Hello From Massachusetts

Sandradoucet12 · Sep 2, 2018

I have a russian tortoise. She was given to me from a friend that had to move. She was originally in a terrarium. 4' x 1'
Yes, not ideal. All day she would walk into the glass. So I built this for her. It is 40" x30"
It is the biggest I could go. Next summer , I will be building an outsode enclosure. I should also add that when I got her all she ate was romaine lettuce. Now she eats kale , strawberries, green beans..

Tim Carlisle · Sep 2, 2018

Nicely decorated table ya got there. If I make one suggestion though... you should replace that food/water dish with a shallower terra cotta style dish. The one you have is notorious for allowing torts to flip upside down. Welcome to the forum!

Sandradoucet12 · Sep 2, 2018

Mizcreant said:
Nicely decorated table ya got there. If I make one suggestion though... you should replace that food/water dish with a shallower terra cotta style dish. The one you have is notorious for allowing torts to flip upside down. Welcome to the forum!

Oh really! I didnt know. They were given to me with the tortoise. So, something like this? 1 for food and 1 for water?

Tim Carlisle · Sep 2, 2018

Sandradoucet12 said:
Oh really! I didnt know. They were given to me with the tortoise. So, something like this? 1 for food and 1 for water? View attachment 250277

Exactly! Bury it within the substrate and your ruskie will have no problem.

Sandradoucet12 · Sep 2, 2018

Mizcreant said:
Exactly! Bury it within the substrate and your ruskie will have no problem.

Thank you!

Tim Carlisle · Sep 2, 2018

Sandradoucet12 said:
Thank you!

Welcome!

William Bjerglund · Sep 2, 2018

Welcome! but be a little careful feeding her strawberries they have a high sugar count and russians don't need sugar so they should be treated as a treat

TriciaStringer · Sep 2, 2018

You were surely blessed by your friend. What a doll! You did a great job on the table. She will be super excited next year with an outdoor enclosure. My only suggestion is to make sure she can't climb out. They are amazing climbers and escape artists. The only spot I noticed was the little hut being close to the wall. She could use the wall and the side/edge of the hut as leverage and get out. We are still working on our outdoor enclosure and adding on to it. The bigger the better.
Enjoy your new tort!

Yvonne G · Sep 2, 2018

Welcome!

Sandradoucet12 · Sep 2, 2018

William Bjerglund said:
Welcome! but be a little careful feeding her strawberries they have a high sugar count and russians don't need sugar so they should be treated as a treat

Thank you!

Sandradoucet12 · Sep 2, 2018

TriciaStringer said:
You were surely blessed by your friend. What a doll! You did a great job on the table. She will be super excited next year with an outdoor enclosure. My only suggestion is to make sure she can't climb out. They are amazing climbers and escape artists. The only spot I noticed was the little hut being close to the wall. She could use the wall and the side/edge of the hut as leverage and get out. We are still working on our outdoor enclosure and adding on to it. The bigger the better.
Enjoy your new tort!

I'm actually in the process of adding a little fence around it because I have two dogs. I will post a picture when I am done. Thank you!

Sandradoucet12 · Sep 2, 2018

How does this look now??

Tim Carlisle · Sep 2, 2018

That is the single most colorful enclosure I've seen yet. Kudos!

Sandradoucet12 · Sep 2, 2018

Mizcreant said:
That is the single most colorful enclosure I've seen yet. Kudos!

Thank you! I am waiting on some russian tortoise seed too. Fill in the middle. Make it more like "home"

crimson_lotus · Sep 2, 2018

Welcome! from MA as well. You lucked out on getting a Russian, a tortoise that is more acclimated to our type of climate.

Your enclosure looks good, but I still worry about him climbing over the walls. My tortoise, with her hind legs stretched, can nearly reach the top of her enclosure walls. Russians are also known to be quite the escape artists, so be careful.

Other than the enclosure wall height, you did a wonderful job. I am sure he/she is happy to have you as an owner.

Sandradoucet12 · Sep 2, 2018

crimson_lotus said:
Welcome! from MA as well. You lucked out on getting a Russian, a tortoise that is more acclimated to our type of climate.

Your enclosure looks good, but I still worry about him climbing over the walls. My tortoise, with her hind legs stretched, can nearly reach the top of her enclosure walls. Russians are also known to be quite the escape artists, so be careful.

Other than the enclosure wall height, you did a wonderful job. I am sure he/she is happy to have you as an owner.

Should I put the gate the whole way around it?

crimson_lotus · Sep 2, 2018

Sandradoucet12 said:
Should I put the gate the whole way around it?

To me it looks like the gaps in the gate might be big enough for her to get through, or weak enough for her to knock it over. I would suggest just adding more wood to the perimeter to prevent your tort and your dogs from knocking the gate down especially.

Sandradoucet12 · Sep 2, 2018

crimson_lotus said:
To me it looks like the gaps in the gate might be big enough for her to get through, or weak enough for her to knock it over. I would suggest just adding more wood to the perimeter to prevent your tort and your dogs from knocking the gate down especially.

I did double up the gate to fill in the gaps . But only next to her house. I could double it up the whole way. I have 7" from the substrate to the top of the box. That's not enough? I put a baby gate on the couch . so I am not worried about the dogs. They are good.

crimson_lotus · Sep 3, 2018

Sandradoucet12 said:
I did double up the gate to fill in the gaps . But only next to her house. I could double it up the whole way. I have 7" from the substrate to the top of the box. That's not enough? I put a baby gate on the couch . so I am not worried about the dogs. They are good.

I don't think 7 inches is enough, so my suggestion is either adding to the border or putting up another baby gate to be safe

Make sure that the tort can't climb the gate! https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/never-escape-proof-enough.93326/

Sandradoucet12 · Sep 3, 2018

crimson_lotus said:
I don't think 7 inches is enough, so my suggestion is either adding to the border or putting up another baby gate to be safe

Make sure that the tort can't climb the gate! https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/never-escape-proof-enough.93326/

Thank you!

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