Help me improve my outdoor enclosure- looks so blah!

[beachylivin]

I have had my male leopard tortoise for 1 year now, he is approximately 5 years old. He lives outdoors full time, except for during the winter time where he gets to stay in the guest bathroom, and even then... it's SoCal.

I am wondering what I can do to spruce up his enclosure. It used to have beautiful grass growing in it, but I can't seem to get it to grow back. I sometimes see him cruising around like he's bored. I suppose I would like it to be more pleasing to the eye, but I am sure my tortoise could care less, as he has all the necessities. However if I can make things any better for him, I will do it!

I have a separate planter that I use to grow different foods for him, he gets greens every day, and sometimes different grasses that I also grow.

What can I add to his enclosure? My husband is deployed so I have limited man power, and I work 6 days a week, but I LOVE a good project!!

 

[kimber_lee_314]

You can add plants, big rocks, and logs, You can also make mounds of dirt for them to plow through. Mine love to do that!

 

[mike taylor]

You need to plants like hibiscus rose of Sharon and what not.

Sent from my C771 using TortForum mobile app

 

[beachylivin]

great ideas I have added plants but they die right away because he tramples anything I plant it seems. Maybe I will try to plant some larger plants. I was thinking about just making the entire enclosure dirt, but I'd love to keep trying to grow the grass back.

 

[lynnedit]

Take a 5 gallon bucket and cut it in half, or leave it whole and submerge it half way into the ground. Then mound rocks and gravel around it, with a piece of sod on top.
Create some dirt hills, and plant a Carex or Fescue grass, and Lavender and/or Rosemary on and around it.
Get a piece of driftwood or a log and submerge it 1/4 into the ground.

 

[wellington]

Rose of Sharon grows very easy and almost impossible to kill. Also hostas can take quite a beating and keeps growing, mine loves to hide in both. They both can also be eaten.

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Day Lillie's also, are edible and not hard to grow and multiply easily, year after year.
You should also bury the water pan to be ground level.

 

[beachylivin]

All fantastic ideas- love it

One thing I do have to be very careful with, is that whoever raised him originally, did not feed him a proper diet, so his shell has quite a bit of pyramiding- he isn't able to flip himself over if he rolls on accident.

Also, anything I plant needs to be able to survive in full sun.

 

[Millerlite]

Plants plants a few more plants, also building mounds toward the middle of enclosure I recommend to cut field of view, rocks, I use wood too like drift wood fallen wood. Few things that can help

 

[KenBurns]

Theres a great little hutch at oypla.com for Tortoises during the summer. Looks cosy, and is great value for money.

Might be worth a look for a quick cheapie?

http://www.oypla.com/home-furniture/pet-care/tortoise-hutch-420x515x430

 

[Vegas_Leopard]

I'd just landscape your enclosure and like what everyone else had mentioned add plants. Possible screw a board on the corner for shade or a place to put your water bowl under.

 

[Yvonne G]

Theres a great little hutch at oypla.com for Tortoises during the summer. Looks cosy, and is great value for money.

Might be worth a look for a quick cheapie?

http://www.oypla.com/home-furniture/pet-care/tortoise-hutch-420x515x430

Yeah, but overseas shipping? the OP is in Southern California.

 

[lynnedit]

We have similar huts in the US-

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pawhut-Smal...ea-Pig-House-Backyard-Hutch-Den-/111089130838

 

[LisaTurtle]

I have lots of potted plants in my outdoor enclosure, in large colorful pots. It provides shade, color and lets me grow some plants without them getting mowed down immediately by the tort! I like to grow sprawling plants like petunias, that will grow over the edges so he can reach up and eat them.

 

[beachylivin]

As you can see in the picture, I already have a hut in there for him that is almost identical to the ones you provided the link to, only it's larger.

I am always putting plants in there but he gobbles them up and I end up tossing the wad of roots that's left over. I added a large stone and many plants to the center of the enclosure. I will add some potted plants too.

I will definitely add a board in the corner and put the water under it. I've been pondering doing that for a while. Also, maybe I'll take a trip to the local reptile shop and buy a large piece of drift wood or another sort of wood.

Thank you all again.