Does anyone have any webistes or know of any good ideas to build a good Tortoise cage. I have what I believe to be a 5-6 yr old Russian Tortoise. When we bought him at the pet store they told us he was about 5yrs old. That was July 2004. I think he is getting a little stir crazy living in the 55 gallon aquarium for the past yr now. I talked this over with Biochic in another post. She suggested to get him into another enclosure. I just haven't been able to find any. I was wondering if anyone here knew of some. Or what anyone else uses. Is wood better, or do they try to dig through that. I'm looking into about a 3'-4' square and about 2' high so he can't climb out but that I can put some rocks in for him to climb and bask on. He loves his rocks to climb on. Thanks for all your help. Rachel
Enclosures With a Russian you want something that is well ventilated to reduce the risk of shell rott which can occur with hummidity that is too high, I belive that wood would be ok I am not sure though, the problem with aquariums is they have trouble turning around in them I have heard of people using stearil containers (big ones of course) with alfalfa hay for them to dig in and the tort couldnt climb the sides so that wasnt a concern. I hope this helps some.
http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/vision...11-vision-cage/ Are these type of vision cage any good for a Tortoise? I know they are supposedly good for reptiles but are they ok for a tortoise as well? Thanks for the advice? Rachel
I use one of those garden carts with the mesh sides. I put nice clean dirt and plant grass seeds and other kinds of foods that he likes to eat. Then when the weather is nice, I can move the cart around the yard to take advantage of the sun. Just be sure to provide some shade. I'll see if I can get a pic or find the website that had the idea on.
A simple tortoise "table" is really all you need. It's essentially a box. With a tort your size, it only needs to be high enough that he can't climb out and you can put it on the floor or build legs into it. Seriously, with a couple sheets of plywood and few 2x4's, you can make a perfect cage. You don't even have to cover it as long as it's high enough to prevent escape and you don't build up cage decorations on the sides. The lamps can be suspended from their clamps. It would be very easy to make and would only have to be about 4'x5'. I wouldn't recommend the visions just because there isn't enough ventilation and you need a good deal of substrate for a digging tortoise and a cage with a door in the front like that would only be a hinderance.
Well I gave up on trying to find something that would work. I found some plans of a wooden cage design online and went to lowes today. They will cut the wood into the sizes I need so all I have to do is bring them home and nail it together. Then seal it shut for leaks and done. So in the design plans it lists a stain they used. It was Minwax Colonial Maple oil based stain and sealed with 2-3 coats of satin finish polyurethane. I was wondering if it would be safe to use or do you know of anything that can be used on the wood. Also what types of sealant can be used. He needs a water bowl for soaking in there so I need to make sure the cage won't leak if it gets spilled. I'm using Melamine for the bottom and then 1/2" plywood for the 4 sides with an open top. Thanks for all your help with this cage. Rachel
