Whats the best enclosure for a herman tortoise?

[Chelle89]

Hi everyone

im buying a herman tortoise this month finaly , cant wait, but i was wondering if anyone can give me some information on the best type of accomodation for them?

many thanks

Michelle

 

[Millerlite]

Outdoor is the best you can give a hermanns. IF indoor tortoise table.

 

[tortoisenerd]

Hi Michelle, welcome to the forum! Congrats on the future tort. What age tort are you getting?

Everyone will have their own opinion on tortoise enclosures. I would agree with Millerlite though--outdoors is definitely best, but many of us don't have the weather, so building a suitable indoor enclosure the largest size you can manage while making it as close to their natural habitat is a best alternative.

A tortoise table in case you don't know is typically a wood enclosure with shorter side, but kinda resembling a box (someone told me my looks like a coffin, lol). Sometimes you can buy one, but they are pretty easy to make, even without tools. I went to Home Depot with some plans I drew up, and told them to cut the boards to specific dimensions based on the lengths and widths they had in stock. My fiance and I nailed them together, tapped in the nails flush, covered the nails with puddy, used some brackets in for extra support, and then we sanded and sealed it. Lots of sites have instructions, or you can search to buy one depending on where you live. I also lined in with shower pan liner, although pond liner or a heavy duty shower curtain works well. I actually did it custom to go right on top of a dining room buffet cabinet so we have storage and it's out of the way. Also, little Trevor is in the center of the action! he has 8 square feet to roam, and we'll add on a second story later on.

Rubbermaid tubs also work, although not as esthetically pleasing. A plus of this setup is cost, which is good because ideally the enclosure should grow with the tort unless you get a fully-grown one. Russiantortoise.org gives a good Rubbermaid tub setup for a Russian tortoise, which is very similar in size and habitat. If you can get the largest you can find, preferably with not so tall sides, that is great.

Keep in mind substrate height, tortoise height on it's hind legs, and cage furnishings that the tort can climb on when determining an enclosure wall's height. Always make it higher than you think!

Any thoughts to substrate yet?

Best wishes.

 

[Chelle89]

Hi Michelle, welcome to the forum! Congrats on the future tort. What age tort are you getting?

Everyone will have their own opinion on tortoise enclosures. I would agree with Millerlite though--outdoors is definitely best, but many of us don't have the weather, so building a suitable indoor enclosure the largest size you can manage while making it as close to their natural habitat is a best alternative.

A tortoise table in case you don't know is typically a wood enclosure with shorter side, but kinda resembling a box (someone told me my looks like a coffin, lol). Sometimes you can buy one, but they are pretty easy to make, even without tools. I went to Home Depot with some plans I drew up, and told them to cut the boards to specific dimensions based on the lengths and widths they had in stock. My fiance and I nailed them together, tapped in the nails flush, covered the nails with puddy, used some brackets in for extra support, and then we sanded and sealed it. Lots of sites have instructions, or you can search to buy one depending on where you live. I also lined in with shower pan liner, although pond liner or a heavy duty shower curtain works well. I actually did it custom to go right on top of a dining room buffet cabinet so we have storage and it's out of the way. Also, little Trevor is in the center of the action! he has 8 square feet to roam, and we'll add on a second story later on.

Rubbermaid tubs also work, although not as esthetically pleasing. A plus of this setup is cost, which is good because ideally the enclosure should grow with the tort unless you get a fully-grown one. Russiantortoise.org gives a good Rubbermaid tub setup for a Russian tortoise, which is very similar in size and habitat. If you can get the largest you can find, preferably with not so tall sides, that is great.

Keep in mind substrate height, tortoise height on it's hind legs, and cage furnishings that the tort can climb on when determining an enclosure wall's height. Always make it higher than you think!

Any thoughts to substrate yet?

Best wishes.

Hi , i have found a reccomended breader in england so im hoping to get one from there itl just be a baby when i get it i think. I think i will keep the tortoise indoors due mostly to the fact i live in scotland so the weather is a bit unprodictable most of the time , doubt a tortoise will enjoy the wind and rain. thanks very much for your tips im going to make a tortoise table for indoors and i will have a run made for when its a hot day so it can be outdoors aswell, at the moment im just reading up on as much information i can before i get one.

Thanks

Michelle