How to turn a school atrium to tortoise habitat?

[PetHumanOfFrancis]

Hi everyone!

At the school I work at there is an unused "butterfly garden" atrium. It is glassed in with a locked door only staff can enter. The top is open to natural light. Think of it like almost a very small courtyard. I want to transform it into an awesome tortoise enclosure!

Except I don't know where to start. For example, can I put soil and grow grass on these rocks? Can I just put tons of substrate instead? How would weather effect the substrate if that is the way to go?

It's a beautiful enclosure and students would be so in love with something ALIVE in there. (BTW for particularly poor weather days, I would have a tank set up in my classroom. However, where I live most of the tortoise's days would be in this)

I'm even thinking of keeping the pots and turning them on their sides as hideaways that maybe the kids can help me paint

 

[TammyJ]

Where in the world are you? Our suggestions would all depend on the climate and other factors prevalent in your location or State. Others here will know more and will be able to help you once they know where the tortoise will be situated globally, and what species you are thinking of keeping.

 

[PetHumanOfFrancis]

Where in the world are you? Our suggestions would all depend on the climate and other factors prevalent in your location or State. Others here will know more and will be able to help you once they know where the tortoise will be situated globally, and what species you are thinking of keeping.

Thank you! I am in Texas and a Russian tortoise.

 

[wellington]

Can the rocks be removed or piled up more on just one end or maybe all along the sides, leaving the center area of the whole thing bare? I would then add some good black dirt in the center and plant a bunch of grass, weed and squash seeds.
Add a large clay saucer for water and place it next to the dirt/grass area in the rocks so he has the rocks to help keep the dirt off him for when he enters the water. I would add plants to a lot of the pots to give shade and coverage and use a couple for hides.
There is no ceiling right? It's open so sunlight is not filtered thru glass or screen? If there isn't enough sunlight for most of the day, he would need a basking area that reaches 95-100.
If you get cold in winter, then he would either need to be brought inside to brumate, kept in an indoor heated enclosure or build an enclosure area in the atrium that could be heated to keep him from brumating.
You could probably put the dirt and planted seeds over the rocks if you didn't want to move them. Just be sure none are small that he could swallow and the dirt is deep enough he can dig down without before reaching the rocks.

 

[PetHumanOfFrancis]

Can the rocks be removed or piled up more on just one end or maybe all along the sides, leaving the center area of the whole thing bare? I would then add some good black dirt in the center and plant a bunch of grass, weed and squash seeds.
Add a large clay saucer for water and place it next to the dirt/grass area in the rocks so he has the rocks to help keep the dirt off him for when he enters the water. I would add plants to a lot of the pots to give shade and coverage and use a couple for hides.
There is no ceiling right? It's open so sunlight is not filtered thru glass or screen? If there isn't enough sunlight for most of the day, he would need a basking area that reaches 95-100.
If you get cold in winter, then he would either need to be brought inside to brumate, kept in an indoor heated enclosure or build an enclosure area in the atrium that could be heated to keep him from brumating.
You could probably put the dirt and planted seeds over the rocks if you didn't want to move them. Just be sure none are small that he could swallow and the dirt is deep enough he can dig down without before reaching the rocks.

Thank you! The rocks are mostly small-medium and oval-smooth, not pebble size to eat. It is totally open at the top, no glass or screen. When it comes to rain, what have you found to be the best soil or substrate?

 

[Sarah2020]

Potentially a nice idea but you need to think daily care and management inc... soaks, heat, light diet how will the tortoise needs for a healthy long life be provided.
I recommend orchid bark for substrate.
I suggest you read this and plan in holiday time how it will be looked after and my points above etc...

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

 

[wellington]

Thank you! The rocks are mostly small-medium and oval-smooth, not pebble size to eat. It is totally open at the top, no glass or screen. When it comes to rain, what have you found to be the best soil or substrate?

My tortoises, a Russian included, lives on the yard that came with my house. All I did was add a fencing to the ground so he/russian couldn't dig out. Weeds and grass, mostly weeds grow thru the fence. My yard under the grass/weeds is black dirt and clay.
You could also lay orchid bark or coconut coir. But I would personally want it easier to grow food in.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

That's a relatively large space and Russians are on the small side.
A lot more grass or bare area and a lot less "clutter" would make actually seeing the tortoise more likely.
Otherwise you'd be hard pressed to ever see him/ her unless it's feeding time.
Don't get me wrong. If this was a home garden, it'd be great. But kids are often impatient. And tortoises hide a lot.