Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi i just addopted a new russian tort. and well i know a lot about them but would like to know how to set up a indoor enclosure like substrate and all that. If anyone has any pictures of there indoor enxlosures that would be great. Thank you all.

I only keep mine indoors for a few weeks before and after hibernation, so I use a minimal setup. When outdoors I have about 80 sq ft of pen space for 4 adults.

But you can find pictures of indoor setups here:

russiantortoise.org/care_sheet.htm

If you are going to keep your tort indoors all of the time I strongly recommend you use something larger than the 50 gallon rubbermaid listed in the caresheet. These are fairly active torts, and 8 sq ft of floor space would be well used. If you must go smaller than that, try to make the space interesting by creating levels, tunnels, etc with boards, pieces of slate and so on.

Good luck!

Well he wont be indoors 24/7 i live in so. cal. and the nights get to about 65 and lower sometimes high 50. Also around here its overcast til 10-11 so its only in the 60 til then thats how wheather is by the ocean. So i want to bring him in every time its cold and once its warm he can go outside. So its not a perminit home indoors. I just need ideas on how to make simple setups so he can live in there through cold nights, sometimes cold days. Anyone else have information and pictures. Thank you all.

Well he wont be indoors 24/7 i live in so. cal. and the nights get to about 65 and lower sometimes high 50. Also around here its overcast til 10-11 so its only in the 60 til then thats how wheather is by the ocean. So i want to bring him in every time its cold and once its warm he can go outside.

That temperature range is well within the limits of a russian tortoise.

Mine stay out in overnight lows in the mid 40s (as long as it isn't raining or damp) and daytime highs in the 100s. And I live in Missouri where the humidity is high. I bring mine in when it's either cold (sub 60) and raining, or overnight lows drop below 45, and/or daytime highs dont' break 60. You definitely have to avoid cold AND damp. When the low temps drop into the low 50s or less I put newspaper into the tort house to provide some insulation.

I have done this for 4 years (spring-to-fall) now, and the torts are consistently healthy and have produced about 15-20 hatchlings in that time.

I see no need to bring your tort inside under these conditions as long as he is healthy. Russian torts originate in mountainous regions with extremely cold winters, hot, dry summers, with little rainfall. Often they are only above ground 3 months of the year. If you can provide him with a secure outdoor pen that also has a small hide-box (little tortoise house) and some shade, he'll be fine. Southern California presents almost perfect weather for this tort. You'll still need to avoid temps much below 50, heavy rains, and extended periods (days) of highs in the 100s if there is little shade.

Go to the russian tortoise forum on Yahoo for more detailed help. I dont' have a link for it handy.

Here's a pic of my russian enclosure. It's older and a bit blurry, but you probably get the idea. Also in the pic is a juvie sulcata that is getting to big now to be a good roommate.
I call this my turtle table, and it stands above my RES turtle pond, about 5 feet off the ground. It's about 1 foot deep, and 4 feet by 8 feet. I used a deck covering to make the wood easy to clean and waterproof. It's worked fine for the russians, but again, my sulcata is proving his size by wearing the corners. Also consider using more UV light bulbs than seen in the pic. These guys can climb well, so keep any rocks, hides, or any other cage furniture away from the walls to keep them from getting out

"Well he wont be indoors 24/7 i live in so. cal. and the nights get to about 65 and lower sometimes high 50. Also around here its overcast til 10-11 so its only in the 60 til then thats how wheather is by the ocean. So i want to bring him in every time its cold and once its warm he can go outside. So its not a perminit home indoors. I just need ideas on how to make simple setups so he can live in there through cold nights, sometimes cold days. Anyone else have information and pictures. Thank you all."

like brad said, go to russiantortoise.org and you'll find picture galleries of several different set ups. once you have the tort's health stabilized (wormed and feeding the correct diet) you should be able to keep your RT outside most of the time.

i have a large herd outside 24/7 in the bay area from march thru oct without nary a sniffle. i had the same herd in minnesota for nine years outside 24/7 from may thru sept.

good luck,

matt

Well it wont get to 100 ever. The highest it will get around here is like 80-85 but average is 70-75 for highs. And i dont know if he will do good in night time cold. It can gt to low 50's. Will it be alright if i kep him in a rubbermaid container outdoors. For protection at night. Also what if some days i cant put him in the yard will he be alright in a 50 gallon out side/

In my experience night time lows in the 50s (when not raining) are not a problem at all. Like I said above, the weather you described would be great for a russian. They tolerate temps down to the 40s and highs in the 80s are well below their limits.

I wouldn't leave him outside in a tub or container. If it rained he could drown, if out in the sun he could bake, and in general he would have no way to move around and avoid wind, sun, etc.

I sometimes have used a Reptarium (plastic-screened enclosure) to keep an animal outdoors for a few hours. But not over night or all day while I'm gone. The screen allows for good ventilation and somewhat reduces the intensity of the sun. I sometimes place a board or towel over one side to provide extra shade.

You absolutely can leave your russian outside. I'm in Sonoma County, and all mine (including yearlings) are outside from March - October. Night temps in the summers here are rarely above the mid-50s, often in the 40s. I have a dog house for them to sleep in, but they don't always use it.
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Sohni

2.2.2 Testudo horsfieldii
0.0.2 Testudo hermannii boetgeri
0.0.2 Testudo hermannii hermannii
1.0.0 Testudo marginata

What you need to do is provide an area with very good drainage so the substrate can dry out during the warm daytime temperatures.

Humid cool temperatures will kill a russian (I rarely use 'will').

What I do with my guys is keep them indoors 24/7. I'm in San Diego. I find this easier as far as Russians (and egyptians and golden greeks) are concerned. They seem to have very specific tolerances and any deviation does not seem to go well.

There are many people who keep russians outdoors 24/7 in SoCal but many of them seem to pay very close attention to them during the hibernation period such as placeing them in a cooler (cool and dry) or making sure they have a dry hibernaculum (cool and dry).

You can easily keep it outdoors during the day and provide a rubbermaid box filled with hay at night. Bring it in after sunset and put it out in the morning. (i pay my daughter to do this with many of my tortoises)

March to December (for SoCal) should be no problem keeping them outdoor 24/7 if you have an area that drys out during the day.
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Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care