Good Enclosure Size?

[EddieAndHannah]

I’m looking to buy a new enclosure for my russian tortoise. I’m horrible at handy work so I’ll probably get one off Etsy that’s handmade. I found a tortoise table that’s 100 x 15 x 50. It’s got another small tier that doubles as a hide underneath. Do you guys think this is a good sized enclosure or should I keep looking?

 

[Krista S]

I’m looking to buy a new enclosure for my russian tortoise. I’m horrible at handy work so I’ll probably get one off Etsy that’s handmade. I found a tortoise table that’s 100 x 15 x 50. It’s got another small tier that doubles as a hide underneath. Do you guys think this is a good sized enclosure or should I keep looking?

I am assuming your measurements are in cm. If that is the case, that is way too small. You need to look for something closer to 4 feet x 8 feet which would be about 120 cm x 240 cm and you‘d want the walls around 45 to 60 cm tall.

Here is a link to an excellent care sheet that will help explain more.

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...

www.tortoiseforum.org

 

[Lyn W]

Keep looking!
Some people have used upvc raised garden beds which are usually 4x4 feet but you can get packs of 2 and make it 4 x 8. They look great. Some come with a plastic tent which will help with humidity too. I'll see if I can find some pics.
If you google the above you may find them on Amazon or in Costco (UK)
They aren't cheap but you'll get more use out of them than a small table so more cost effective in the long run.

 

[EddieAndHannah]

I am assuming your measurements are in cm. If that is the case, that is way too small. You need to look for something closer to 4 feet x 8 feet which would be about 120 cm x 240 cm and you‘d want the walls around 45 to 60 cm tall.

Here is a link to an excellent care sheet that will help explain more.

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...

www.tortoiseforum.org

Yes it is in cm, thank you! Will definitely continue to look ?

 

[EddieAndHannah]

Keep looking!
Some people have used upvc raised garden beds which are usually 4x4 feet but you can get packs of 2 and make it 4 x 8. They look great. Some come with a plastic tent which will help with humidity too. I'll see if I can find some pics.
If you google the above you may find them on Amazon or in Costco (UK)
They aren't cheap but you'll get more use out of them than a small table so more cost effective in the long run.

Oh wow I did google them, they do look great! Will have to measure it out to see if it would fit somewhere in my house.

 

[Lyn W]

Here it is.......
These are Lifetime Raised Garden beds but there is a make beginning with V from Costco that was posted a couple of months ago. The member (Elohi) has stacked 2 to make it higher but you can have it lower with more floor space and cap the top edges to stop your Russian scaling the walls.

 

[Yossarian]

BIG VIVARIUMS Archives - Southdown Aquatics - You can get suitable sized vivs from here as well.

 

[Lyn W]

This is Elohi's thread about how she set it up.
It's for her leopard and it may need some tweaking to suit a Russian but the caresheet will help you there.

Closed Chamber: Leopard Edition

Hey all. Just wanted to do an update on my leopard enclosure. It is still working very well. The lifetime raised bed is a GREAT indoor enclosure option for younger tortoises or for overwintering yearlings through juveniles. Here are some photos. Clear heavy duty shower curtain secured...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[EddieAndHannah]

Here it is.......
These are Lifetime Raised Garden beds but there is a make beginning with V from Costco that was posted a couple of months ago. The member (Elohi) has stacked 2 to make it higher but you can have it lower with more floor space and cap the top edges to stop your Russian scaling the walls.
View attachment 321827

That looks amazing! Will definetly look into that!

 

[Lyn W]

There's always the option of using a large bookcase on its back with the shelves removed and lining it with a shower curtain, but you would probably have to make the sides higher and cap the edges. You could then use a plastic portable greenhouse over the top.

 

[Lyn W]

Just looking at your avatar and wondering what the substrate is you have there?

 

[EddieAndHannah]

Just looking at your avatar and wondering what the substrate is you have there?

It’s an old photo, when I got him I was given newspaper pellets to house him on but later found out they weren’t suitable, I use orchid bark now!