Koopa Troopa's Kingdom

OllieWilliams

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Joined
May 4, 2015
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6
Hi all,

I'm new to the forum. I built an indoor enclosure for Koopa Troopa, my 1 year old male Russian Tortoise. The main part is 2'x4'. The upper level is 21" x 21", and there is a downstairs to that, as you'll see one of his hides has a passage into the abyss. In total, there's 14.125 square feet of ground space, plus the stairways. I give him a lot of dandelions every day (there's a tree near my house that has a real dandelion "problem" around the base), and kale/spring mix everyday, as well. We live near Fresno, so he gets outside with my daughter everyday that it's not too hot. I soak him 5-7 times a week, as well. The substrate on the main part is about 75% coconut coir, 25% play sand. He seems really happy, and my daughter thinks he's the coolest. Hope you like it, happy to answer any questions.
 

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OllieWilliams

New Member
Joined
May 4, 2015
Messages
6
Thanks! I had some fun with it.

I should point out, I work from home, and this is in my office. Whenever I'm not home I made a screen top for it so he has no chance of beating the system and climbing out.

Also, not sure why the photos uploaded the way they did, but there are some that you have to click on individually to view. 8 and 9 are close-ups of Koopa. 4 shows the entrance to the dark lower level. 5 shows a better view of a couple of the hides.
 
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leigti

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Very creative, I like multilevel indoor enclosures. I bet he likes going on all the different levels. Some suggestions to make it more tortoise friendly :) I would put some substrate on the upper level. And it won't be long before he figures out how to climb over the side where the cinderblocks are so you're going to have to block that off. I would also put up a barrier along the top portion except for the highest cinderblock that way he won't be apps to try to take a shortcut and fall on the hard surface. Tortoises don't like wide open spaces, and site barriers makes them feel like they're in a bigger enclosure. Keep the substrate slightly moist and you might want to consider covering a good portion of the enclosure to help keep heat and humidity in. Russians love to climb and borough. They'll dig down and bury themselves at night so a few areas of deep substrate would be great. The coconut coir is great and holds moisture well. I wouldn't add any more sand because it can cause compaction.
You might want to try a little more variety in his diet. But yes, you will start being very happy to see dandelions come up every year :) check out the Russian tortoise care sheet and it would give you lots of great information.
 

Oxalis

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Very cool enclosure!! I love the multi-levels as well. I will need to do something like that as well with mine and maybe add some plants. :)

Just curious, did you line the inside walls of the enclosure with something like linoleum to keep the wood from getting moldy? We have been using a plastic liner on our Russian enclosure, but he loves to burrow into it... still looking for a solution! XD
 

OllieWilliams

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Joined
May 4, 2015
Messages
6
Very cool enclosure!! I love the multi-levels as well. I will need to do something like that as well with mine and maybe add some plants. :)

Just curious, did you line the inside walls of the enclosure with something like linoleum to keep the wood from getting moldy? We have been using a plastic liner on our Russian enclosure, but he loves to burrow into it... still looking for a solution! XD

Hi, sorry I haven't been on this thread in a while. I used a vinyl/linoleum for the walls and the floor. I made sure that it has full coverage, and minimal seems so he doesn't rip it up. Glad you like it!
 

Oxalis

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Hi, sorry I haven't been on this thread in a while. I used a vinyl/linoleum for the walls and the floor. I made sure that it has full coverage, and minimal seems so he doesn't rip it up. Glad you like it!
Thanks for the response! Let me know if it keeps working well. :)
 
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