# Kameya Playground



## kameya (Apr 13, 2011)

This was an existing tortoise playground I had build about a year ago, it was okay, and I've decided to make a few changes that will make a better use of open land for the young tortoises to roam around.








Change #1: To change the shape of the shelter's roof using the PVC pipes and metal wires...






Change #2: Relocate the shelter to the corner so the tortoises have more rooms to roam around...











Change #3: Adding sod on top of the shelter roof to help maintaining the moisture level inside the shelter...






New looks of the Kameya Playground...


























A young Sulcata is enjoying a nice and warm SolCal sunshine...:hug: 











Change #4: Adding a Tortoise Xing sign right next to the habitat...





















As of now, I will sit back and watch how the tortoises interact with these new settings, and be a happy Turtle and Tortoise Lover... ^_^


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## Fernando (Apr 13, 2011)

wow that is great job! you live in Orange County! So do I!...I'd love to come see it in person...maybe you can give me some pointers


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## Jacqui (Apr 13, 2011)

On the sign, the opaque one, what does it say? Also, is this for a sulcata only? Just wondering because if it were for something that climbs you might want to change/move the brick over by the corner of the grass roof.

 Darn getting old, I completely forgot to say it looks wonderful. I do like the sod top.


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## kameya (Apr 13, 2011)

Jacqui said:


> On the sign, the opaque one, what does it say? Also, is this for a sulcata only? Just wondering because if it were for something that climbs you might want to change/move the brick over by the corner of the grass roof.
> 
> Darn getting old, I completely forgot to say it looks wonderful. I do like the sod top.




Great catch Jacqui...the red brick by the shelter was just there temporary to serve as an shelter boundary marker...the opaque sign is the name of this habiat in Chinese, which is Kameya Playground...and for now, I only have sulcatas in the pen, and I will switch them to a bigger habiat when they outgrow this one...


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## dmarcus (Apr 13, 2011)

Thatâ€™s a very good enclosure and I love the tiles..


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## terryo (Apr 13, 2011)

That's a great looking enclosure. I love the sod idea. Is there soil under the sod? As it grows, I guess you will be cutting it by hand. Also when you water the sod will it go through into the hide? Great idea!


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## LindaF (Apr 13, 2011)

So nice! Makes me want to be a tortoise and live there.


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## coreyc (Apr 13, 2011)

I love it great job is the wire that goes around it for the heat mat? Great idea for the roof


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## CtTortoiseMom (Apr 13, 2011)

Wow, really great! I thought the roof to the hide was really clever!


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## Angi (Apr 13, 2011)

I love it


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## Jacob (Apr 13, 2011)

Wow, This Looks Great!
Nice Job, One Day i Will Something Like This!


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## ALDABRAMAN (Apr 13, 2011)

Creative for sure!


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## zoogrl (Apr 13, 2011)

It looks great! I love the sod on the roof, I'm sure your torts will love it!


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## Neal (Apr 14, 2011)

Very nice job, however I'm a little dissapointed that the Super Mario Bros pictures are gone.


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## kameya (Apr 14, 2011)

terryo said:


> That's a great looking enclosure. I love the sod idea. Is there soil under the sod? As it grows, I guess you will be cutting it by hand. Also when you water the sod will it go through into the hide? Great idea!



I have some soil under the sod to allow the root to grow...and the water will drip down through the hide to keep the hide cool under the sunny weather...and yes, I have to cut the grass by hand, but then just dump the grass clippings into the pen for the tortoises to mulch...



coreyc said:


> I love it great job is the wire that goes around it for the heat mat? Great idea for the roof




You are pretty sharp, Cory, by spotting the well hidden black cord...yes, it is the cord that came from the ZooMed heating pad...I place it under the shelter and only use it during the cold winter and raining days...




Neal said:


> Very nice job, however I'm a little dissapointed that the Super Mario Bros pictures are gone.



That's the best part of the old design...however, the SMB art were made with laminate on paper, and they only lasted about six months under the extreme temperature... ... I will think of something in the future to bring them back... ^_^


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## Jacqui (Apr 14, 2011)

kameya said:


> Jacqui said:
> 
> 
> > On the sign, the opaque one, what does it say?
> ...



That's neat, I really love the sign!


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## TebowHammer (Apr 14, 2011)

Just like everyone else has said, James...

It looks great, man! It really does.


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## kameya (Apr 20, 2011)

*Kameya Playground - phase I*

I was able to find some photos on my old hard disk that I took when the Playground was first built...

