Indoor Enclosure Update (Russian Tortoise)

[ChloeCrull]

Hello, everyone!

I just spent about an hour replacing my grounded walnut substrate with coconut fiber. I was informed that the grounded walnut particles can get caught in the little "armpits" of tortoises and irritate their skin. There is also quite a large amount of dust that is produced from the grounded walnut. This is what I was originally using (big mistake!).




Now, I am using coconut fiber.




My tortoises seem to react better to the new coconut fiber. They always burrow and rummage around in it.

***​

Now for the enclosure update!


This was my original (and messy) enclosure for my tortoises. One side was grounded walnut (ew!) and the other side was coconut fiber (much better!).


This used to be the grounded walnut portion of the habitat.






And this was the (old) coconut fiber portion of the habitat.





*Note: Those are not the "fruity pebbles" in the food dish. I added a few pieces of chopped-up carrots into their dish as a little treat.*


So, I just (finally!) finished scooping out the old grounded walnut and replacing it with fresh coconut fiber. This is the process:


Step 1: Shovel out the grounded walnut. I used a gardening trowel as a shovel and an oversized (it is not normally in the cage) reptile food bowl as a little "bucket." The paint mixer (the little ruler) helped me slide the grounded walnut into little piles and grab it out of corners.





Step 2: Empty the new bag of substrate (coconut fiber) into the enclosure. Yikes; that's a big mountain!




Step 3: Smooth out the pile of substrate and allow a few inches of depth for burrowing.






Step 4: Incorporate award-worthy decoration skills. I placed flat stones in front of the water dish to reduce molding when water is spilled.





Step 5: Incorporate more award-worthy decoration skills to add some cuttlebones, more flat stones, and a few rocks (woops, forgot to take a picture showing the garden rocks!).






Step 6: Spot-clean the other side of the enclosure.







Step 7: Forget to move the tortoise decoration on top of the enclosure. Continue to confuse your curious female Russian.







Step 8: Receive annoyed look of hatred for confusing your tortoise with an attractive, fake male tortoise who is obviously good with kids.




Well, that's my story! I hope it made you laugh.

Also, I just threw away my old succulents. Do any of you have any favorite succulents you place around the habitat for your little guys (especially Russians)? I usually get mine from Lowe's or Home Depot, etc.

Thanks

 

[lismar79]

Looks much better. I have hostas in my enclosures. They do not eat them but safe for them if they do. Dug them out of my landscape in my yard

 

[Maro2Bear]

Nice update Chloe.

 

[Yvonne G]

Your baby Russian will need a more humid environment and a moist substrate.

 

[ChloeCrull]

Thank you for all of your lovely views, likes, and responses everyone

Your baby Russian will need a more humid environment and a moist substrate.

Thank you for pointing that out, @Yvonne G! I just went to the Dollar Tree and purchased a spray bottle. I just misted the tortoises and the enclosure lightly. Will this help? What else can I do?

Thank you!

 

[Maro2Bear]

Thank you for all of your lovely views, likes, and responses everyone




Thank you for pointing that out, @Yvonne G! I just went to the Dollar Tree and purchased a spray bottle. I just misted the tortoises and the enclosure lightly. Will this help? What else can I do?

Thank you!

Cover up the open top with something (plexiglass) and just leave an opening for your lights. Misting rarely increases overall humidity levels for any appreciable length of time.

 

[ChloeCrull]

Cover up the open top with something (plexiglass) and just leave an opening for your lights. Misting rarely increases overall humidity levels for any appreciable length of time.

Thank you very much!


Should I cover the open panel that does not have lights over it with Plexiglas? Also, should I make a "closed chamber"? If so, can you give me some cheap, yet durable, examples of one?

I appreciate your help!

 

[Maro2Bear]

Thank you very much!


Should I cover the open panel that does not have lights over it with Plexiglas? Also, should I make a "closed chamber"? If so, can you give me some cheap, yet durable, examples of one?

I appreciate your help!


View attachment 109219

If you are trying to keep your humidity up then you definitely want to cover up all the open areas there on top. Then get yourself a humidifier (and funnel the steam into your enclosure) or a zoomed reptifogger type auto-mister. These can be hooked up to a timer to periodically come on/off during daylight hours when your warm lights are on.

