Enclosure

[david133]

hello Would this terrarium be suitable for temporary housing (for 1-2 years) less than 1 year juvenile russian tortoise? Size 100 length, width 50, height 43, this terrarium with a wooden lid, it maintains good humidity and temperature, there are ventilation holes.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello and welcome!🥰If I’m being honest I don’t think it will last too long because of the size, you might get away with it for a year though🙂

I’m going to drop some information on how to set up once your guy is an adult, if you decide to go with this from the get go, I’d add a greenhouse topper for the higher humidity they’re going to need till around the age of 3👍

As adults they need a minimum of an 8x4 enclosure, roaming is vital to tortoise health, it aids digestion and strengthen their muscles.

Here's some information on an example of an appropriate indoor set up, it includes the correct levels and equipment etc, including the appropriate indoor uv

Basking light should be an incandescent floodlight(example attached) on a 12 hour timer.

Basking temperature directly under the floodlight should be 95-100f. The rest of the enclosure should be ranging 75-80 during the day.

You may also wish to add ambient lighting on the same timer, providing shady areas with hides and safe plants.

Then CHE/CHE’s(ceramic heat emitters) always on a thermostat, for night heat if your house drops below 60’s at night. Set the thermostat for a night temperature place the probe in their cooler end, plug the che into it and the thermostat into the mains, it’ll be plugged in 24/7 but will only turn on when the temperature drops. Don’t worry if the enclosure stays around 65 without them.

Indoor Uv should be a t5 fluorescent tube, avoid the compact and coil uv bulbs, they don’t give out enough uv and can hurt the tortoises eyes. The uv can be on a 4 hour timer from noon. I’ve attached examples of the two brands to go for and some examples of how to mount them. The reptisun is just the bulb so the reflector needs buying separate. Cheaper knock off brands are unreliable.

With lighting always avoid anything labelled halogen or mercury vapour.

For substrates, either coco coir, dampened and packed down by hand as a base, with a layer of orchid(fir not pine) bark or forest floor on top, or just the orchid bark/forest floor. Never use anything with sand mixed in, no top soils and no kinds of moss. The problem with top soil is unless you’ve composted it yourself, you don’t know what kind of plants have gone into it, it could be something toxic. Sand can irritate the eyes and be an impaction risk, moss is an impaction risk too.

You want to aim to have the bottom layer of substrate damp, to do this pour lukewarm water into the corners, not loads but enough to dampen the entire bottom layer. To stop that top layer getting a little too dry/dusty, mix the substrate now n then. Check your monitors and substrate to do the pours as and when needed.

I’d personally recommend you make your own base to go as big as you possibly can for the space you have. The closer you can get to an 8x4 size the better. Whilst younger, smaller is fine🙂

When making your base, just make sure the material is safe, some use flower beds, or take a large bookcase, take out the shelves and lie flat, or just make their own, for all these options I’d line with cheap pond liner to protect the base, making sure the liner goes up the sides too and make sure those sides are deep enough! They can be professional escape artists😂

I’ve also included examples of stands people make/buy to hang their lighting, use a temperature gun to determine how high the basking bulb needs to be, the uv I suggested needs to be mounted 18-20 inches from the substrate.

For a water dish a shallow terracotta saucer is considered safest, they have grip in the event your tortoise flips themselves, most pet store options are a known hazard.

I’d also always recommend getting your hands on a temp gun, they’re SO handy when setting up a new environment or for checking your monitors are correct🙂

This link below is also so handy when it comes to the diet side of things! Perhaps you could buy seeds online and plant them in organic soil the tortoise doesn’t have access to? Forage them as they grow😁

The Tortoise Table - Home

The Tortoise Table plant database and resource site for Tortoise owners

www.thetortoisetable.org.uk

Hopefully some of this helps and you can apply the info on the equipment side of things to whatever set up you go with, all the best🥰

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello!
I presume the size is in centimeters? If so, the terrarium is a little smaller than "starter" size of 4x2 ft (120x60 cm). But should work for a baby or yearling Russian tortoise (especially, if can provide him some secure outdoor space for exercise).

However, I don't like a couple of things about this enclosure (all of this are non-critical):
1. Height of 16 inches limits your choice of UVB lamps. With 4-6 inches of substrate you will have only 10-12 inches from the lamp to surface.
2. Top lid is not super convenient for any maintenance in the terrarium (spot cleaning, replacing water dish and such). Also it limits space available for mounting lights and heating (basking lamp, UVB tube, ambient lights).