Greek Tortoise habitat

Joe Stevens

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Spike is the one on.the bottom of my profile picture and Sheldon is the one on the top in case you need clarification
 

WithLisa

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2500 square inches is 17 square feet - we suggest 4'x2' as a minimum = 8 square feet.
Either your tort has loads of space or you math is wrong.
The suggestion I always read on here is 8'x4' = 32 square feet as a minimum...
My torts are about 3" long and their enclosure is a little over 30 square feet. I wouldn't call that loads of space, I'll enlarge it next year.

Or maybe my math is also wrong? :confused:

There are 12 inches in 1 foot. If Spike is that size then you have an aldabra not a sulcata :D
The sulcatas I've seen at the zoo were at least 2' long. According to Wikipedia they can reach 33". ;)
Spike looks quite impressive in the picture, I'm curious to know how big he is! :tort:
 

Yvonne G

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Well spike my sulcata usually has free roam of the garden and then sleeps and rests in a dog house type thing. He's only met my Greek a few times and it didn't go very well, for some reason he's always running after him I try to slow him down so he doesn't crush my Greek but that just makes him go faster. So yes there would be room but it might agitate Spike, do you think he'd learn that he is a friend not food? Spikes 15 and Sheldons only 3 in case you needed to know that, thanks for all the help

You shouldn't allow different species to cohabitate, Joe. Make a separate pen for the Greek. You can have a heated house for him for cool days, but right now Southern California weather is probably just right for a Greek tortoise.
 

JoesMum

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The suggestion I always read on here is 8'x4' = 32 square feet as a minimum...
My torts are about 3" long and their enclosure is a little over 30 square feet. I wouldn't call that loads of space, I'll enlarge it next year.

Or maybe my math is also wrong? :confused:


The sulcatas I've seen at the zoo were at least 2' long. According to Wikipedia they can reach 33". ;)
Spike looks quite impressive in the picture, I'm curious to know how big he is! :tort:
You are quite right on size and I shouldn't multi task on TFO and at home.

Sorry for the confusion 8'x4' minimum = 32 square feet is correct
 

Yvonne G

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Hi Joe:

Here's an example of what you can do for the Greek:

Luke1211-01.jpg


or this one out of wood:

tortscondo1_zps1bfce276.jpg


You can make one like this only in a smaller version:

14bp503.jpg


This one is a dog kennel:

th_DSC00365.jpg


Here's one made out of concrete blocks:

enclosure014.jpg


Whatever you do, be sure that the sulcata can't push the walls and get into it. It would probably be best to use the house or existing privacy fence as part of the enclosure walls.
 

Joe Stevens

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Thx for everyone whos helping I really appreciate it my garden isn't the biggest and we got spike afterwards from a family who cemented their garden and had to get rid of him so we expected Sheldon to have free roam of the garden but plans change ill see what I can do when I get home ill try and post a picture of my enclosure and the lengths and widths. I'm feeling.quite sick today so thats probably why I said two feet (for some reason j thought a foot was 6 inches).Spikes about three sheldons so about 15 feet ill get the exact measurement when I get home. Thanks again for everything!
 

JoesMum

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I hope you're feeling better.

Think of Spike as a bulldozer. Sulcatas have this habit of going where they darn well please. At around 15" Spike is big and heavy enough to push his way into anything he wants to get at it unless it is very well built. Make sure he can't see into Sheldon's enclosure which will help to reduce his determination to get in.
 

Joe Stevens

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Do you think if he starts to get at it I can super glue the cracks back or will that harm Sheldon, I'm nearing the end of building my enclosure
 

Sara G.

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I wouldn't build an enclosure that you think will crack to be honest. Maybe I missed it but did you say what you're building your enclosure out of?
 

Joe Stevens

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Wood boards nit sure the stuff has been in my garage for like.a year now and hasn't been touched
 

Sara G.

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As long as the boards are high enough so your Sully can't see in and your Greek can't see out. And as long as your Sully can't climb in, Greek climb out.
Then you should be fine
If you're worried about it being strong enough I would put support posts along it. So the wood boards are nailed to the support posts (with the support posts inside your Greek's enclosure).
I don't know how many would be needed though.
Other people use cinder blocks I think to build enclosures but I don't know how well they would hold up against a bulldozer--I mean sully ;)
 
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