Enclosure upgrades/ Decor ideas

[Bespin66]

Hello everyone,

I want to make my 1-year old Leopard Tortoise's enclosure more entertaining or a little less boring. I'm not exactly sure what I can put in there that isn't harmful to him. Some suggestions would be great with locations on where I can find them or even a similar post. Thank you.

 

[TechnoCheese]

Here are a few ideas:
-Try buying a safe to eat, smelly plant, like basil or mint, and putting the pot in the enclosure. Don't plant it, but you could bury the plant in the substrate a little. You don't want the tortoise to be able to trample it. This provides them with some enriching smells, and it's also edible if they decide they like it.
-include more hides, and a variety of them. You can take plastic or ceramic flower pots and turn them on their side, and bury them half way in the substrate so they become a kind of cave. you can also pile substrate on top, but be careful about the tortoise flipping over.
-Site barriers in general. Hides or any decor that block small sections of the enclosure give them something to walk around, and blocks their sight of the rest of the enclosure.

 

[TechnoCheese]

Here are a few ideas:
-Try buying a safe to eat, smelly plant, like basil or mint, and putting the pot in the enclosure. Don't plant it, but you could bury the plant in the substrate a little. You don't want the tortoise to be able to trample it. This provides them with some enriching smells, and it's also edible if they decide they like it.
-include more hides, and a variety of them. You can take plastic or ceramic flower pots and turn them on their side, and bury them half way in the substrate so they become a kind of cave. you can also pile substrate on top, but be careful about the tortoise flipping over.
-Site barriers in general. Hides or any decor that block small sections of the enclosure give them something to walk around, and blocks their sight of the rest of the enclosure.

*Bury the pot, not the plant

 

[sheldo]

Hello everyone,

I want to make my 1-year old Leopard Tortoise's enclosure more entertaining or a little less boring. I'm not exactly sure what I can put in there that isn't harmful to him. Some suggestions would be great with locations on where I can find them or even a similar post. Thank you. View attachment 361357View attachment 361356View attachment 361355

this seems like a very good enclosure already but maybe you could make the rim of the bowls smaller for them to reach by burying them a little in the ground(i do this with sheldo my turtle so he may reach)

 

[sheldo]

to make it more fun and not boring add some things for them to climb on like a small pile of rocks.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Maybe I've been doing this so long that I think like a tortoise?
But I don't see boring. I see an enclosure that has ample space to roam and it looks good, too.

 

[wellington]

Maybe I've been doing this so long that I think like a tortoise?
But I don't see boring. I see an enclosure that has ample space to roam and it looks good, too.

Agree

 

[wellington]

They need the room to roam and exercise to keep legs and inners working right. Only one hide is needed, not multiple. Rocks can cause them to flip which can be deadly. Add flat rock to walk over, not climb over. Plants will work too, just don't use big pots that will take up space. Placing the plants along the middle will help block the sight line so he can't see from one end to the other which is good for enrichment. Feeding in multiple places instead of the same place also helps. So will hanging food just above the tortoises head height so he has to stretch to get it.
The correct temps, bulbs, humidity and diet is the important areas to pay attention to.
Also, lower your gauges. They need to be at tortoise height.
Temps should never go below 80 day and night all over.
Basking temp with an incandescent flood bulb should be 95-100.
Humidity 80%
Do not use coil, halogen or mercury vapor bulbs.

 

[Bespin66]

this seems like a very good enclosure already but maybe you could make the rim of the bowls smaller for them to reach by burying them a little in the ground(i do this with sheldo my turtle so he may reach)

Thank you. The bowls are usually buried more but he moves it and is able to climb in easily.

 

[Bespin66]

They need the room to roam and exercise to keep legs and inners working right. Only one hide is needed, not multiple. Rocks can cause them to flip which can be deadly. Add flat rock to walk over, not climb over. Plants will work too, just don't use big pots that will take up space. Placing the plants along the middle will help block the sight line so he can't see from one end to the other which is good for enrichment. Feeding in multiple places instead of the same place also helps. So will hanging food just above the tortoises head height so he has to stretch to get it.
The correct temps, bulbs, humidity and diet is the important areas to pay attention to.
Also, lower your gauges. They need to be at tortoise height.
Temps should never go below 80 day and night all over.
Basking temp with an incandescent flood bulb should be 95-100.
Humidity 80%
Do not use coil, halogen or mercury vapor bulbs.

Thank you for the tips. Any recommendations on plants that I can readily buy at a local nursery?

 

[wellington]

Thank you for the tips. Any recommendations on plants that I can readily buy at a local nursery?

Most plants at nursery's can not be eaten. If you can, repot some edible weeds from your yard or cuttings from established plants.
From nursery you can pot them in pots but not so the tort can eat them. Boston ferns, pothos, hostas

 

[sheldo]

Thank you. The bowls are usually buried more but he moves it and is able to climb in easily.

same here i bury the bowls because sheldo would always flip them