Enclosure size inside bigger enclosure?

[morbank]

Hello -- We've had 2 Russians for about 3+ years now. They were originally rescues, and when we received them we were told that they had lived together for years, so we made them one enclosure. We quickly learned that one was male and the other female, and they weren't suitable to live together in the same enclosure. So we split them up. The male is about 5" in length, and the female is about 8" in length.

Our problem is that we need to relocate their living area, as our side yard is being remodeled, and there won't be room for them afterwards. We have a 600 sq. ft atrium in our house which gets varying degrees of sunlight. We also live in a mild climate in Southern California, so it is safe for them to be outdoors 24/7. From past observation it seems as though the atrium is big enough to give the tortoises space, and the male tortoise does not seem as aggressive as when they were stuck in an enclosure together.

So, my question is, if we build two small enclosures inside the atrium, how small could they be? Would 3' x 5' enclosures for each suffice, if they are mostly staying in there at night and when they hibernate? Because of the configuration of the atrium, the enclosures would have to be that size; if not suitable then we would try to find another location for them.

Thanks for your advice.

 

[Tom]

Outside all the time is fine for them as long as they have shelter from excessive heat and cold. A little night box with a heat source controlled by a thermostat inside would be a good idea for spring and fall. Our temps are intermittently too warm here for them to hibernate outside.

3x5' for each tortoise would be adequate, but bigger would be better. You will need to continue to house them separately.

Look in the enclosure section for all sorts of enclosure building inspiration.

 

[Jodie]

That size, while not ideal, would work. How do you keep the temps low enough for them to hibernate there?

 

[morbank]

That size, while not ideal, would work. How do you keep the temps low enough for them to hibernate there?

I don't keep the temps low--mother nature does! Not sure about this winter but every winter since we've had them they've hibernated. Thanks for your concern but I'm not worried about the weather -- just the size of the enclosures.