Two Ques: How Deep of Substrate?; What Kinds of "Furniture"?

[Oxalis]

Working on my indoor wooden Russian tortoise table, and wondering about how deep the substrate should be. I want to make sure he has plenty of substrate to burrow in. We have plain dirt and sphagnum peat moss, and since the surface area is 16 sq ft, we'll probably have to go buy more from Lowe's, once I figure out the ideal depth of the substrate.

Also, I have one hide so far, the wooden log half, and I can always order a second one (I'd like at least 2 hides). I have some rocks for him to walk on, one large flat rock to bask on under the heat lamp, and the water and food dishes. What are some other kinds of "furniture" I might want to consider (especially since he has plenty of space!)?

Here's the enclosure so far: http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-80648.html Thanks all!

 

[nate.mann]

by water dish, i hope you mean terra cotta plant saucer from home depot (or your part of the worlds equivalent) and not a death trap from a pet store. food bowls arent necessary, its suggested you feed them on a flat stone as it will help keep their beak trimmed. a hide that is closed in (except for the one entrance/exit) should be available to steve, and should be around 50% in humidity. other than that, sounds good. for 'furniture' i would just put plants in there steve can graze on. or, have two trays growing with different weeds/plants/grasses in each and place one in the enclosure, then when its almost gone you can rotate it out with the second so it has time to regrow.


0.1.0 Russian tortoise
0.1.0 Sonoran Desert Tortoise
1.0.0 Bluenose Pit/American Bulldog

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forgot to answer your original questions..russians like to dig (mine does A LOT), so i wouldnt go any less than three inches deep with the substrate.


0.1.0 Russian tortoise
0.1.0 Sonoran Desert Tortoise
1.0.0 Bluenose Pit/American Bulldog

 

[Oxalis]

Yes, I am getting a terra cotta plant saucer for his water, and his food bowl is of a rough texture to help with his beak. I was thinking of building him a little wooden house for another hide; so that will be a good one to only have one entrance/exit. Thanks for the substrate depth and grazing plants idea! I added them to my to-do list!!

 

[nate.mann]

perfect. sounds good. good job by the way. also, you dont want to add to much to the enclosure that will take away room for steve to roam, especially since hes a Russian. adding a few things to break up the space is okay, but dont wanna crowd him. just something to think about. be sure to post pictures of the final product. haha

 

[Oxalis]

Awesome, thank you so much for the tips!!

 

[nate.mann]

anytime


0.1.0 Russian tortoise
0.1.0 Sonoran Desert Tortoise
1.0.0 Bluenose Pit/American Bulldog