Leo's side yard completed, question on hide

[ocflyfish]

Hi all,

Thanks to everyone a few weeks ago that allowed us to determine what type of tort we have and the sex (Russian, male).

I have attached the before and after pictures of Leonardo's new digs. We originally had nasty clay soil and it now is a mixture of 25% playground sand to 75% soil.

We are trying to figure out what type of hide to build for Leo (and maybe a few more russian torts in the future). We live in Orange County and it can get as hot as 108 during the summer and into the low 30s during the winter.

Would you recommend a hide that is partially buried with soil on top or more of an above ground design. Both will probably have some sort of ceramic heater on a thermostat.

Thanks!

 

[Yvonne G]

That's really pretty! You did good to place the sheet across the bottom of the fence. No matter how large his habitat is, if he can see through the fence that's where he'll spend most of his time...trying to get through the fence. I would put up some sort of shelter on the shady side. It can be made out of bricks or whatever, but it must be where he can go to cool down after being in the sun. So plant a little tree or bush to shade it and place it where the sun doesn't shine on it. Then have fun landscaping the area. Your little Russian will eat lots of different kinds of broad-leaf plants and weeds. Different kinds of cactus and succulents. I wouldn't worry about heating his hiding place. Russians will hibernate and don't need to be kept warm in the winter. Its better for the tortoise if you bring him inside to hibernate so he doesn't get wet.

Yvonne

 

[Laura]

Thats a huge area for one little russian.. lucky boy!
Build him a few different types. Mine likes his two bricks with a board over the top, However.. he is a climber and gets on top. so i ahd to make it a bit taller.. or get a flower pot and tip on its side, partial bury it, put dirt inside and that works great too!
Have fun!!

 

[Yvonne G]

One thing to remember is that Russians are great diggers. They dig down and push the dirt behind them so that you can't see where they went. A good hiding place...one that you will be able to find the tortoise in the fall to bring him indoors to hibernate is a 30 gallon garbage can. You dig a slanted hole that the garbage can will fit into. You will lay the can on its side in the hole with the bottom of the can below ground level and the top, or opening of the can about a quarter above ground level. Drill a couple holes on the side of the can that's going to be laying on the ground. Then place the can down into the slanted hole and put half of the dirt back inside the can and the rest of the dirt on top of the can. This way the tortoise can satisfy his digging craving yet he can't go too far because he's in the can!

Yvonne

 

[ocflyfish]

I wouldn't worry about heating his hiding place. Russians will hibernate and don't need to be kept warm in the winter. Its better for the tortoise if you bring him inside to hibernate so he doesn't get wet.

We are little concerned about the cold since it can get quite chilly. Last night for example got down to around 48 degrees. Do you still think he doesn't need heating?

---

One thing to remember is that Russians are great diggers. They dig down and push the dirt behind them so that you can't see where they went.

Yeah, if you see the cinder blocks in the first set of pictures... they are buried directly under the gate (all the way across) so he cannot dig underneath.

 

[Yvonne G]

Once you acclimate the tortoise to living outside, you don't have to worry about the cold. The country they come from is VERY cold. He will go through the summer, acclimating to living outside. Then in the fall as the days start getting shorter and the nights get cooler, his body tells him its time to start thinking about hibernating. Once the night time temps are consistently below 50, you can box him up and put him away in a cool dry place. Or if you notice that he's not coming out to sun, you can box him up. If you allow him to dig his own hibernating place outside, most likely you won't be able to find him. But, don't bring him inside when it starts to cool off. You don't want him to get used to being warm indoors. You want him to realize its getting colder and he needs to stop eating and clean out his system.

---

As for now, today, I wouldn't put him outside until the nights are consistently above 55 degrees.

Yvonne

 

[desertsss]

That is very nice and a lot of room for one tort. Good for you.
The hides everyone else mentioned are great. Depending on how big your tort is...I have seen people use the top half of dog houses. That seems to be very roomy, and if you bury the sides then he can dig away. Can't wait to see your finished product.

 

[krissy2288]

Thats good, and a lot of room to. Lucky Guy

 

[ocflyfish]

Thats good, and a lot of room to. Lucky Guy

Yup, we built it with lots of room so we can add a tort or two if we want later on. Plus he will have lots of things to check out to keep him busy.