This was the area I chose to build the Playground upon...






Most of the parts and pieces came from another existing hatbitat...






Builiding the tile fence...











Adding the water area using the painting tray...






Building the original shelter...











Placing the cover fence over the entire habitat...











Tortoise's dining area...






The little sulcata looked curious in his new environment...


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## Fernando (Apr 20, 2011)

I really like the painting tray idea. I might have to take that one from you............and a majority of your ideas


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## luke (Apr 20, 2011)

Kameya, thanks for sharing this. Very helpfull indeed. Beautifull tort too.


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## murdocjunior (Apr 20, 2011)

Is that a baby ivory sully? and also what are those bushes plant thingys in the inclosure? by the way nice inclosure i think the mario bros should be brought back.


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## SnakeyeZ (Apr 20, 2011)

Very nice! I love it, and I love your yard. I would love to live somewhere like that where the sun is always shinning.


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## lynnedit (Apr 20, 2011)

I like the PVC frame cover. how have you secured that to the walls? (can't quite tell from the pic, or did you explain this earlier in the threads somwhere?).


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## kameya (Apr 20, 2011)

murdocjunior said:


> Is that a baby ivory sully? and also what are those bushes plant thingys in the inclosure?



No, it's just a typical sulcata, I think the morning lighting made the shell color a little pale in the photo...I am not sure what the wild bushes plants are, I've asked around, but no one really knows, and I've got whole bunch of those in my yard...



lynnedit said:


> I like the PVC frame cover. how have you secured that to the walls?



LOTS OF SHOE GOO...one of my secret DIY ingredient... ^_^


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## ticothetort2 (Apr 20, 2011)

Great enclosure, it's come along way since you first started it...


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## kameya (Aug 22, 2011)

*Kameya Villa Resident*

Here are some photos of my 3-year-old sulcata...right now it is the only resident that lives in Kameya Villa...


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## Jacqui (Aug 22, 2011)

The tortoise is very beautiful. Now that you have been living and working with this enclosure, are there any things you would change about? Good ideas that just aren't as good as you thought or any that are working better then you expected?


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## DesertGrandma (Aug 22, 2011)

I really love all your ideas. Would like to see a close up of your "tortoise crossing" sign. What do the other red signs say? I am going to steal your idea about the grass covered hide too. Do the grass roots coming through the top ever become a problem at all?


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## FranklinTturtle (Aug 22, 2011)

That looks like fun. I like that you appreciate PVC as much as I do. How did you secure the walls to keep from falling? 
Thanks 
Jessica


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## kameya (Aug 22, 2011)

DesertGrandma said:


> I really love all your ideas. Would like to see a close up of your "tortoise crossing" sign. What do the other red signs say? I am going to steal your idea about the grass covered hide too. Do the grass roots coming through the top ever become a problem at all?








About the grass roof, I've added a layer of padded foam underneath to keep the moisture and to prevent to roots going through...




FranklinTturtle said:


> That looks like fun. I like that you appreciate PVC as much as I do. How did you secure the walls to keep from falling?



There are a few things I like about PVC for all my habitat projects...they are easy and inexpensive to get, and do not require any power tools to work with, I only invested in one pair of Pipe cutter to do all the cutting. And lastly, they can withstand most of the outdoor elements.

For the tile wall, I just sandwiched it between the existing cement slab and inner stone tiles.




Jacqui said:


> The tortoise is very beautiful. Now that you have been living and working with this enclosure, are there any things you would change about? Good ideas that just aren't as good as you thought or any that are working better then you expected?



That's a good question...After gave some thought, I don't see any major issues with the current habitat design/layout. My sulcata is roaming all over the place through out the day, grazing as much as he likes on the small grass patches, and retreating back his shelter in the late afternoon and never comes out again until the next morning. 

Every morning before I go to work, I will just survey the yard, and add new water the water dish. And about once a month, I will do some housekeeping works including grass trimming and cleaning work. Like I've always said, if you can plan for a good tortoise habitat, it really helps you saving a lot of time on caring for your tortoise down the road... ^_^


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## DesertGrandma (Aug 22, 2011)

Very cute sign and good idea about the foam padding. Is your sulcata pretty much existing on what you have in your enclosure or do you supplement him other foods? I am trying to plant all the things for a balanced diet for my leopard so I won't have to feed too much "special" food, but it is a work in progress. Will be awhile before I can get it all producing.


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