D

Thanks for your advice. A tropical greenhouse does sound fun and needed! How long do you think I have with her in my 40 gallon? I have been on the look out for used 100 gallons as well.
 

Anyfoot

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2014
Messages
6,309
Location (City and/or State)
UK Sheffield
Thanks for your advice. A tropical greenhouse does sound fun and needed! How long do you think I have with her in my 40 gallon? I have been on the look out for used 100 gallons as well.
Get a 2x4ft vivarium. This should last until about 18 months old. In this size viv you can hold parameters very easily, which is Critical to do for the first couple of years for smooth growth. Whilst your enjoying raising your baby work on a future permanent enclosure.
 

mamameg

Active Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2017
Messages
172
Location (City and/or State)
Detroit, MI, USA
Get a 2x4ft vivarium. This should last until about 18 months old. In this size viv you can hold parameters very easily, which is Critical to do for the first couple of years for smooth growth. Whilst your enjoying raising your baby work on a future permanent enclosure.

IMG_5064.jpgIMG_5065.jpgIMG_5066.jpg
 

Jake1363

Member
Joined
May 7, 2016
Messages
33
I live in PA and its is plenty humid outside but yes I understand the cold part and having to keep my tort inside half the year. I just built a green house in doors over my table its very cheap. Just a 18" 1" x1" piece of wood coming up from each corner. Then I put Velcro tape on each one and a very thick painters tarp. Then trim it up so it looks good and bam, I have a table that can easily stay 5°-10° warmer than the rest of my room and the humidity stays at 83% usually even with indoor heating which drys air out. O and I also have an extra bit that hangs off my table to its not a perfect rectangle so I don't cover that so air flow can come in but is low down so the heat dosnt just pour out.
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,388
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
@mamameg : I think your 3' width will be fine in the dining room. The length sounds good too. The tortoise will do just fine in there over the winter. I have mine in a much smaller area for winter, and there are 4 of them. They live in a large outdoor space during spring and summer. They soon get used to the smaller indoor space.
 

mamameg

Active Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2017
Messages
172
Location (City and/or State)
Detroit, MI, USA
I live in PA and its is plenty humid outside but yes I understand the cold part and having to keep my tort inside half the year. I just built a green house in doors over my table its very cheap. Just a 18" 1" x1" piece of wood coming up from each corner. Then I put Velcro tape on each one and a very thick painters tarp. Then trim it up so it looks good and bam, I have a table that can easily stay 5°-10° warmer than the rest of my room and the humidity stays at 83% usually even with indoor heating which drys air out. O and I also have an extra bit that hangs off my table to its not a perfect rectangle so I don't cover that so air flow can come in but is low down so the heat dosnt just pour out.
Thanks for your input! If you don't mind, whenever you get a chance, would you snap a picture of it? Inside and out? I love to draw more ideas from others habitats!
 

mamameg

Active Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2017
Messages
172
Location (City and/or State)
Detroit, MI, USA
@mamameg : I think your 3' width will be fine in the dining room. The length sounds good too. The tortoise will do just fine in there over the winter. I have mine in a much smaller area for winter, and there are 4 of them. They live in a large outdoor space during spring and summer. They soon get used to the smaller indoor space.
This is good to know. I think I might start with a 4x4 table top in my formal living room. Would you mind sharing photos of your indoor habitat? What are the ages of your redfoots? I'm considering getting a second.
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,388
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
The females are full grown, but the male is a juvenile. My"indoor" habitats are really outside - sheds. Nothing to look at.
 

mamameg

Active Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2017
Messages
172
Location (City and/or State)
Detroit, MI, USA
The females are full grown, but the male is a juvenile. My"indoor" habitats are really outside - sheds. Nothing to look at.
Do you have any pictures of them in their sheds? I am looking for outdoor ideas as well. Last summer she was just out occasionally in my raised garden bed.
 

mamameg

Active Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2017
Messages
172
Location (City and/or State)
Detroit, MI, USA
No, it's too dirty to have anyone here see. But it's the same as Dudley's shed:

https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/dudleys-rebuild.111350/
Hehe no worries on the dirty pens! This looks kinda similar to an indoor one I was thinking about doing if we end up building in the basement. Do you have all redfoots? Did you get the girls at the same time? Should I worry about Loretta getting too old for having a home companion?
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,388
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
No, I have a nice variety of species: regular leopard, SA leopard, RF, Manouria emys emys, YF, desert tortoises, Texas tortoises, Russians, one sulcata, 4 sub species of U.S. box turtle and a pond full of several kinds of water turtle.

