lauraespinosa01
New Member
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2015
- Messages
- 15
Hi all! I've only ever posted here a few times and not in quite awhile, but I'm very excited about my brand new enclosure and thought others might be interested. I hope the photo overload is okay!
I live in Bolivia, so the temps and humidity outside are obviously ideal for my native tortoises. But for now they are small and I live in a 6th floor apartment so they live indoors. Within a year or two we are planning to move into a house with a yard so they can live outside.
Starting at the beginning: I drew a plan and we took it to a glassworker to put together:
Once it was done and we wrangled it into our apartment:
Lid removed and background added:
I wanted to create a mini ecosystem to make their habitat as natural as possible, increase humidity, prevent smells, etc. So I started with a layer of lava rock:
Followed by mesh:
Followed by substrate. My hands were in the dirt and I didn't stop to take photos of this step. We used a few types of soil, coconut coir, sphagnum moss, tree fern fiber, and charcoal. All mixed together.
Once the substrate was in I added the plants. Then a layer of leaf litter to the top. I also added a patch of grass at the front - that's where food and water will go.
I took a panoramic photo to try to get it all in the frame. They'll get some nice natural light from the window.
My husband installed the UV light and CHEs with a timer and thermostat. We have a watering system too, but I need to get another timer on my next trip to the United States before we install that. For now I just water the old fashioned way.
Looking in through the door:
I'm very happy with it so far! I haven't taken temps on all sides of the enclosure yet, but they seem to range from about 80 to 88 degrees F. Humidity has been constantly above 80% so far, even with the door open.
Chloe, Ruby, and Essie seem to be enjoying it so far. They've been too busy exploring to even eat which is unusual for my little piggies! I'm hoping that most of the plants withstand some munching and trampling, but if not I was thinking I'd hang some from the top for added humidity/aesthetics out of the reach of the tortoises.
Guess that's all for now. Thanks for listening!
I live in Bolivia, so the temps and humidity outside are obviously ideal for my native tortoises. But for now they are small and I live in a 6th floor apartment so they live indoors. Within a year or two we are planning to move into a house with a yard so they can live outside.
Starting at the beginning: I drew a plan and we took it to a glassworker to put together:
Once it was done and we wrangled it into our apartment:
Lid removed and background added:
I wanted to create a mini ecosystem to make their habitat as natural as possible, increase humidity, prevent smells, etc. So I started with a layer of lava rock:
Followed by mesh:
Followed by substrate. My hands were in the dirt and I didn't stop to take photos of this step. We used a few types of soil, coconut coir, sphagnum moss, tree fern fiber, and charcoal. All mixed together.
Once the substrate was in I added the plants. Then a layer of leaf litter to the top. I also added a patch of grass at the front - that's where food and water will go.
I took a panoramic photo to try to get it all in the frame. They'll get some nice natural light from the window.
My husband installed the UV light and CHEs with a timer and thermostat. We have a watering system too, but I need to get another timer on my next trip to the United States before we install that. For now I just water the old fashioned way.
Looking in through the door:
I'm very happy with it so far! I haven't taken temps on all sides of the enclosure yet, but they seem to range from about 80 to 88 degrees F. Humidity has been constantly above 80% so far, even with the door open.
Chloe, Ruby, and Essie seem to be enjoying it so far. They've been too busy exploring to even eat which is unusual for my little piggies! I'm hoping that most of the plants withstand some munching and trampling, but if not I was thinking I'd hang some from the top for added humidity/aesthetics out of the reach of the tortoises.
Guess that's all for now. Thanks for listening!