temporary enclosure for Zeus and Thor.

[wellington]

Don't feel that way... as long as you care about your animals, then you're a good owner. People just over-exaggerate over enclosure size sometimes...

No, we don't over exaggerate on enclosure size. No one has said to go buy a couple acre piece of land for the torts. We just are trying to educate on what is wrong. Do you understand the amount of ground these tortoises cover in the wild? No, we can't duplicate that, but we should do our best to give them a proper size enclosure. Most of us uses that size for one hatchling. Hurt feelings can be diminished if research is done first. No one, including me, is trying to make her feel bad. Did I not say SORRY at the end of my first post that everyone thinks is so terrible. The first member that thought I was too harsh gave no help to this person at all. There are many ways to keep both tortoises if you so choose. This is the place to learn. We all have learned from here and are still learning. Take the advice given and implement as much as possible. Do not take it personally, it's not meant as a bashing on you, it's meant as help only on what you are doing wrong. We all have done wrong, came here and learned the right way. Your a bad mum, only when you stop learning, listening and caring and trying to do your best.

 

[tglazie]

Apologies. For some reason, when I read three bedroom house, I thought three bedroom apartment. Also, since we now know you have a garden, you're keeping them outside during the summer, yes? If you have the land, there are outdoor options that are infinitely superior to any indoor setup. Cold frames, agricultural polytunnels, greenhouses, insulated sheds to accompany aforementioned plastic covered structures, the list of options is endless, and you can find a whole host of them on this forum from highly resourceful members. Don't go cheap on the housing when there's no justifiable reason to do so.

Oh, and Wellington is right. We're not exaggerating. Large enclosures make for happy tortoises. It's just that simple. But it appears you don't have anything resembling a shortage of space, so this shouldn't be a problem.

Also, don't get that book. I mean, first off, it was published in the early nineties, so I don't think you'll be able to find a cheap copy in print. Secondly, the info in it is incredibly out of date. It was published before the notion of humid microclimates were even considered, before Mazuri and Mercury Vapor Bulbs and temp guns were invented. And the book also lumps all Testudo as having the same care requirements when, in reality, these animals occur over a wide range of habitats and, therefore, actually have rather different care requirements.

T.G.

 

[spanna]

Yes it's a 3 bed house with two gardens and yes in the summer months they will be outside, I have a spare shed and a garage too...I think I'll be able to work wonders with the shed for them and already planning their outdoor enclosure for next year and started buying seeds to grow for them too.
Forget that book too lol....I think I'll have a look at purchasing a book for a little advise as I find this forum is helpful but the information can be very conflicting too (please don't take offence to that)

 

[leigti]

Books are good, but I found that most of the books I read were very out of date. The most recent information can be found on the Internet, but yes much of it is conflicting so you have to wade through it and figure out what's right. Indoor enclosure size is not nearly as big an issue if your tortoises can be outside for part of the year.