Tortoise's enclosure

[joevovrosh]

I have two young Herman's tortoises, they are only about 5cm in length soo they are kept indoors for now, i don't like the fact that they spend their life in one enclosure, so i was wondering if i was to swap them into each others enclosure's, would this create more interest for them because of the new scenery, so would it just stress them out

i'm new to owning tortoises, and i don't want to try anything which might not be a good idea!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Joe:

Tortoises are pretty territorial, so I think moving them occasionally to a different environment would be stressful for them. If you want to mix it up a little, wait until the weather warms up and build them a nice, big, safe outdoor habitat. They really love being outside, and its very good for them.

 

[joevovrosh]

Okaay, thank you for replying! how big do you recommend i build the out door enclosure, is it just a case of the bigger the better?

 

[Tom]

I like your way of thinking and I'm thrilled that they each have their own space. There are two schools of thought on this: 1. Moving them is stressful, so leave them alone. 2. Moving them is stressful at first, but soon they desensitize and then they are better off for it.

For your outdoor pen, yes, the bigger the better. I like to build banks of 4x8' enclosures. Then I make a 2x4 frame and cover that with wire to protect them from birds or dogs. I plant the enclosures with all sorts of good stuff for shade, cover and grazing. You can remove the bricks that divide the pens and make 8x8' or bigger enclosures as they grow.

I have a thread on this, but I can't seem to find it right now.