First Tortoise - enclosure opinion

[Kms4444]

Hello there, my name is kathleen and I live in south Florida. I have finally decided on getting a hermanns tortoise (captive bred) and keeping it in an outdoor enclosure. I have referenced a lot of Camp Kenan’s videos on YouTube and trust his advice on the species. I have a large backyard with some nice shady areas as well as full sun areas. I have been looking online for an enclosure that wouldn’t have to build from scratch. This is one I found on Home Depot and wanted to see if you guys thought this would be a good one to purchase. I will have time (I work from home) to also let him roam around supervised outside of the enclosure. Thanks for any input!

7.9 ft. x 3.8 ft. x 2.6 ft.​

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello! SO glad you’ve made your way to the forum before getting your baby! Whilst camp kenan does have some good information, unfortunately some of the care methods he recommends aren’t the best way to do things, some of the advice he gives carries risks that he doesn’t expand on properly or give people the resources to do themselves.

You can build trust within this community by asking as many questions as possible, if something doesn’t sound right, please ask for us to expand on it, members are always happy to back their information up.

I’m presuming this will be a baby you’re getting? Babies are best raised in closed chamber enclosures, not only do they help to maintain a higher humidity, which aids in a smoother growth, they also allow you to control your environment much easier during that vital stage. Your baby will need to remain in its closed chamber for the first two years or so, though an hour or two in a safe shady outdoor set up is ok.

Once adults they need at least 8x4ft of space, though there are a few different shapes you can play around with to make up the square footage.

Please never let your tortoise roam outside of a safe enclosure, indoor free roams really take their toll on their health over time, they aren’t domesticated and need to remain in an environment that best mimics their natural habitat, if you’re taking about free roaming outdoors, you’d be surprised how many people have lost their tortoise that way, it’s definitely not worth the risk.

I think you’ll find these links super helpful to go over;

A great one for new comers;

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

This housing thread covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc, definitely double check the bulb types), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger tortoises(only way to maintain the humidity you need), appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, and a really handy diet link to check out! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better! But I’ll add some more ideas below for closed chambers

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

This is toms care guide;

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

This includes a bunch of closed chamber options, some work better than others

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

This includes lots of inspiration for an adult set up both indoors and out for when the time comes. The indoor bit has some good ideas to tackle indoor space whilst still providing the needed roaming room! Check comments too, I’m always adding to it. I know the recommended adult size is intimidating to some, especially if you’ve been lead into thinking he’ll be fine in a smaller set up(very common) but tortoises long term health really does rely on lots of roaming room

Enclosure inspiration

Howdy folks! Hope everyone is well! As you all know, I’m a big fan of making threads that cater more towards visual learners like myself, I’ve really been wanting to create a thread full of adult enclosure inspiration for a while now, I’ve managed to find some great references over time! I do...

tortoiseforum.org

Lastly, this one here is probably most important to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

I really hope this helps! Sorry is so much to go over, but please take all the time you need and ask any further questions, welcome to the forum

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Welcome to the forum! Are you getting a hatchling or an older tortoise?

 

[Kms4444]

Welcome to the forum! Are you getting a hatchling or an older tortoise?

A 5 year old tortoise

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

If it’s a fine year old tortoise you’re getting, you don’t need a closed chamber, you can check this housing thread out instead

Housing adult Russian and Hermans indoors

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information an example of an appropriate indoor set up for an older Herman/russian. As much as it’s encouraged to have tortoises in a safe outdoor enclosure, I understand being from the uk myself, that some climates make it difficult to...

tortoiseforum.org