Greetings from WV!

[lbailey4487]

Hello! I am in the learning stage of getting a tortoise! I would like one that could stay in an outdoor habitat longer into our WV springs and falls, so I’m thinking a Russian or get a permit for a box turtle. The little guy or gal will have an indoor enclosure in both my classroom at school and home and an outdoor enclosure in each, as well. I’m looking for the best set ups now and trying to beef up my knowledge. If I’m reading everything here correctly, could this hardwood mulch I found cheap work well as a substrate? Also, I’m concerned about digging out of the outside enclosures. Would laying pavers around the perimeter prevent it? Or would I need something like the dig barriers used under fences to keep small dogs contained? Digging the walls down into the ground is difficult because of the rockiness of our ground. Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[EppsDynasty]

Welcome to tort Paradise. You will interact with real people that love tortoises and know what they are doing, experts ya might say. Someone will be along soon to answer your questions, just wanted to say a friendly hello. This world is FULL of wrong information about everything Tortoise so please be careful where you get info and care advice from. Here is NOT that but it is the exact opposite.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello and welcome!

Someone can advised better on the outdoor enclosure than me, but indoor wise, feel free to check out these threads! I think you’ll find them helpful🙂if you’re thinking about getting a hatching, they’ll need housing inside a closed chamber for roughly the first 3 years or so, this thread goes over that

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

And here’s how to set up indoors for adults, pretty similar😊

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

Hope this helps! I’m sure they’ll be more folks along to advise soon👍

 

[Ray--Opo]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome!

 

[Fluffy]

Both Russians and Eastern Box turtles do well in WV. I have a soft spot for EBT's. They make great pets and more needs to be done to protect them in the wild. What are your plans for an enclosure in your classroom? An adult of either species would need a fairly large enclosure.

 

[TammyJ]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Ink]

Welcome to the forum

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Hello and welcome to the forum from South Florida

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...

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[lbailey4487]

Both Russians and Eastern Box turtles do well in WV. I have a soft spot for EBT's. They make great pets and more needs to be done to protect them in the wild. What are your plans for an enclosure in your classroom? An adult of either species would need a fairly large enclosure.

I have a 3 X 5 tortoise table for now but hope to supplement it by attaching a second enclosure soon. I am in the process of building a 10 X 10 outdoor enclosure outside there and at home for weather appropriate times. My daughter has lots of wild EBTs that live behind her house, so we see them a good bit. She sent me a picture of another one today that she had to save from her dogs. They are always coming inside her fence, so she tries to scout around before letting the pups out.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I have a 3 X 5 tortoise table for now but hope to supplement it by attaching a second enclosure soon. I am in the process of building a 10 X 10 outdoor enclosure outside there and at home for weather appropriate times. My daughter has lots of wild EBTs that live behind her house, so we see them a good bit. She sent me a picture of another one today that she had to save from her dogs. They are always coming inside her fence, so she tries to scout around before letting the pups out.

The 3x5 will be a great size whilst they are younger, if it’s an open top, I’d look into some sort of greenhouse topper to keep the humidity up until they’re a bit bigger🙂
But if going straight for an adult, adding to the 3x5 will work fine and you won’t need a topper, 10x10 is a wonderful sized outdoor space to enjoy! Excited to see what you come up with if you’re willing to share!😊

 

[lbailey4487]

 

[lbailey4487]

Hello and welcome!

Someone can advised better on the outdoor enclosure than me, but indoor wise, feel free to check out these threads! I think you’ll find them helpful🙂if you’re thinking about getting a hatching, they’ll need housing inside a closed chamber for roughly the first 3 years or so, this thread goes over that

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

And here’s how to set up indoors for adults, pretty similar😊

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

Hope this helps! I’m sure they’ll be more folks along to advise soon👍

Thank you for the ideas! We actually have some raised garden bed materials at school already! I may try commandeering for my tort!

 

[Fluffy]

I think if you knew what species and age you are going to go with it would make recommendations easier. There is some differences in how you keep Mediterranean tortoises and Box Turtles. Also if you're planning to get a hatchling, juvenile or adult would make a difference as well.