Building a New Outdoor Enclosure

[goReptiles]

My boyfriend and I are moving into a house this year. Right now we are working on renovating it and upgrading it.

We are planning out the yard and tortoise pen. Right now, this is what we've got. The entire backyard will be re-fenced with a privacy fence, and the tortoise pen will be connected to the fence.

Do you guys think the awning and whatever rain that falls off will be ok?

The gas main will have a wooden box built around it. Hardware cloth will be buried along the edges of the entire pen.

There will be an 'L' shape bench along the 11ft side and about 4 ft of the 23.5ft side. This bench will serve a dual purpose- 1) a place to sit and 2) shade for the tortoises.

The main fence will be 6 feet tall, but the pen will be 3 feet tall. The bench portion will be 2 feet with a 1 foot back to match the rest in height. There will be a gate as an entrance.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated...

 

[lynnedit]

Sounds very well thought out. I think a bench that doubles as a hide for the torts works very well.
No, rain falling from the awning won't be an issue; place some clumping grasses and shrubs there, the torts can move away if needed.
Make sure you have a very good feeling about where the sun and shade will be over the seasons.
One area might be blasted by sun in the Spring, but one tree will cause it to be shady most of the day in Autumn.

Will you have more than one enclosure for your different species?

 

[greyshirt]

Just a suggestion, but you may want to check with the gas company before you build anything around the gas meter. I know where I live that would not be allowed. Otherwise I love it!

 

[goReptiles]

Lynne, This will just be for the Russians right now. A part will be divided for the Sulcata. The redfoots are not big enough IMO to be left outside all day without supervision, so they'll have a small pen that I'll bring from my mothers house where they will be able to get exercise when I'm outside with them and for a few hours each day on the weekend. When the redfoots are larger, I will build another enclosure for the Russians and give this one to them. The sulcata will have to share the yard with the dogs. That is given we are still living in the house at that time. It is a family home, and we only plan on living there for 2 years or so.

I plan on adding hostas and other plants in there. The hostas should do great in the shade of the awning. I may try to put in a shallow pool and various shelters. There is a large tree that will be right outside the pen and other large trees in the yard, that should also help provide shade during the southern heat.

Billy, it's not the meter, but the gas main. The meter for the guys to read is on the side of the house where they won't have to come in the backyard.

 

[goReptiles]

I was at the house and noticed the shade. Almost the entire pen is shaded. The side of the house will get the sun, but it looks like the house shades the rest of where the pen will be.

Thoughts? Will this be ok? Good? Bad?

 

[goReptiles]

Anyone?

 

[ra94131]

I was at the house and noticed the shade. Almost the entire pen is shaded. The side of the house will get the sun, but it looks like the house shades the rest of where the pen will be.

Thoughts? Will this be ok? Good? Bad?

I'm facing a shade "problem" as well. In my climate this probably won't cause a temperature issue for the tortoise and there will be some sun available for basking/UV. My biggest concern is for the plants, as a number of the better ones require good sun. There are some good mild sun/shade plants though, so I think it will be fine.

Be sure to keep an eye on the sun/shade pattern at all parts of the day, if you can. If you get 100% no sun all day, it might be an issue (albeit a manageable one). But being primarily shaded with even a little direct sunlight will probably be fine.

 

[lynnedit]

Even if there is 2 feet of sun, torts will find it.
However, if there is any way to position the enclosure further away from the house to get more sun, that would be ideal. Since you will be building a new fence anyway?
You will be doing a lot of work to get them set up properly, so make sure you don't regret the location.

 

[goReptiles]

The pen will be L shaped so the small part of the L Is on the other side of the house. That piece gets sun. It's just that the bulk of the pen is shaded by the house's shadow.

I was hoping that since they have the small part full sun and the rest shaded with indirect sun, the torts will be good. And, it sounds like that's what y'all are saying.

I plan on planting mostly hostas which like shaded area, so it may work out. They are durable, come back every year, and I haven't killed any in the pen at my mother's house (which is the key).

And with the Georgia heat, the shade should be ok.

Advice is always welcome.

 

[ra94131]

The pen will be L shaped so the small part of the L Is on the other side of the house. That piece gets sun. It's just that the bulk of the pen is shaded by the house's shadow.

