ADdie
New Member
Alright, long story short (here's my intro post if anyone is curious 
) I was fetching a couple of birds for my quail covey from a chap I found on CraigList. During my excursion, while habitually perusing CL as I do, I came across a post from a woman who recently brought two puppies home and no longer had the time to care for her ~2 year old Russian tortoise. She was housing him in a 40 gal aquarium indoor 24/7/365 and anyway, now... I have a RT.
I live in the Bay Area, CA and I have him in a lovely 4' x 8' outdoor enclosure for the warmer, sunlit hours of the day and bring him inside in the evenings to an enclosed stock tank that averages 70-85*F ambient and 75-90% humidity. I've got an incandescent bulb and a CHE in the stock tank for light and heat. I've had him for a few weeks now and he's eating and hanging out and seems overall quite intrigued with having an outdoor space to explore. My concern is if my stock tank is too small (40"x27") if he's getting a good chunk of outdoor time. When he's in there, he seems content to just burrow into the substrate (top soil topped with orchid bark) or retreat into his humid hide. I have been looking into larger indoor enclosure alternatives that might also double as a practical piece of furniture for when the temperature drops in December (it gets to ~40*F at the coldest in my area), but am worried if keeping him cooped up in his stock tank at night for the next few weeks would be terribly detrimental. Attached are photos of the beeb whose name is Leo, as well as his outdoor space. My husband and I will likely prioritize constructing Leo's larger indoor enclosure and then expand his outdoor space has the weather begins to warm up. Any advice is most welcome. Many thanks kindly in advance.
(^plants in enclosure are a clove mix, mint, thyme and I also have land cress (not pictured))
(^this last photo is an early one, he has more hides now)
) I was fetching a couple of birds for my quail covey from a chap I found on CraigList. During my excursion, while habitually perusing CL as I do, I came across a post from a woman who recently brought two puppies home and no longer had the time to care for her ~2 year old Russian tortoise. She was housing him in a 40 gal aquarium indoor 24/7/365 and anyway, now... I have a RT.I live in the Bay Area, CA and I have him in a lovely 4' x 8' outdoor enclosure for the warmer, sunlit hours of the day and bring him inside in the evenings to an enclosed stock tank that averages 70-85*F ambient and 75-90% humidity. I've got an incandescent bulb and a CHE in the stock tank for light and heat. I've had him for a few weeks now and he's eating and hanging out and seems overall quite intrigued with having an outdoor space to explore. My concern is if my stock tank is too small (40"x27") if he's getting a good chunk of outdoor time. When he's in there, he seems content to just burrow into the substrate (top soil topped with orchid bark) or retreat into his humid hide. I have been looking into larger indoor enclosure alternatives that might also double as a practical piece of furniture for when the temperature drops in December (it gets to ~40*F at the coldest in my area), but am worried if keeping him cooped up in his stock tank at night for the next few weeks would be terribly detrimental. Attached are photos of the beeb whose name is Leo, as well as his outdoor space. My husband and I will likely prioritize constructing Leo's larger indoor enclosure and then expand his outdoor space has the weather begins to warm up. Any advice is most welcome. Many thanks kindly in advance.
(^plants in enclosure are a clove mix, mint, thyme and I also have land cress (not pictured))
(^this last photo is an early one, he has more hides now)