 

[ChloeCrull]

If you are trying to keep your humidity up then you definitely want to cover up all the open areas there on top. Then get yourself a humidifier (and funnel the steam into your enclosure) or a zoomed reptifogger type auto-mister. These can be hooked up to a timer to periodically come on/off during daylight hours when your warm lights are on.

Thank you.

Please be warned: very basic (and even stupid) questions incoming! I've never understood the skill of "humidity."

1. If I cover both of the open panels on the top with Plexiglas, will the light still reach my tortoises at a reasonable heat?

2. What humidifier do you use? Can you link one to me or show me a picture?

3. If I purchased an auto-mister, where would I put it in the enclosure? Can I attach it easily to wood? Can you link one to me or show me a picture?

Thanks, @Maro2Bear

 

[Levi the Leopard]

1.The light won't work over Plexiglass. It will block heat from them. The lights either need to be under them (won't work here) or fit into a hole cut out.
You could cover your lights and open top with foil (think like a tent)...ugly but works till you find a better solution.

2. I never used them. A real "closed chamber" won't need them.. so wait for other input from those who use them with partially closed or open tables.

3. See above.

 

[ChloeCrull]

1.The light won't work over Plexiglass. It will block heat from them. The lights either need to be under them (won't work here) or fit into a hole cut out.
You could cover your lights and open top with foil (think like a tent)...ugly but works till you find a better solution.

2. I never used them. A real "closed chamber" won't need them.. so wait for other input from those who use them with partially closed or open tables.

3. See above.

Thanks for your opinion!

The foil idea is interesting; it seems fairly simple, too. Have you heard or seen of any other methods?

 

[Maro2Bear]

I would cover all open areas not under the lights. From your pix, it looks like there is one large area totally open, and half under the lights that is open. Like Heather says, you don't want anything between your lights and the torts level.

Some folks use these misters on timers
http://www.petmountain.com/product/...oo-med-repti-fogger-terrarium-humidifier.html

Some have had issues with these misters, but it's one option to explore. Others have modified home humidifiers to direct the mist into their enclosure. Just the other day there were a few posts on this technique.

Given the enclosure that you are presently using, it will be a bit hard to increase humidity levels and keep it there.

 

[ChloeCrull]

I would cover all open areas not under the lights. From your pix, it looks like there is one large area totally open, and half under the lights that is open. Like Heather says, you don't want anything between your lights and the torts level.

Some folks use these misters on timers
http://www.petmountain.com/product/...oo-med-repti-fogger-terrarium-humidifier.html

Some have had issues with these misters, but it's one option to explore. Others have modified home humidifiers to direct the mist into their enclosure. Just the other day there were a few posts on this technique.

Given the enclosure that you are presently using, it will be a bit hard to increase humidity levels and keep it there.

Thank you for the link; it gave me an idea of what to look for.

As you mentioned, my enclosure isn't very humidity-friendly. Would it be better for me to take the "closed chamber" route or the "mister' route? Thank you!

 

[leigti]

You can make a type of close chamber using your enclosure, I had an enclosure that was two of the zoo med house is put together. However my tortoise was an adult and did not need as much humidity. How old is your tortoise again? Adults need much less humidity then babies.
But like I said you could make it work. But you would have to start by waterproofing the inside of the enclosure, have you done that? there are several ways to do it, dry lock paint, something somebody called kilz Think, or you can line the bottom and the sides with a cheap shower curtain.
Then add the coconut coir and keep it moist by dumping water into it and straighten it all around with your hands till it is damp all the way through. Add spider plants, hostas, sedums etc. to help with humidity. Cover all areas except what is directly under the lights and heat source with plexiglass, foil, or a shower curtain.
If this sounds like a royal pain and your tortoise is nearly an adult, then just store the zoo med house for now and use it later on as an indoor winter enclosure. hopefully you live where you can build an outdoor enclosure for nice weather. To make a close chamber by a large Rubbermaid bin, I got a 54 gallon one from Home Depot, cut holes in the lid just big enough for the lights and line the holes with foil so it doesn't melt the plastic. Keep it moist with plants and the coconut coir and keep it warm because you do not want high humidity with cold temperatures. I have not built a closed chamber I am going all from what I have read here, but it seems like most people use and MVB for heat and UVB.
So those are my suggestions, for what they're worth. I hate to see you throw away what you already have, so you can either make it work by adjusting it, keep it for later on, or find a good home for it so to speak. I eventually gave my double zoo med house to a coworker whose daughter has an adult Russian tortoise. They use it for an indoor enclosure for winter and it is a big upgrade from what they had. sometimes people badmouth different kinds of enclosures but you can make just about anything work for different situations. Here is an example of mine, just to give you a very basic idea. I put plexiglass over much of it, whatever the lights weren't on.

