Hide ideas, please?

[Evy]

Hi lovely people,

I'm looking for ideas to make my sulcata "London" a natural hide. Here are some pics of the area

Basically, the whole thing is a soaking spot and then the hide.
If you think about it is like an inside burrow but the hot spot for him to get warm when he needs to if the weather won't allow him to go outside.


I hope you can see this pic, where London has access to water and his smaller hide is made by another wood layer cover with pond liner to make it more private and dark because he loves that.


This picture is how it looks inside with some light. As you can see London is in one corner for now but he always digs and try's to burrow inside( covers himself with coconut coir).
My question is : is there something that I can do to help him with that natural need to be cover? (He makes a lot of noise and he makes holes on the pond liner)
My husband and I thought about the second hide to provide him more privacy but he really likes to be cover with stuff.

Also, I know sand is bad for the intestines and eyes. Would coconut coir is okay since London covers himself with it and I thing he breathes it?



London my lovely Sulcata tortoise :0))

 

[lismar79]

Coir is fine, much better than sand. I don't know how big your boy is but I use a rubbermaid dish tube (walmart$2.00) as a hide for my 3lb sully. I cut a hole in the side that she can fit through and she loves it. I have it filled with moss and she snuggles up in it every night.

 

[Evy]

Coir is fine, much better than sand. I don't know how big your boy is but I use a rubbermaid dish tube (walmart$2.00) as a hide for my 3lb sully. I cut a hole in the side that she can fit through and she loves it. I have it filled with moss and she snuggles up in it every night.

London is 18 months and weights about 7 1/2 lbs. he is a big boy. We used to have that kind of container but he is too big for it now.
Thanks for that option.



London my lovely Sulcata tortoise :0))

 

[Dizisdalife]

London is a big boy! I really don't have a hide suggestion for you. When my sulcata got to be that size he was moved to an outdoor pen with a heated night box. He was a little older than London and it was late Spring time, so the timing was right. I can still remember how he used to "dig" into the corner before settling down for the night. It was just for a few minutes (seemed longer), but sounded like he was going to scratch his way through the plywood. He still does that sometimes. At 50 pounds it sounds as though he is moving furniture around in his house. Still, there are no marks in the plywood floor and walls.

 

[Evy]

London is a big boy! I really don't have a hide suggestion for you. When my sulcata got to be that size he was moved to an outdoor pen with a heated night box. He was a little older than London and it was late Spring time, so the timing was right. I can still remember how he used to "dig" into the corner before settling down for the night. It was just for a few minutes (seemed longer), but sounded like he was going to scratch his way through the plywood. He still does that sometimes. At 50 pounds it sounds as though he is moving furniture around in his house. Still, there are no marks in the plywood floor and walls.

Thank you for your comment!
We are planning to move London outside at the beginning of next summer.
How do you provide the heating? Do you use a lamp, a heater, heating pad?
Do you have a darker area on the heating box?
Thank you in advance



London my lovely Sulcata tortoise :0))

 

[Dizisdalife]

Thank you for your comment!
We are planning to move London outside at the beginning of next summer.
How do you provide the heating? Do you use a lamp, a heater, heating pad?
Do you have a darker area on the heating box?
Thank you in advance

The heating is a mini oil filled radiated heater. I believe it is a 500 watt, but it could be the 700 watt model. More than enough if the box is sealed pretty good.

The night box I built is 4' x 6' x 2' high. The door is to one side of the 6' length giving a darker area even when the door is open. Chuck often sits behind the vinyl door flaps to survey his kingdom.

 

[Evy]

The heating is a mini oil filled radiated heater. I believe it is a 500 watt, but it could be the 700 watt model. More than enough if the box is sealed pretty good.

The night box I built is 4' x 6' x 2' high. The door is to one side of the 6' length giving a darker area even when the door is open. Chuck often sits behind the vinyl door flaps to survey his kingdom.

Thank you so much for the info. Sorry for the late reply (school is keeping me busy)
Where do you get your heater at?



London my lovely Sulcata tortoise :0))

 

[Dizisdalife]

Thank you so much for the info. Sorry for the late reply (school is keeping me busy)
Where do you get your heater at?

Just bought a new one for a friend at Walmart. Some stores have them in stock, but I ordered online and picked it up at the store. No shipping charges.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/37948255?...10893472&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=81548595272&veh=sem

 

[Alaskamike]

I'm in SouthFlorida , but it does occasionally getcold in late winter. I made a much less elaborate hide for my 2 yo rescuer " Tiny". I did it with a Rubbermaid container with on side cut with opening and cut out most of the bottom

Sunk it to the top in the ground , put some spagum moss in it and dug a tunnel to the opening.

I covered the top of the Tunney with plywood but left the rest dirt.

Haven't got the temp guage yetor strung out the ceramic heat bulb. But that's next. It's still warm here 85-90f day and 72f night , but soon it will be in the 60's at night. I may still bring him in at night , not sure yet till I get the temps right in his hide.

I also cut a 2" Sheey of styrofoam and fitted it into the top. This I covered in duct tape ( so no styro could fall in to eat). The styro and top can be removed to get him out Or in if need be.

I only had to put him in their twice and he got the picture. Now goes on and out all day.

This is a cheap and quick fix in warmer and humid climates.

 

[Alaskamike]

what it looks like today

 

[Evy]

Just bought a new one for a friend at Walmart. Some stores have them in stock, but I ordered online and picked it up at the store. No shipping charges.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/37948255?...10893472&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=81548595272&veh=sem

My husband and I decided that he is making to much noise and we are going to build a night box outside this weekend. Could you please show me a picture of the inside?. I would like to see how you organized. