Questions about a yearling/juvenile enclosure

[kagi]

I've had my redfoot baby since Aug 2021 and I assume he was a couple months old when we got him, so it's definitely time to upgrade his tiny 40' x 20' table! We're renting right now and planning to move in a couple years when we buy a (tortoise accommodating) house, so I don't want to do anything right on the ground in the backyard. I figure since he's still little we could do an upgrade enclosure to get us through the next ~2 years. I'm very busy with a newborn right now so I'm not looking to build anything!! I know it would be a lot cheaper but I'm just trying to move him into something now that will get us through until I can pour my time/energy into his forever home.

I'm in Oklahoma, so I need to have him inside at least in the winter. I would love to get him a habitat outside when it's warm though! I'm looking at a planter that is 6' x 2.5'. I have some questions about it.

1. Is 6' x 2.5' big enough to get him through age 3 or so? Right now he's still quite small and hiding most of the day. I know 8' x 4' is the bare minimum for an adult but if I can get away with smaller for a bit, it allows me to move it in and out of the house with ease

2. Is it realistic to keep him outdoors in an enclosed habitat? Our humidity here is definitely not near 80% so I know it needs to be enclosed. Our summers can get above 100F here but I could keep the planter in the shade, if that helps

3. How do people clean enclosures with lots of plants in them? Right now we have no plants, I scoop out his coconut coir every 6 months to boil it. Should I avoid plants until I can make him a proper backyard enclosure? I'd really love to get him some greens to hide in and munch on

4. Is there any way to heat an enclosure with a greenhouse top or do I need to spend the extra on a cold frame? I was thinking a ceramic heater bulb on a metal light stand would be fine

Thank you so much for reading, any suggestions are appreciated!

 

[Tom]

I've had my redfoot baby since Aug 2021 and I assume he was a couple months old when we got him, so it's definitely time to upgrade his tiny 40' x 20' table! We're renting right now and planning to move in a couple years when we buy a (tortoise accommodating) house, so I don't want to do anything right on the ground in the backyard. I figure since he's still little we could do an upgrade enclosure to get us through the next ~2 years. I'm very busy with a newborn right now so I'm not looking to build anything!! I know it would be a lot cheaper but I'm just trying to move him into something now that will get us through until I can pour my time/energy into his forever home.

I'm in Oklahoma, so I need to have him inside at least in the winter. I would love to get him a habitat outside when it's warm though! I'm looking at a planter that is 6' x 2.5'. I have some questions about it.

1. Is 6' x 2.5' big enough to get him through age 3 or so? Right now he's still quite small and hiding most of the day. I know 8' x 4' is the bare minimum for an adult but if I can get away with smaller for a bit, it allows me to move it in and out of the house with ease

2. Is it realistic to keep him outdoors in an enclosed habitat? Our humidity here is definitely not near 80% so I know it needs to be enclosed. Our summers can get above 100F here but I could keep the planter in the shade, if that helps

3. How do people clean enclosures with lots of plants in them? Right now we have no plants, I scoop out his coconut coir every 6 months to boil it. Should I avoid plants until I can make him a proper backyard enclosure? I'd really love to get him some greens to hide in and munch on

4. Is there any way to heat an enclosure with a greenhouse top or do I need to spend the extra on a cold frame? I was thinking a ceramic heater bulb on a metal light stand would be fine

Thank you so much for reading, any suggestions are appreciated!

6 x 2.5 is not large enough. Tortosie enclosures need to e huge compared to other reptiles.

Contact @Markw84 for one of his "Smart Enclosures" and get the "extension". This will be 96x36" and it will buy you some time. These enclosures create the perfect environment for a young growing tortoise.

Its pretty easy to build a temporary outdoor enclosure with wooden stakes and plywood, or 2x12s, or cinderblocks. There are many ways to do it.

 

[wellington]

4x8 is minimum for a Russian or Hermanns not a RF. They would need much larger space as an adult then a 4x8.
For a temporary outdoor area you could get a couple puppy play pens and anchor them to the ground and line the lower squares, if they were too big, with some boards, pavers, or even chicken wire or hardware cloth fencing.
You could easily add on to this as he out grew it.
Depending on how small he really is, a 6x2.5 should be fine for a while, not sure about 2 or 3 more years though.

 

[kagi]

6 x 2.5 is not large enough. Tortosie enclosures need to e huge compared to other reptiles.

Contact @Markw84 for one of his "Smart Enclosures" and get the "extension". This will be 96x36" and it will buy you some time. These enclosures create the perfect environment for a young growing tortoise.

Its pretty easy to build a temporary outdoor enclosure with wooden stakes and plywood, or 2x12s, or cinderblocks. There are many ways to do it.

4x8 is minimum for a Russian or Hermanns not a RF. They would need much larger space as an adult then a 4x8.
For a temporary outdoor area you could get a couple puppy play pens and anchor them to the ground and line the lower squares, if they were too big, with some boards, pavers, or even chicken wire or hardware cloth fencing.
You could easily add on to this as he out grew it.
Depending on how small he really is, a 6x2.5 should be fine for a while, not sure about 2 or 3 more years though.

I assumed he had to be in an enclosed space because of the low humidity here? I think it's usually in the 30-40% range in the summer. If he can be exposed to the outside air we can definitely do something big outside

Thank you so much for the feedback guys

 

[wellington]

I assumed he had to be in an enclosed space because of the low humidity here? I think it's usually in the 30-40% range in the summer. If he can be exposed to the outside air we can definitely do something big outside

Thank you so much for the feedback guys

He does need 80% humidity and in an enclosed enclosure while young and indoors. You can put him outside daily with lots of shade and either a misting system, sprinkler, or spray the area down when he's out there.

 

[Tom]

I assumed he had to be in an enclosed space because of the low humidity here? I think it's usually in the 30-40% range in the summer. If he can be exposed to the outside air we can definitely do something big outside

Thank you so much for the feedback guys

Mark"s Smart Enclosures are closed chambers:


I limit outside time for babies. Generally about one hour of outside time per inch of tortoise. The suggestions from @wellington will help with the dryness.