4x8 FT. MINIMUM IS NOT FOR ALL TORTOISE

[wellington]

I have noticed a few times that people are recommending the 4x8 foot minimum for almost all tortoises.
This size is only for Russians, Hermanns, and a few other small species that we don't really see much of on here.
It is not a minimum for any of the tortoise that get larger.

 

[biochemnerd808]

Agreed. And even for smaller species, 4x8 sounds awfully small. I built multiple 10ft x 10ft habitats, and the RTs use every inch. I'm already redesigning expansions, to give them more space.

Things that make a habitat feel bigger: break up the sight distance. Make hills and valleys and put rocks and shrubs in the way so the tortoise can't see more than a foot or so at a time. Put in different ground materials, soil, river rock, flat rocks, even an area that is harder to traverse. Add driftwood and larger rocks.

I want to make a 'spare' habitat that I cna rotate three tortoises at a time into when the weeds in another habitat get sparse. Giving one habitat a chance to regrow the plants.

I think rather than asking ourselves how small we can get away with, we need to think bigger: how much space can I afford to give the tortoises? And... Then get creative and stretch the budget. Freecycle and Buy Nothing are good sources for free building materials. Habitat for Humanity Re-Stores have super cheap materials. Neighborhood recycling/clean-up day can also bring out a lot of good stuff usable for a good tortoise build.

 

[biochemnerd808]

Edit for above: when I talk about rotating tortoises through a habitat, they are all the same species. Captive bred Russian tortoises, in a closed group.

 

[wellington]

Totally agree with everything biochemnerd808 said. Always try to go bigger for any species.
But remember the 4x8 minimum is for the Mediterranean species, mainly Russian and Hermanns.

 

[Tom]

Totally agree with everything biochemnerd808 said. Always try to go bigger for any species.
But remember the 4x8 minimum is for the Mediterranean species, mainly Russian and Hermanns.

And greeks.

 

[wellington]

And greeks.

I wasn't sure if the Greeks got bigger or not. That's why I included the Mediterranean species as I knew the Greeks were included in there. Just don't see many on here.