 

[weldorNate]

To increase humidity in my open top all I do is pour water straight into the enclosure and mist to keep it moist and I also have live plants that help out a bunch too. also my house stays at about 40% humidity through out the winter and about 60% in the summer

 

[ChloeCrull]

You can make a type of close chamber using your enclosure, I had an enclosure that was two of the zoo med house is put together. However my tortoise was an adult and did not need as much humidity. How old is your tortoise again? Adults need much less humidity then babies. View attachment 109226View attachment 109227
But like I said you could make it work. But you would have to start by waterproofing the inside of the enclosure, have you done that? there are several ways to do it, dry lock paint, something somebody called kilz Think, or you can line the bottom and the sides with a cheap shower curtain.
Then add the coconut coir and keep it moist by dumping water into it and straighten it all around with your hands till it is damp all the way through. Add spider plants, hostas, sedums etc. to help with humidity. Cover all areas except what is directly under the lights and heat source with plexiglass, foil, or a shower curtain.
If this sounds like a royal pain and your tortoise is nearly an adult, then just store the zoo med house for now and use it later on as an indoor winter enclosure. hopefully you live where you can build an outdoor enclosure for nice weather. To make a close chamber by a large Rubbermaid bin, I got a 54 gallon one from Home Depot, cut holes in the lid just big enough for the lights and line the holes with foil so it doesn't melt the plastic. Keep it moist with plants and the coconut coir and keep it warm because you do not want high humidity with cold temperatures. I have not built a closed chamber I am going all from what I have read here, but it seems like most people use and MVB for heat and UVB.
So those are my suggestions, for what they're worth. I hate to see you throw away what you already have, so you can either make it work by adjusting it, keep it for later on, or find a good home for it so to speak. I eventually gave my double zoo med house to a coworker whose daughter has an adult Russian tortoise. They use it for an indoor enclosure for winter and it is a big upgrade from what they had. sometimes people badmouth different kinds of enclosures but you can make just about anything work for different situations. Here is an example of mine, just to give you a very basic idea. I put plexiglass over much of it, whatever the lights weren't on.

I already have the bottom lined with a few feet of Lowe's "Clear Extruded Runner" (link below), so waterproofing it is already done!

http://www.lowes.com/pd_196684-1352-2426100_0__?productId=50064039

I'll see if I can purchase some Plexiglass on payday. For now, I may just use foil and cover up the open top. Should I take off the wooden "lids" on the ends of each Zoo Med Tortoise House—the area which provides a ceiling for the hiding hole (if you put in the divider)?

I'm not very educated (yet!) when it comes to plants. I just pulled up Google images of spider plants, hostas, and sedums. Are they all edible for tortoises? Do they require special care (must be placed under the lights or shade)? In stores, such as Home Depot or Lowe's, what are they labeled as? Are they actually called spider plants, hostas, and sedums in gardening centers?

Please excuse my lack of knowledge when it comes to humidity and plants!

I'll keep the Zoo Med as the primary home for now. I'm looking to place a large, plastic kiddie pool on my cement balcony so that my tortoises can roam around in the natural sunlight (with a shady section, of course!). [While on the subject, what do you think of plastic kiddie pools for a temporary outdoor enclosure?]

Also, will the coconut fiber mold if I moisten it too much? Does spraying the substrate with squirts of water throughout the day help to any extent (especially under the lights)?

Thank you for all of your help! My tortoises and I really appreciate it.

 

[ChloeCrull]

Woops. I can out of time to edit that last post.

I actually purchased the vinyl from Orchard Hardware Supply (OSH), but the only available link to identical material was on the Lowe's website.

