Reptile & Amphibian Forums

As you may very well see by the pictures below my tort has outgrown his home and I need to begin plans on a more permanent solution either outside or even inside. Below you will find pictures of my backyard and my torts current home so if you can please give your input and any ideas that might help me it would be much appreciated.

thank you,Levitt

Here are a bunch of links for you to get some ideas from:

http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/pentips.html
http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/securehabitat.html
http://www.tortoise.org/general/pen.html
http://www.turtlestuff.com/enclosures.html
http://www.sulcata-station.org/housing.html
http://russiantortoise.org/outdoorpens3.htm

I just bout a Prickly Pear cactus so I can plant it around the enclosure some people say that there is a spineless variety but I didn't find one so I guess Ill plant it outside the enclosure and I'm sure the spines can help ward off predators as well but I'm not sure weather to feed him the cactus fruit or the pads which are also edible.

This is mine. It's pretty simple, built out of 4x4's, with a 5/4x1" trim board.

Nanci
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*****
1.0 Classic Corn, 0.1 Lavender, 0.0.1 Cali King, 0.1 Nelson's Milk
1.0 Tricolor Hog, 0.1 Eastern Hog, 1.0 Florida King
0.1 Eastern Box Turtle, 1.0 Florida Box Turtle
0.0.2 Desert Torts, 2.0 Feral Pigeons

I meant 5/4 x 6" trim board. That pen is 16x16 feet. I started it the Tuesday after Memorial Day.

Nanci
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*****
1.0 Classic Corn, 0.1 Lavender, 0.0.1 Cali King, 0.1 Nelson's Milk
1.0 Tricolor Hog, 0.1 Eastern Hog, 1.0 Florida King
0.1 Eastern Box Turtle, 1.0 Florida Box Turtle
0.0.2 Desert Torts, 2.0 Feral Pigeons

Nanci has a good one ! Nanci I have a quick Q. did u have to put in the walls with separate planks of wood or is that pr-fab ? How long have u had that one and also so u have problems with birds of prey because obviously its above ground far enough so that any land based predators can get to it. Well at least most of them.

Good questions! That's all separate 4x4's, held together with ten and six inch nails. That was the most horrible part. My drill could only last for about three holes before having to be recharged, and it took all my strength to dripp them. Hammering the nails in wasn't hard.

Possible bird predators would include crows (torts are too big) hawks (torts are either under cover or in burrows and my hawk that is sort of hanging around now goes after butterflies- he's small- and I decided that they are probably not of interest to hawks anyway with my huge squirrel population)and at night they are in burrows, so owls couldn't get them. Then I have known foxes out in the woods, and an electric fence is planned- two strands attached right to the outside walls. I don't think the foxes will bother them, and I have never seen a raccoon in the area, even a road kill, but still don't feel comfortable without an electric fence. It'll have to be on a solar charger. That's the next step of the project. I only recently got the last two courses of 4x4's on, and the trim.

Nanci
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*****
1.0 Classic Corn, 0.1 Lavender, 0.0.1 Cali King, 0.1 Nelson's Milk
1.0 Tricolor Hog, 0.1 Eastern Hog, 1.0 Florida King
0.1 Eastern Box Turtle, 1.0 Florida Box Turtle
0.0.2 Desert Torts, 2.0 Feral Pigeons

What kind of Tort do u have because mines a sulcata so I have to worry about him burrowing and since they get so large ( 3rd largest Tort in the world )I need a big pen I definitely have the room its just a matter design. If I were to use a design like your I would have to worry about him or her ( don't know yet ) burrowing under the enclosure thats my main worry . That and the couple of racoons in my neighborhood !

I have desert torts in there. Yeah, a Sulcatta needs a much bigger enclosure. I'd hoped to discourage digging by having the burrows already built. I've only had two incidents- on the first or second day, Buttercup tried to dig under a little shrub on top of her burrow. I moved her to in front of the burrow and told her that was where to go when she got hot. She's never dug again. Koko walks around the edges and has twice tried to dig in the same corner. I don't know if he can't find his way back to the burrow, or forgets, or what. I just buried a patio block in the corner, and he hasn't tested it out yet. The 4x4 walls feel like they could be solid enough to hold a Sulcata, and for sure 4x6 or 6x6 would be- but they get so expensive. Just a 16 foot 4x4 is $20...I think lots of people use concrete blocks for Sulcatas.

Nanci
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*****
1.0 Classic Corn, 0.1 Lavender, 0.0.1 Cali King, 0.1 Nelson's Milk
1.0 Tricolor Hog, 0.1 Eastern Hog, 1.0 Florida King
0.1 Eastern Box Turtle, 1.0 Florida Box Turtle
0.0.2 Desert Torts, 2.0 Feral Pigeons

I'm going to make an insulated house for my Tort its really a dog house customized to fit my Tort ! Ill post pictures of it sometime next week. I think I'm going to do a fenced enclosure reinforced with brick behind it.