I need a bigger enclosure!

Fe-2470

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I know my tortoise needs a bigger enclosure but my parents don't want it taking up any more room in the house. Please help!
P.s I'm only 15 despite what it says on my account
 

ZEROPILOT

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A lot of folks have resorted to keeping the same dimensions but going with a two story enclosure.
I've never done this, but check out some posts about some and see if it'll work for you.
 

Gillian M

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How large/small is your tort?

Space is an issue I for one know it, as I live in a rather small flat and did all I could to make Oli's enclosure as large as I could.
 

JoesMum

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You need to measure up and work out the biggest space you could possibly give up for your tort. It may have to be in your room and it may mean having to learn to be super tidy.

You have a Hermann's I believe. What size enclosure does your tort have now and what's its straight carapace length? With those numbers we can work out how desperate your situation is :)
 

Fe-2470

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Yes, i have a female 4 year old Hermann's tortoise, who measures about 15cm.

The enclosure is 122cm (including the sleeping compartment) x 76cm x 21cm.

If anyone could give advice about the type of plants in her enclosure, that would be great.
 

JoesMum

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Conversion for those in the USA - 6 inch Hermann's in a 4' x 2'6" indoor enclosure.

Some ideas:

1. Outdoors when the weather warms up - hibernate in the winter

Can your parents be persuaded to let you have a 1.5 x 2.2 ish metre section of garden which you can fence in as a tortoise enclosure?

@spudthetortoise is another British Hermann's keeper about your age and she has created a couple of threads thar might help you. There are lots of ideas in the enclosures forum too
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/spuds-setup-❤︎.151011/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/spuds-daily-posts.122902/

I am struggling to find the outdoor enclosure she set up. I'll be back with the link when I find it!

You may also find this useful on how I extend the outdoor season in the UK
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/outdoor-accommodation-in-a-colder-uk-climate.140866/

2. Indoors - you need to know how big you can go. If it's in your room, it may require new tidier living habits and parting company with things you don't actually need. (No not your homework desk!)

Then you'll need an old bookcase, your parents can probably help with sourcing one from gumtree or a charity shop, some pond liner or a heavy shower curtain and perhaps some youtube tutorials to help you make a larger enclosure and/or put a second level on it.
 

Fe-2470

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Thank you so much! I was just wondering what plants i can grow in her enclosure?
I have a smaller tort table would you possibly have any idea about how to attach it?
 

JoesMum

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Thank you so much! I was just wondering what plants i can grow in her enclosure?
I have a smaller tort table would you possibly have any idea about how to attach it?
I'm not much of a builder I'm afraid

Try starting out with growing a spider plant in a pot on a windowsill. It will throw out runners with baby plants. Put those into pots and once they're established then sink the pot into the substrate of the enclosure. When your tort has eaten/trampled it you will have spares growing on to replace it.
 

Fe-2470

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Thanks so much! I'm just want her to be really happy and i am really conscious that she's not thriving in an enclosure which is to small but then can't act on it because my parents won't let me. Could you recommend someone who could attach the small tort table to the big one. Thanks again.
 
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When UR home, let him walk around im UR room when UR on UR phone or something, it will give him a lot of excessive exercise and if he falls asleep then you know he did a good job, eventually UR gonna have to build a bigger cage, i suggest you build it under UR bed if it is at least a one foot tall spacing
 

DutchieAmanda

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When UR home, let him walk around im UR room when UR on UR phone or something, it will give him a lot of excessive exercise and if he falls asleep then you know he did a good job, eventually UR gonna have to build a bigger cage, i suggest you build it under UR bed if it is at least a one foot tall spacing

I would definitely NOT recommend to let your tort roam on your floor. The floor is too cold, and your tort could get sick, or hurt by eating something. Do a search on the forum and you find many stories of torts getting injured or even killed by roaming around...
 
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I would definitely NOT recommend to let your tort roam on your floor. The floor is too cold, and your tort could get sick, or hurt by eating something. Do a search on the forum and you find many stories of torts getting injured or even killed by roaming around...

I thought he would know to clean up and make if look ok, what I use to do is give him thirty minutes
To roam around my room when he has a small tank, I use to have flare
Carpet and I would bring his basking light out, its ok if its watched
 

SarahChelonoidis

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@Crazy Tortoise, you're not going to get much support for this here. The floor is not safe. You can clean it perfectly 95% of the time and watch him like a hawk 95% of the time, but it's the times you miss a little ball of hair, or a little piece of string, or a staple and those get eaten or the time you turn your back for a second and he gets behind a door and someone opens it, or he gets stepped on that count. No one is perfect. It's hard to have a daily routine that requires perfection. A tortoises life should be long and this is not a long term plan. We've seen far more stories on this forum than any of us like from relatively new keepers who did what you did and then tragedy occurred. This is why we say this is not an option.

The temperature issue on the floor is also important. This is more critical for tropical species, where one heat lamp can't heat the entire floor so the majority of space is still too cold. When a tortoise falls asleep after walking around on the floor for thirty minutes, it isn't because of exhaustion (these animals can walk a lot more than any thirty minutes indoors can provide), it's usually because they've gotten too cold (or they're stressed).

Providing a large, safe, climate controlled enclosure is the only good way to house tortoises indoors.
 
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@Crazy Tortoise, you're not going to get much support for this here. The floor is not safe. You can clean it perfectly 95% of the time and watch him like a hawk 95% of the time, but it's the times you miss a little ball of hair, or a little piece of string, or a staple and those get eaten or the time you turn your back for a second and he gets behind a door and someone opens it, or he gets stepped on that count. No one is perfect. It's hard to have a daily routine that requires perfection. A tortoises life should be long and this is not a long term plan. We've seen far more stories on this forum than any of us like from relatively new keepers who did what you did and then tragedy occurred. This is why we say this is not an option.

The temperature issue on the floor is also important. This is more critical for tropical species, where one heat lamp can't heat the entire floor so the majority of space is still too cold. When a tortoise falls asleep after walking around on the floor for thirty minutes, it isn't because of exhaustion (these animals can walk a lot more than any thirty minutes indoors can provide), it's usually because they've gotten too cold (or they're stressed).

Providing a large, safe, climate controlled enclosure is the only good way to house tortoises indoors.
Yeah UR right, just trying to help a kid with a space issue
 
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