 

[leigti]

I already have the bottom lined with a few feet of Lowe's "Clear Extruded Runner" (link below), so waterproofing it is already done!

http://www.lowes.com/pd_196684-1352-2426100_0__?productId=50064039

I'll see if I can purchase some Plexiglass on payday. For now, I may just use foil and cover up the open top. Should I take off the wooden "lids" on the ends of each Zoo Med Tortoise House—the area which provides a ceiling for the hiding hole (if you put in the divider)?

I'm not very educated (yet!) when it comes to plants. I just pulled up Google images of spider plants, hostas, and sedums. Are they all edible for tortoises? Do they require special care (must be placed under the lights or shade)? In stores, such as Home Depot or Lowe's, what are they labeled as? Are they actually called spider plants, hostas, and sedums in gardening centers?

Please excuse my lack of knowledge when it comes to humidity and plants!

I'll keep the Zoo Med as the primary home for now. I'm looking to place a large, plastic kiddie pool on my cement balcony so that my tortoises can roam around in the natural sunlight (with a shady section, of course!). [While on the subject, what do you think of plastic kiddie pools for a temporary outdoor enclosure?]

Also, will the coconut fiber mold if I moisten it too much? Does spraying the substrate with squirts of water throughout the day help to any extent (especially under the lights)?

Thank you for all of your help! My tortoises and I really appreciate it.

I took the wooden tops off because I wanted more light in the enclosure. I just took the screws out of the lid it's self.then I bought 1' x 2' pieces of Plexiglas and they fit right in there and the hinge help hold them in place. taking out the dividers makes a much more open space for your tortoise.
Hostas, sedum, and spider plants are all edible for tortoises. If you buy them at a garden center definitely make sure you rinse them off thoroughly and get all the dirt off of the roots and then plant them in other pots in the enclosure. Garden centers use chemicals on their plants and you don't want your tortoise eating that. They are known by their common names at the garden centers. The best place to get plants is from other people you know who do not put chemicals on them, that's how I got my spider plants and they grow very quickly and I separated them into different pots. One thing you could try is to plant herb plants because the tortoises don't usually like the taste of them and I have seen them at Walmart and grocery stores with the roots still attached. I doubt they have chemicals on them because they are made for humans to eat.
The coconut Coir will not mold. If you buy it in bricks and put the bricks in water until it expands, just squeeze out the excess water and put the car into the enclosure. I sometimes do spray down the enclosure and my tortoise with a squirt bottle, she seems to like it. It is also necessary to add water more often under the lights.
I think kiddie pools make a good temporary enclosures. You can put Coir or organic garden soil in them. Look up kiddie pool enclosures on the forum here and you will see some ideas.
I'm sorry I haven't read through all your posts, do you have one or two tortoises? If you have to I'm sure you have been warned about keeping to tortoises, especially Russians, together. it is only a matter of time until one pays the price, so think about that. Keep reading, look through all the sections, go to the search bar and put in specific items and posts will pop up. This is the best place on the Internet to get information so don't even bother with other forums. that's just my opinion

 

[ChloeCrull]

I took the wooden tops off because I wanted more light in the enclosure. I just took the screws out of the lid it's self.then I bought 1' x 2' pieces of Plexiglas and they fit right in there and the hinge help hold them in place. taking out the dividers makes a much more open space for your tortoise.
Hostas, sedum, and spider plants are all edible for tortoises. If you buy them at a garden center definitely make sure you rinse them off thoroughly and get all the dirt off of the roots and then plant them in other pots in the enclosure. Garden centers use chemicals on their plants and you don't want your tortoise eating that. They are known by their common names at the garden centers. The best place to get plants is from other people you know who do not put chemicals on them, that's how I got my spider plants and they grow very quickly and I separated them into different pots. One thing you could try is to plant herb plants because the tortoises don't usually like the taste of them and I have seen them at Walmart and grocery stores with the roots still attached. I doubt they have chemicals on them because they are made for humans to eat.
The coconut Coir will not mold. If you buy it in bricks and put the bricks in water until it expands, just squeeze out the excess water and put the car into the enclosure. I sometimes do spray down the enclosure and my tortoise with a squirt bottle, she seems to like it. It is also necessary to add water more often under the lights.
I think kiddie pools make a good temporary enclosures. You can put Coir or organic garden soil in them. Look up kiddie pool enclosures on the forum here and you will see some ideas.
I'm sorry I haven't read through all your posts, do you have one or two tortoises? If you have to I'm sure you have been warned about keeping to tortoises, especially Russians, together. it is only a matter of time until one pays the price, so think about that. Keep reading, look through all the sections, go to the search bar and put in specific items and posts will pop up. This is the best place on the Internet to get information so don't even bother with other forums. that's just my opinion

Thank you for the information about the Plexiglas over the "lid" portion of the Zoo Med Tortoise House.

