Justin C.
Member
Can I house multiple Russians in an outdoor enclosure roughly 8x8 ft? Indoor I know that is a define, NO. Just not sure with the larger outdoors.
Multiple Russians in outdoor enclosure?
- Thread starter Justin C.
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Short answer. No.
Longer answer: Russians are very active tortoises. They are largely solitary in the wild, meet up to mate and move on. They have a bad reputation for bullying.
Multiple Russians may be OK in a very large outdoor enclosure with lots of sight barriers, but even then there are no guarantees. They don't get lonely and don't need or want company. Having them together indoors is a recipe for disaster.
If you want multiple Russians then plan for separate enclosures for each one .
Longer answer: Russians are very active tortoises. They are largely solitary in the wild, meet up to mate and move on. They have a bad reputation for bullying.
Multiple Russians may be OK in a very large outdoor enclosure with lots of sight barriers, but even then there are no guarantees. They don't get lonely and don't need or want company. Having them together indoors is a recipe for disaster.
If you want multiple Russians then plan for separate enclosures for each one .
Sorry I should have said that 8' x 8' isn't that large when considering that you would need to have a minimum of 3 tortoises in there to minimise the risk of bullying. One Russian will enjoy 8' x 8' ... as long as it's climbing and digging secure!
I have 1.3 Russians in an outdoor yard. This time of year it is so overgrown they can't see more than an inch in front of themselves. But later in the summer when it has all died down, they get along ok together. Once the male has sought out all the females and bred them a few times, it seems he figures he's done his job and he stays hidden a lot. I don't see him much during the summer when its hot.
How big is your yard @Yvonne G ?
Justin C.
Member
Sorry, just getting back to the "Tortoise Forum" site, but what does 1.3 Russians mean? I see people post 1.?? or .1, but don't understand what that means.
Males are the first number, with females after that, then juveniles of unknown sex after that. So, I have one male and three females.
Justin C.
Member
Perfect, I understand clearly!
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I keep one large group together.. 2 males 10 females... In a lg outdoor pen..I have not seen any aggression at all...Lots of planting and sight barriers ...I can tell you they don't interact much...Other than when mating. and at night when they all return to the same hide to sleep...
The answer is yes. Well… maybe. Well… if you do a few things right and have the right animals…
Let me explain: First: Its fine to house multiples indoors. No different than outdoors really. But there are a few things to understand.
1. Having a larger enclosure increases your chances of success. This applies indoors, or out. 8x8 is pretty small. My russian enclosures are 8x24' and I keep 6-8 in each, but mine are still juveniles. A bigger enclosure would be better.
2. In larger groups, say 12 or more, you can keep multiple males with lots of females, sometimes. It doesn't always work. You best chance at success is to have one adult male and 2-4 females.
3. Sight barriers, logs, plants, caves, tree trunks, boulders, etc., help to reduce aggression, but don't always eliminate it.
4. How well this goes will also depend on your individual tortoises. Some seem to get along well in any circumstance and others are just natural born gladiators that want to kill any other tortoise (or invading shoe…) they see. So your success will also depend on where your individuals fall on that spectrum.
There are a lot of one eyed, missing tailed, scarred legged russians walking around out in the world, so use caution and observe carefully.
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