I was hoping that since they have the small part full sun and the rest shaded with indirect sun, the torts will be good. And, it sounds like that's what y'all are saying.

I think you're gonna be fine. At least I hope so, because that is the same logic I'm using. In a couple years my Sulcata will have free reign of the backyard with plenty of sun, but in the short-term only 1/3-1/2 of the enclosure will get daily sunlight (depending on the season).

 

[theelectraco]

The pen will be L shaped so the small part of the L Is on the other side of the house. That piece gets sun. It's just that the bulk of the pen is shaded by the house's shadow.

I was hoping that since they have the small part full sun and the rest shaded with indirect sun, the torts will be good. And, it sounds like that's what y'all are saying.

I plan on planting mostly hostas which like shaded area, so it may work out. They are durable, come back every year, and I haven't killed any in the pen at my mother's house (which is the key).

And with the Georgia heat, the shade should be ok.

Advice is always welcome.

I would just design the pen around that sunlight. Give him a hide in the shaded area and and a hide in the sunny spot, and maybe a soaking pool also in the sun.

 

[N2TORTS]

Here is a tip for everyone … and one so common and much overlooked. When building any type of fencing and if using 4x4 treated or redwood post. Start with (2) 18” or so wood stakes . Nail/screw them on your 4x4 post about 14” up ( past your finished grade line .. Ex: lets say 28” up on the posts meaning 14” of post will be below ground ) on opposite sides from one another from the bottom up of the post. Now the important part before inserting post into your hole ….fill with 4-6” of concrete *BEFORE* inserting you post and filling hole up with concrete. The reason ?…. 99% of failures on fence lines are from rotted post that happen inside the post at ground level …..why?
Because inserting a post straight into your new hole on your natural ground medium allows the post to “wick” water from the bottom of the hole …thus rotting out your post. I have seen this happen time and time again. Ok … remember the two wood stakes? ….after filling the hole with concrete…use a level and plumb your post , extend your stakes at an angel and use to fashion a “tri-pod” type set up , while in the plumb position. This will hold your post in place until concrete is dry , and you can do several posts at a time , without the worry of the post out of plumb once the concrete has cured. … Don’t believe me .. Go around your neighborhood and count the “ crooked” posts…

Happy Building ....

JD~

 

[Zamric]

Here is a tip for everyone … and one so common and much overlooked. When building any type of fencing and if using 4x4 treated or redwood post. Start with (2) 18” or so wood stakes . Nail/screw them on your 4x4 post about 14” up ( past your finished grade line .. Ex: lets say 28” up on the posts meaning 14” of post will be below ground ) on opposite sides from one another from the bottom up of the post. Now the important part before inserting post into your hole ….fill with 4-6” of concrete *BEFORE* inserting you post and filling hole up with concrete. The reason ?…. 99% of failures on fence lines are from rotted post that happen inside the post at ground level …..why?
Because inserting a post straight into your new hole on your natural ground medium allows the post to “wick” water from the bottom of the hole …thus rotting out your post. I have seen this happen time and time again. Ok … remember the two wood stakes? ….after filling the hole with concrete…use a level and plumb your post , extend your stakes at an angel and use to fashion a “tri-pod” type set up , while in the plumb position. This will hold your post in place until concrete is dry , and you can do several posts at a time , without the worry of the post out of plumb once the concrete has cured. … Don’t believe me .. Go around your neighborhood and count the “ crooked” posts…

Happy Building ....

JD~

VERY good point JD! The fence in my yard has that very problem for that very reason! I have known of this, but I didnt put my fence in.... my next door neibor did it for the lady that used to own this place.... next Summer I will be replacing a 120' line of fencing, unless it falls over in the Spring!

 

[TortoiseWorld]

Whitney,
in your pic it looks like your house has no gutters. Maybe you could redirect the roof rain water away from your tortoises. On a hot summer day when the asphalt tar roofing material heats up, it will be most chemically volatile, the polluted rain water would be pouring over the enclosure, it's food and clean water. Another concern is the roof it self. I also have trees around the house and sometimes on a windy day tree branches fall on the roof and then down off the edge. What if your tortoise was directly under the edge, the height would make the branch deadly.

I am also planning an outdoor enclosure, thanks for posting.