I'll definitely be careful to thoroughly rinse off and re-pot any and all plants that we purchase from the garden stores (or any other facility).

I'm glad that the coconut coir does not mold. Does mulch mold? I've heard some experienced members using Pathway Bark (linked below). Would that mold in an outdoor enclosure?

http://www.lowes.com/pd_58586-78212-GT00023_0__?productId=3731889

Just a side note:

I am actually chatting with my mother right now as we read through these forums (especially your very informative posts!). We are quite confused why a desert (Russians are desert tortoises, right?) tortoise needs humidity. I always imagined deserts to be arid—or is this just for the babies? Please excuse my ignorance!

Additionally, I have (yes, the dreaded "pair") one male (approximately 5-10 years old, wild caught) and one female (approximately one year, captive bred) in the same enclosure. Will the higher humidity affect the older male, Harold?

Also, I am aware that a harem of females is preferred. Is one male and two females okay, too? Or does it have to be at least three females? I'm definitely going to install some more plants into the habitat to decrease visibility between the tortoises.

 

[leigti]

Thank you for the information about the Plexiglas over the "lid" portion of the Zoo Med Tortoise House.

I'll definitely be careful to thoroughly rinse off and re-pot any and all plants that we purchase from the garden stores (or any other facility).

I'm glad that the coconut coir does not mold. Does mulch mold? I've heard some experienced members using Pathway Bark (linked below). Would that mold in an outdoor enclosure?

http://www.lowes.com/pd_58586-78212-GT00023_0__?productId=3731889

Just a side note:

I am actually chatting with my mother right now as we read through these forums (especially your very informative posts!). We are quite confused why a desert (Russians are desert tortoises, right?) tortoise needs humidity. I always imagined deserts to be arid—or is this just for the babies? Please excuse my ignorance!

Additionally, I have (yes, the dreaded "pair") one male (approximately 5-10 years old, wild caught) and one female (approximately one year, captive bred) in the same enclosure. Will the higher humidity affect the older male, Harold?

Also, I am aware that a harem of females is preferred. Is one male and two females okay, too? Or does it have to be at least three females? I'm definitely going to install some more plants into the habitat to decrease visibility between the tortoises.

For my outdoor enclosure I use a combination of organic topsoil, it's cheap at Home Depot, and Pete Moss. In my indoor enclosure I use coconut core and pathway Mark mixed together. I have heard there can be some issues with mold so I don't put the pathway bark outside. But I could be wrong, I like the idea of the tortoises having regular old dirt so to speak today again. I also plant broadleaf seed mixes, that's a whole other thread , in the enclosures for the tortoises to eat. you can also buy the seed mixes and grow them indoors in the winter. But again that's another thread. I Degrasse
Russian tortoises actually have a pretty wide range of natural habitat. And although they may be considered "desert" they burrow down under ground where it is more humid. The increased humidity will not hurt your older tortoise. I would go with at least two females to one mail. But it is difficult to find females sometimes so if you are seriously considering adding another female start looking now. There are always Russians on craigslist etc. and sometimes here on the for him also. you don't usually find females very often at the pet stores but it never hurts to look. but the more tortoises you have the bigger the enclosure must be. So when you make that outdoor enclosure make it as large as you can. And your 2 x 6 enclosure will definitely not be big enough for three tortoises, it barely works for two for a short time. two indoor enclosures is always an option. A 2 x 6 x 1' tall horse trough also works, especially for the one that is younger and may need more humidity. Have you read @Tom threads on Russian tortoises? He has a very good care sheet that explains things much better than I do.
I have one room in my house that basically holds one tortoise pen, one box turtle pen, and a desk with the computer on it. And gosh darn it anyway there's room for one more pen! I guess what I'm saying is watch out it never ends!