Dumb Q About Cinder Blocks

[dwright27]

This will depend on your climate. Untreated wood will last for years here where I am, but in the south the same wood would rot away in less a than a year if left untreated.

I usually prime and paint my stuff, or use slumpstone block.

I live in Canada, so we have, y'know, weather. lol

 

[dwright27]

I like the stacked cement block.
If you stack them block, half block, block half block. Or a layer of block then a layer of half block,etc. as described.
If you decide on wood, for the cost, I always use and have had them last for ten years, wooden fence picket boards screwed to metal posts hammered into the ground about a foot deep.
I've enclosed a photo as an example.
Like I mentioned before. It's very cheap and easy as well as long lasting. But you will need some basic tools. You can cut down on tool time by going with six foot lengths. (The length of the boards)...Like a 12 by 18 foot pen. A 6 by 24 foot pen, etc.
I.M.O. this would be plenty strong for a Sulcata until it gets quite huge and powerful.
Fence picket lumber. Fence picket posts and a box of 1" exterior deck screws.

Thanks for the info! I see you live in Florida. I wonder how long it would hold up through a few Canadian winters..?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Thanks for the info! I see you live in Florida. I wonder how long it would hold up through a few Canadian winters..?

Good point.
I honestly can't say.

 

[Pearly]

Oh thank you for starting this thread!!!! I've been on a quest lately too, looking for best suited fencing for my outdoor pen. I am not handy and not very physically strong, so there's major limitation right there. Oh! And forgot the biggest ine! No money to pay for the job to someone who can do it... I've already made couple of trips to Home depot and Lowes, looking at different options. There are nice stone type of blocs (looking NICE) but some are HEAVY!!!! And expensive! For the size if enclosure I'm making there's just no way to spend that much. I'm leaning towards cinderblocks as well, but ... They are ugly!!!! And very rough surface! I have to get something that I myself can haul from hardware store, bring it up little hill to my backyard, and install it without digging (can't dig in this soil without excavation machinery, it's full of limestone). Cinders just seem most practical for me. I even thought of filling the holes with soil and planting some trailing plants in them to cover the ugly looking thing

 

[dwright27]

Oh thank you for starting this thread!!!! I've been on a quest lately too, looking for best suited fencing for my outdoor pen. I am not handy and not very physically strong, so there's major limitation right there. Oh! And forgot the biggest ine! No money to pay for the job to someone who can do it... I've already made couple of trips to Home depot and Lowes, looking at different options. There are nice stone type of blocs (looking NICE) but some are HEAVY!!!! And expensive! For the size if enclosure I'm making there's just no way to spend that much. I'm leaning towards cinderblocks as well, but ... They are ugly!!!! And very rough surface! I have to get something that I myself can haul from hardware store, bring it up little hill to my backyard, and install it without digging (can't dig in this soil without excavation machinery, it's full of limestone). Cinders just seem most practical for me. I even thought of filling the holes with soil and planting some trailing plants in them to cover the ugly looking thing

Now that's an idea! And I saw someone else was worried about shell damage from the concrete, but I suppose you could always put plywood or something up along the bottom?

I'm also broke right now too. Life of a student! But my tax return is coming soon!!

 

[keepergale]

I like the stacked cement block.
If you stack them block, half block, block half block. Or a layer of block then a layer of half block,etc. as described.
If you decide on wood, for the cost, I always use and have had them last for ten years, wooden fence picket boards screwed to metal posts hammered into the ground about a foot deep.
I've enclosed a photo as an example.
Like I mentioned before. It's very cheap and easy as well as long lasting. But you will need some basic tools. You can cut down on tool time by going with six foot lengths. (The length of the boards)...Like a 12 by 18 foot pen. A 6 by 24 foot pen, etc.
I.M.O. this would be plenty strong for a Sulcata until it gets quite huge and powerful.
Fence picket lumber. Fence picket posts and a box of 1" exterior deck screws.

I like that look. I currently have block walls on my pen but I am worried the tortoises my rub the sides of their shell on the block walls. I have been thinking of going with wooden walls.

 

[Yvonne G]

When I first moved to this house about 20 years ago, I made all my pens with cinderblock. Eventually, over time, I changed them all out and made wooden fences. The cinderblocks were nice, but some of the pens were in tight spots and the width of the blocks just took up too much space.

I never had a problem with the contained animals knocking over or moving the blocks. But my sister Maggie, up in Oregon with Bob the sulcata, surely did. She wrote many threads here about Bob and his escapes from his cinder block yard. She pounded stakes or rebar down through the holes, she filled the holes with heavy sand...nothing could contain Bob when he was on a mission.

 

[JoesMum]

When I first moved to this house about 20 years ago, I made all my pens with cinderblock. Eventually, over time, I changed them all out and made wooden fences. The cinderblocks were nice, but some of the pens were in tight spots and the width of the blocks just took up too much space.

I never had a problem with the contained animals knocking over or moving the blocks. But my sister Maggie, up in Oregon with Bob the sulcata, surely did. She wrote many threads here about Bob and his escapes from his cinder block yard. She pounded stakes or rebar down through the holes, she filled the holes with heavy sand...nothing could contain Bob when he was on a mission.

Bob definitely was part bulldozer - you worried far more about the things he walked through than those things damaging Bob.

 

[dwright27]

I wonder... if I can't do chain link or something, would deer netting or bird netting be okay? Or is that too easily wrecked?

 

[Yvonne G]

I wonder... if I can't do chain link or something, would deer netting or bird netting be okay? Or is that too easily wrecked?

If a tortoise can see through the fence he'll spend most of his time trying to get through it.

 

[Yvonne G]

Some posts in this thread have been removed and will continue to be removed due to being off topic.

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[dwright27]

I would still have a base covering, but we have beasties outside

 

[Pearly]

I'm facing similar dilemma, minus the predators. This year the babies will be just getting their outdoor time during a day when no uninvited critters come to my backyard. It's the night that there are no guarantees so before moving outside full time they'll have to have safe heated house where I can lock them up for the night. Keep us posted and include pictures. I'm hoping to get some ideas here

 

[ascott]

I wonder... if I can't do chain link or something, would deer netting or bird netting be okay? Or is that too easily wrecked?

Some folks will use a chain link dog kennel....then around the bottom on the inside they will cover the inside perimeter with wood boards the are from the ground up to a foot or so...they then cover the top with another kennel panel to assure coverage....you can also sink some barrier along the bottom of the kennel into the dirt to avoid any digging.....there is a nice one on a thread here on the forum but I don 't remember the name of the thread....

 

[Tony the tank]

If you have a problem with critters... I would use a electric fence..I have a serious bear issue... I use an electric fence and never lock my animals in... On that note.I don't make it easy... I make the hide entrance for my lg sulcatas just big enough for them to squeeze in and out... And use driveway alert sensor and IR cameras in each pen to alert me at night if anything gets by the electric fence...