Enclosure size for 4 hermanns? viable?

[noyvex]

I have four one year old hermann tortoises, they were given to me, i didn't expect them. I'd like to house them as best as possible, they've outgrown their current enclosure and i want something future proof. I'm aware that depending on their sex I'll have to either separate them or give them away to someone else, or if i can't provide a big enough enclosure for them to live peacefully.

I have a glass balcony i can remodel that is almost 10ft long by 5ft wide approximately. The weather is great and it's almost like greenhouse.
I have a way bigger patio too, but the weather is not as ideal there, winter is cold, summer hits too hard. I live in southern spain, when i mean it gets hot in the patio i mean the sun hits 24/7 and it can be like 50 degrees easy, meanwhile in winter sun never even hits due to the orientation of the patio. I also have a small dog, so this isn't the most ideal option i think. It's not a soil patio, it's tiled.
In the patio there's a smaller fenced in area that is about 32-39ish square feet. I could put soil there somehow, but my space and weather concerns still stand.

Du you have any recommendations in general? Should i just keep one? is keeping them all viable in any way with my space options?

 

[wellington]

Unless you have a yard or a room inside the house you can designate to them, the two places you mentioned will not work as an appropriate sized enclosure when they are adults, then you should re-home them. The balcony/greenhouse is big enough for now but will get to hot. They need a closed chamber enclosure for about another year or two with high humidity and controlled heat and proper lighting. .

 

[noyvex]

I have four one year old hermann tortoises, they were given to me, i didn't expect them. I'd like to house them as best as possible, they've outgrown their current enclosure and i want something future proof. I'm aware that depending on their sex I'll have to either separate them or give them away to someone else, or if i can't provide a big enough enclosure for them to live peacefully.

I have a glass balcony i can remodel that is almost 10ft long by 5ft wide approximately. The weather is great and it's almost like greenhouse.
I have a way bigger patio too, but the weather is not as ideal there, winter is cold, summer hits too hard. I live in southern spain, when i mean it gets hot in the patio i mean the sun hits 24/7 and it can be like 50 degrees easy, meanwhile in winter sun never even hits due to the orientation of the patio. I also have a small dog, so this isn't the most ideal option i think. It's not a soil patio, it's tiled.
In the patio there's a smaller fenced in area that is about 32-39ish square feet. I could put soil there somehow, but my space and weather concerns still stand.

Du you have any recommendations in general? Should i just keep one? is keeping them all viable in any way with my space options?

for reference, these are:
1. balcony
2. fenced area in the patio
3. entire patio

whichever option i end up with, will of course will be conpletely changed and remodeled to a proper enclosure

 

[noyvex]

Unless you have a yard or a room inside the house you can designate to them, the two places you mentioned will not work as an appropriate sized enclosure when they are adults, then you should re-home them. The balcony/greenhouse is big enough for now but will get to hot. They need a closed chamber enclosure for about another year or two with high humidity and controlled heat and proper lighting. .

i just attached more pictures for reference in another comment, not sure if you can see them. In the balcony, the temperature is at max around 38°C, but will often stay lower, and in winter the minimum it could reach is like, say 13°C ish, while the patio reaches 50°C easy at the same hour. The humidity in the balcony is usually 40-50%.

Another option could potentially be keeping two on each in the long run, when the balcony is too small?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Another option could potentially be keeping two on each in the long run, when the balcony is too small?

Unfortunately tortoise of any species should NEVER be housed in pairs under any circumstances, they’re incredibly territorial, behaviours that look cute to us really aren’t, following one another and sleeping huddled up is all bullying the the tortoise world, you’ll eventually see more extreme signs of aggression.
Your best bet for right now I think, its setting up a large(literally as big as you can possibly go!) indoor greenhouse enclosure whilst they’re babies, hopefully this thread below might be of some use🙂

Housing young Russian/Herman

Hello there! In this thread, I’m going to include some information on an effective way to tackle a starter set up/a way you can build a bigger size once your baby is an adult. I know it looks a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered, I’m happy to break down any information...

tortoiseforum.org

Once they’re adults, they’ll definitely need sexing and separating as needed👍

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

i just attached more pictures for reference in another comment, not sure if you can see them. In the balcony, the temperature is at max around 38°C, but will often stay lower, and in winter the minimum it could reach is like, say 13°C ish, while the patio reaches 50°C easy at the same hour. The humidity in the balcony is usually 40-50%.

Another option could potentially be keeping two on each in the long run, when the balcony is too small?

Hello!
You can build a nice enclosure on the balcony. However, because of the glass it will be an indoors enclosure - with UVB lamps, heating and such. That's a pity because they really benefit from natural sunlight. In summer, it might be challenging to keep it cooler than 38C (ambient temperature of 38C is too high for tortoises to feel comfortable - they will try to burrow deep, seek shade and will fall in a sleep-like state). Patio can be a great option for the midseasons - when summer heat fades but it's not too cold during the day, especially if you can make removable shade sails.

Size-wise, 4x8 feet is a recommended minimum for one tortoise and you will need about extra 8 sq.ft for each tortoise you add to the enclosure.

When they are small it's possible to keep them all together but when they start to mature you may need to separate all 4 in the worst case (3 males and 1 female or 2 males and 2 females, for example). So, my advise is to start looking for good homes for the 3 of them and in the long term keep only one. This way you can ensure that all 4 little torts will be living under good care as dearly loved pets.

 

[wellington]

i just attached more pictures for reference in another comment, not sure if you can see them. In the balcony, the temperature is at max around 38°C, but will often stay lower, and in winter the minimum it could reach is like, say 13°C ish, while the patio reaches 50°C easy at the same hour. The humidity in the balcony is usually 40-50%.

Another option could potentially be keeping two on each in the long run, when the balcony is too small?

A constant 38c is too hot for the whole enclosure to be. Only the basking area should be that hot.
Keeping two is not an option unless you house them separately. Never keep tortoises in pairs.
I think your best bet is to keep one and make it an enclosure in your house where the temps can be better controlled. Then you could make it a patio enclosure for when it's not too hot.