# Out side enclosure



## bsr8129 (Mar 18, 2009)

Im working on building an out side enclosure for my little guy, he is about 6 months old, since he is still yng and needs to have some humidity, how can i go about adding humidty to his enclosure. I was just planning on building a enclosure with no floor as it would sit on the grass and dont want to kill a big patch of grass.

I could let him just rome the back yard, we have an adult desert tort that romes that back yeard, but i am afraid that i would 'loose" my little guy just because of all the hidding spots, there are.


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## MarysTort (Mar 18, 2009)

Don't let him roam the backyard! He could definitely get lost. The larger tortoise could also hurt him.

I have a one year old sulcata and what we have done is build a four sided pen with no bottom so our guy can munch grass while he's getting some sun. This way he is in a confined area so no one steps on him. Even then we sit outside and keep an eye on him. There are lots of potential predators, especially for the little guys. Our pen is not very big and movable so we can pick it up or drag it to a new area. Hope this gives you some ideas.


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## tortoisenerd (Mar 18, 2009)

Is the humidity question for the outdoor enclosure? That confuses me. Outdoor should have some humidity with the grass, even if you lived in a desert.

For the backyard enclosure, I have some ideas. I think since you don't want it to be permanent, movable so it won't kill the grass, and without a bottom, you'll want a wood frame with mesh or wiring covering it. It should probably be heavy enough that nothing could knock it over (including the desert tort), and the tort can't dig under it too easily (but he hopefully wouldn't be out there long enough unsupervised to be able to do so anyways). I'd personally suggest having some area that has some bottom to it in case the tort feels the grass is cold, wants to feel secure, etc. In some ways I like the Zoo Med one below, but it could definitely have some improvements such as weight and size.

http://www.amphibiancare.com/frogs/articles/images/boxturtlepen/pen30.jpg
http://www.reptiledirect.com/zoomedtortoiseplaypen.aspx

There are some great examples in the enclosures section here as well. Maybe try searching "outdoor enclosure" or "outdoor pen", etc.


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## Jentortmom (Mar 18, 2009)

Here is a picture of some boxes I made. Mine are in a permanent location, and I have them filled with dirt and seeds, but they could be made smaller. Mine have a wire bottom under all the dirt, but you could leave it without the bottom and just do a lid to protect him/her. But I agree I wouldn't leave him loose in the yard. Another idea is a rabbit cage, remove the bottom and put something around the sides to keep them in, I do this when I put my hatchlings in the grass, just make sure he can't get out of the slots or you will have a hard time finding him. As far as humidity the grass should provide enough, but I sometimes spray it a little before I put them in, especially on really warm days.


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## Millerlite (Mar 18, 2009)

Yeah build an enclosure, use some wood or something to make a boarder then you know where he is at all times, and he wont get lost. Make sure its escape proof, You can also build a box, if you go on my site and go to photos and enclosures you can see some examples. I will put them in photobucket and try posting them soon.


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## Yvonne G (Mar 19, 2009)

bsr8129 said:


> Im working on building an out side enclosure for my little guy, he is about 6 months old, since he is still yng and needs to have some humidity, how can i go about adding humidty to his enclosure. I was just planning on building a enclosure with no floor as it would sit on the grass and dont want to kill a big patch of grass.
> 
> I could let him just rome the back yard, we have an adult desert tort that romes that back yeard, but i am afraid that i would 'loose" my little guy just because of all the hidding spots, there are.



Because of the way you refer to "my little guy" and then you refer to "an adult desert tortoise" I'm guessing that your little guy is a different species from the desert tortoise, right? If this is the case, you should never put them in the same habitat. Different species of tortoise carry different pathogens and these could make the tortoises ill and even dead. I have taken in several desert tortoises that had been kept with sulcatas, then got sick and the people didn't want to spend the money to make them well, so they gave them up. From my own experience I can guarantee you it DOES happen.

Yvonne


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## Maggie Cummings (Mar 20, 2009)

When I was new to keeping tortoises I had Gopherus agassizii and Sulcata living together. They were all hatchlings and I had them set up very nicely...Then the desert babies got sick. I don't remember all the details now, but the desert babies got something from the Sulcata and what I DO remember is how sick the DT's got and how hard it was to get them healthy again. The Vet said they got some sort of bacteria from the Sulcata who never did get sick. I am very lucky none of the DT's died....Never mix species it's one of the worst things you can do...


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