How big should my enclosure be? (Hermanns)

[TheNorwegian]

Hi, I am thinking of making new enclosures for my hermanns because the ones I have now are a bit small. I have two male hermanns, one boettgeri and one hercegovinensis. They do not like eachother, thats why I have them in two separate enclosues.

I live in Norway, so I am of course talking about indoor enclosures. I have my tortoises in my bedroom and there is not very good space, so I keep them in a shelf-system. Both tortoises are about 13-14cm long. What is the recommended size on a enclosure for these guys? Remember, there is only one tortoise in each enclosure.

How big should the enclosures be?

Thank you!

 

[G-stars]

As big as possible. You can save room if you build one on top of the other.


— Gus

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

in my opinion the smallest cage for one tort that size is a four foot by 8 foot cage. my torts live outside i don't really know any good indoor tort enclosures.

 

[TheNorwegian]

As big as possible. You can save room if you build one on top of the other.


— Gus

Yup, that's what I'm doing.

 

[Tom]

Everyone will have a different opinion on this, but the bottom line is that more space is beneficial for them. I prefer no smaller that 122 x 244 cm per tortoise. You could put two of these on a rack of some sort to save floor space.

 

[Abdulla6169]

Bigger is better and biggest is best Tom has answered your question, so that's all I can add!

 

[TheNorwegian]

I just measured my tortoises. One is 6 inches and the other one is 5,5 inches.

I really dont know what to do right now. I have no idea how I can make room for a enclosure as big as 4x8 feet.

 

[Abdulla6169]

I just measured my tortoises. One is 6 inches and the other one is 5,5 inches.

I really dont know what to do right now. I have no idea how I can make room for a enclosure as big as 4x8 feet.

Maybe make an insulated shed outside? Then make it for 2 tortoise enclosures

 

[WillTort2]

Make it a multi story duplex. Design it so that the basking light is shared with a thin divider keeping the two torts separate. Then build each tort his own ramp system leading to the upper levels. The ramps and the landings/turns in the ramps will provide additional space and climbing is good exercise for your torts. The upper levels of the enclosure can also extend over the foot of your bed; somewhat like a loft bed design. Be creative and be prepared to modify the enclosure to increase their space. Every few months I'll figure a way to add a few more sq. feet to one of my tort's enclosure. I've even got one enclosure suspended from the ceiling in the shape of a large off center "I".

Warning, if you suspend anything from the ceiling make sure you hit the studs and test every suspension point. And make sure you have the property owners permission.

Good luck.