Sleep and try to escape, that's all how we do it in Belgium.

[Yetanotherclyde]

Meet Clyde. He enjoys trying to escape by climbing over everything in his enclosure.

Yep, flowers too.

Initial setup

After 5 days of acclimatation he started eating (we are slowly phasing out the kind of food he got at the breeders by mixing it with other more healthy stuff, and it seems to be working.
Still trying to escape all the time, pacing along the walls but I suppose that will pass too.

 

[Yvonne G]

Very cute! Why go around when you can go over? Nice enclosure.

 

[Kasia]

Meet Clyde. He enjoys trying to escape by climbing over everything in his enclosure.

Yep, flowers too.

Initial setup

After 5 days of acclimatation he started eating (we are slowly phasing out the kind of food he got at the breeders by mixing it with other more healthy stuff, and it seems to be working.
Still trying to escape all the time, pacing along the walls but I suppose that will pass too.

Look out on that green plant in the corner - when he grows up a bit it will be an easy spot for him to get out And they grow fast...

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome. Nice looking enclosure, but looking a bit small. Might just be the pic, but it does need to be a minimum of a 4x8. Expanding it might help him from wanting out.

 

[Megashiso]

Look out on that green plant in the corner - when he grows up a bit it will be an easy spot for him to get out And they grow fast...

Yes that has been taken care of with a 6" extra height at that place, thanks!

 

[Megashiso]

Hello and Welcome. Nice looking enclosure, but looking a bit small. Might just be the pic, but it does need to be a minimum of a 4x8. Expanding it might help him from wanting out.

It's 5 by 2.5, which seemed a bit bigger than most tables I found dimensions of on most blogs / forums... Can you show me a few pictures of tables of more than 4 by 8 with a single Hermann or Russian in them? I haven't seen *anything* that big when I researched the subject, including here.
I'm also a bit surprised because other threads with tables a bit smaller or bigger than this never mention anything about that 4x8 "minimum".

Edit: case in point: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/my-custom-tortoise-table-build-thread.43781/

 

[wellington]

If you read from any of the recommended sizes posted by the long time members you will find the answer you don't want too find. Newbies come in with the small spaces and we try to tell them the size that is truly needed. Like you, most just don't want to hear it or believe it because they don't want to build that big or don't have room.
They roam a lot of space in the wild, covering a lot of ground. They are suppose to live outside. Now put them in a small enclosure in the house. You'd want out all the time too.

 

[wellington]

Btw, most places outside this forum won't give you the correct answers. They have old outdated info.
Also, recommended minimums are still with hope that they get outside to a bigger area during the summer months.

 

[TechnoCheese]

It's 5 by 2.5, which seemed a bit bigger than most tables I found dimensions of on most blogs / forums... Can you show me a few pictures of tables of more than 4 by 8 with a single Hermann or Russian in them? I haven't seen *anything* that big when I researched the subject, including here.
I'm also a bit surprised because other threads with tables a bit smaller or bigger than this never mention anything about that 4x8 "minimum".

Edit: case in point: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/my-custom-tortoise-table-build-thread.43781/

Please keep in mind that that thread is also from 2012. We didn’t know as much then as we do now.

 

[Kasia]

Hi
I have a single adult Russian in a 7×7 feet enclosure by winter and when its warm enough he has a whole garden (over 100 m2). Smaller enclosure for an adult is not enough, they like space. But yours is still a baby and honestly (I will get hang for this by other TFO members) you have an year or so for adjusting so don't panic. There are many practices spread on the internet. It does not mean that they are good.

 

[katieandiggy]

I’m totally in love with your enclosure, I’ve actually taken a picture of it and I’m going to try and recreate it! I still can’t work out what exactly you did with the ikea furniture though.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Greetings, I agree that the enclosure looks great and well planned, but concur that it’s just too small which is one major reason why your tort is really trying to escape. Although all the plantings and hardscape are visually appealing to us as keepers, they do take up a lot of the useable floor space.

Just taking a look, I’d venture to say that two thirds of the walkable floor space are taken up by hardscape and planting’s with only 1/3 available for tort exploration.

We all know that the more space one can provide the better.

Hope this all helps.

 

[Yetanotherclyde]

If you read from any of the recommended sizes posted by the long time members you will find the answer you don't want too find. Newbies come in with the small spaces and we try to tell them the size that is truly needed. Like you, most just don't want to hear it or believe it because they don't want to build that big or don't have room.
They roam a lot of space in the wild, covering a lot of ground. They are suppose to live outside. Now put them in a small enclosure in the house. You'd want out all the time too.

Sooo, not a single picture of a larger enclosure? No surprise, you're full of it.

Second, lil guy just spent two month in the garden (there's a heatwave atm), which we nearly completely dedicated to him (its area is about 20 by 20 feet) and he's still trying to escape constantly, FYAD I guess, I'm done with this toxic place.

 

[Yetanotherclyde]

Hi
I have a single adult Russian in a 7×7 feet enclosure by winter and when its warm enough he has a whole garden (over 100 m2). Smaller enclosure for an adult is not enough, they like space. But yours is still a baby and honestly (I will get hang for this by other TFO members) you have an year or so for adjusting so don't panic. There are many practices spread on the internet. It does not mean that they are good.

Thank you for not being a condescending moron like the other people here and godspeed

 

[Yetanotherclyde]

Btw, most places outside this forum won't give you the correct answers. They have old outdated info.
Also, recommended minimums are still with hope that they get outside to a bigger area during the summer months.

You might want to work on your people skills mate. That first burst of **** I got from here was degrading.

 

[Taylor T.]

We're really not trying to be toxic. I get that it can seem like it at times, but we really just want what's best for your tortoise. If you just disregard what we say, it's your tortoise that is potentially suffering from it. The way I look a it: (and this is just an opinion) You will eventually need a larger enclosure for your tortoise once he is an adult, so you might as well do it now and get it out of the way, while at the same time making him a bit happier in the short term. Seems like a win-win to me!

 

[EdMurphy]

With my russian size don't seem to matter much, the weeds must be greener on the other side and she needs to get to them.
Don't matter if she's in the 8x8 or the whole yard, she checks all the boundaries and she is going to try to get over them because for what ever reason she has someplace to be. I have noticed it is most often she works the east side too, Odd thing is she doesn't do this in her indoor enclosure, she's content standing on rocks and looking out.

 

[katieandiggy]

Well I think your enclosure looks great. And as long as your tortoise gets some outside time in a bigger space I think that’s fine. Mine is only in 3ft by 2ft vivarium but is out everyday in the garden. I’m planning an open top enclosure at some point. I remember seeing yours when you first posted and I swear I have searched every garden centre in a 50 mike radius for a semphora pot!

 

[wellington]

Sooo, not a single picture of a larger enclosure? No surprise, you're full of it.

Second, lil guy just spent two month in the garden (there's a heatwave atm), which we nearly completely dedicated to him (its area is about 20 by 20 feet) and he's still trying to escape constantly, FYAD I guess, I'm done with this toxic place.

Your the one being condescending and very rude. All that will get you is booted out. We take our time from our lives to help you and you just want to argue everything we try to tell you because it's not what you want too hear. If you think all the info you have found outside this forum is so great use it and your tort will suffer for it. There are plenty of postcsith the minimum size listed. We can't make people make them we can only give them the correct info. As for finding you pics of enclosures, do your own research. I have a life too.
Now, you want to keep calllmg names and you will out!