- Joined
- Jan 22, 2013
- Messages
- 72
Here is my new setup with my new torts.
New Setup
- Thread starter clintdowns
- Start date
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2013
- Messages
- 72
axeman25
Active Member
Definitely cap the corners as lismar suggested. Does the wood go down below ground level? Russians are super ninja escape artist and can dig under a 2x4 before you know whats happening. It is a good space. I assume you're putting all 5 in there? Do you know the male to female ratio? It is usually recommended 1 male to 3 females. Russian males can be VERY aggressive towards the females and injure or even kill them trying to mate with them constantly. With more females you give them more of a chance to get a break from the horndog male.LOL. I would highly suggest putting in some sight barriers such as rocks or logs that they can climb over and around. Just keep them away from the walls otherwise they'll scale it and be over the wall. Plus it makes the enclosure more exciting to explore if they cant see the other wall directly (or each other). Make sure to keep an eye on them, they may not show any physical signs of being abused by the other ones but they can be bullied out of food and shelter. This can make them sick or even kill them as well. I had to separate one of my females for that reason. You will need to add more shelters, at least one for each tort. They don't usually like to share. I'm also wondering about the water dishes, from the pictures the sides look a little steep, might be easy for a tort to tip over while climbing in or out (It could just be the picture though). Can I ask where you're located? I'm wondering because of what will be done with them in the fall/winter? There is a good chance you may have some aggression issues in that large enclosure, but I can almost guarantee there will be problems if you try and put them all in one indoor enclosure, unless you've converted half your basement into one. The minimum recommended is a 4'x8' enclosure per tort. Please don't take this as being negative or trying to bash or discourage you, you got a great start going, I'm just trying to help out just like the awesome folks here on this site helped me when I got started. That is a great looking bunch of Russians you've got. Have fun with them and keep the pics coming!