One of our members went to China for a year and he gave me his two RF females, so they had lived together for quite a while. After I had them for a year or so I got a small male to put with them. As long as you get another RF around the same size, and quarantine it for at least 3 months before putting it with Loretta, it should be ok.
 

mamameg

Active Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2017
Messages
172
Location (City and/or State)
Detroit, MI, USA
No, I have a nice variety of species: regular leopard, SA leopard, RF, Manouria emys emys, YF, desert tortoises, Texas tortoises, Russians, one sulcata, 4 sub species of U.S. box turtle and a pond full of several kinds of water turtle.

One of our members went to China for a year and he gave me his two RF females, so they had lived together for quite a while. After I had them for a year or so I got a small male to put with them. As long as you get another RF around the same size, and quarantine it for at least 3 months before putting it with Loretta, it should be ok.
Holy cow! That sounds fun! Ugh if I only had the room!
 

Anyfoot

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2014
Messages
6,309
Location (City and/or State)
UK Sheffield
@Anyfoot is doing as well or better with his Redfoot group in the cold and dreary U.K as any of us here in the steamy, tropical state of Florida.
He knows his stuff.
Does this mean we are officially a bromance Ed :D:D:D.
I'm just in the process of helping someone over here kit their shed out into a mini tropical house for her rescued redfoots.
I'll get photos of work in progress.
 

Redfoot NERD

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Dec 5, 2007
Messages
3,666
Location (City and/or State)
Tennessee
I don't dare show how I've kept mine in the winter 7-8 months out of the year - for more than one! Everyone here acts like redfoot tortoises are hiking around all of the time.. and what are you putting in your enclosures that takes up floor space. ALL of mine are in the hide MOST of the day. What are y'all's doing??? ( ignore me @mamameg - I've only hatched 2nd generation redfoots - I don't know anything)
 

mamameg

Active Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2017
Messages
172
Location (City and/or State)
Detroit, MI, USA
I don't dare show how I've kept mine in the winter 7-8 months out of the year - for more than one! Everyone here acts like redfoot tortoises are hiking around all of the time.. and what are you putting in your enclosures that takes up floor space. ALL of mine are in the hide MOST of the day. What are y'all's doing??? ( ignore me @mamameg - I've only hatched 2nd generation redfoots - I don't know anything)

So what does your habitat look like? Pictures! I want her indoor and outdoor habitats to look not only appealing to the tortoise eye, but the human eye as well. :)
 

mamameg

Active Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2017
Messages
172
Location (City and/or State)
Detroit, MI, USA
Does this mean we are officially a bromance Ed :D:D:D.
I'm just in the process of helping someone over here kit their shed out into a mini tropical house for her rescued redfoots.
I'll get photos of work in progress.

Pictures or it didn't happen :)
 

Redfoot NERD

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Dec 5, 2007
Messages
3,666
Location (City and/or State)
Tennessee
So what does your habitat look like? Pictures! I want her indoor and outdoor habitats to look not only appealing to the tortoise eye, but the human eye as well. :)

I'm going to go out on a limb here and talk practical! I have raised hatchlings to be 6-8" -- take a wild guess how long that took? 6-8 YEARS!!! Unless you feed them like a horse.. you want to grow them "slow and steady". I wonder how many here that are showing these HUGE enclosures know how long it takes for a redfoot to get to be 10-12" SCL ??? @mamameg do you think that your life or life-style will change in the next 10-12 YEARS?

I HAVE FOUND.. FWIW - a rectangular enclosure is better than a square because they don't go from their food dish [ on one end ] to their hide area [ on the opposite end ] in a zig-zag fashion... mine have always gone in a straight line. SO - right now 15-18" wide would be plenty wide enough x 4' long will be good for the next 3-4 years.

Over the past 10-12 years of keeping and breeding.. I've changed and upgraded at least 5 times for any hatchlings from 2006. A "lifetime" enclosure now would probably over-whelm your yearling.. I'm sure!

I build for 'purpose' only : For my young/mature adults -- 32" 'wide' x 12' long - cypress mulch substrate.. a water dish and a piece of slate to feed on. One end is their sleeping area ( 4' ) the other end has a single UVB bulb in a clamp light fixture over the slate.

If I were you I would look for [ or build a 'tortoise table' in the space you have ] a 55 gallon aquarium ( foot-print.. 12" x 48" ) or maybe a lower profile "breeder' style like a 40 ( foot print.. 18" by 36" or a 75 of 18" by 48" } - the 75 would probably by ideal.. even tho' quite big for a yearling . Hope this helped ?
 

New Posts

Top