Indoor enclosure

[jonwarren97]

Hi, if all goes to plan, I am getting my first RT on Thursday. I have built an enclosure which measures roughly 3ft x 2ft. It is 2ft deep. I was just wondering what ideas you guys had to put in there? I will be using a 50/50 substrate of sand/soil.
Thanks

 

[sauronofmordor]

I wouldn't use sand as it could be possibly dangerous. Put in a hiding place somewhere, which will help decrease stress. Also have a shallow water dish, so that if your tortoise flipped itself, it wouldn't drown. Leave open a basking area for the tortoise.

 

[Teodora'sDAD]

Do a search on here, you'll find a TON of information!

 

[jonwarren97]

What substrate do you suggest then?

 

[ILoveTortoises2]

Yeah I wouldn't use sand at all. VERY dangerous for the tort. I'm almost done with my enclosure. I'm about to order REAL Moss from this lady that has a site that has helped me with this.... I'm going to do about 25% of my enclosure in Moss MAYBE more but not a lot more. THEN the rest of the enclosure will have grass....... THEN I'm buying tropical plants to put in there for decoration. So I'm giving them the TROPICAL FEELING.
BUT I'm using top soil. Maybe that can give you some idea's

 

[nate.mann]

coconut coir is highly suggested as it doesnt mold, is easily maintained, and isnt bad for the tortoise at all. i have a Russian as well, female. do you know what all they can eat, how humid the enclosure should be, what to look for health-wise?

 

[sauronofmordor]

What substrate do you suggest then?

Many members use coir, as mentioned above by nate. Just plain topsoil, with no fertilizer or anything in it is also good.

 

[Sheldon the russian tortoise]

DONT USE THE SAND my tortoise Sheldon got impacted and luckily he is still alive today use eco earth with cypress mulch on top

 

[biochemnerd808]

How exciting! Post pics once you get your tortoise. We love pictures...

I would recommend top soil (the ACE brand has no ammendments, no perlite, no manure in it) or coconut coir (sold as Eco Earth in pet stores - I like the bricks that you add water to and they expand). Cypress mulch is often praised highly, but I don't like how poky it is. Just a personal preference...

I know you probably don't want to hear this, but you may find that 3ft x 2ft x 2ft is too small - Russian tortoises love to roam, and even a 4ft x 2ft will feel cramped. It's hard to create the necessary microclimates in that space. I would recommend saving up to build an enclosure twice that size. The more room a tortoise has to roam, the more interesting and 'tortoise-ish' his behavior will be.

Hi, if all goes to plan, I am getting my first RT on Thursday. I have built an enclosure which measures roughly 3ft x 2ft. It is 2ft deep. I was just wondering what ideas you guys had to put in there? I will be using a 50/50 substrate of sand/soil.
Thanks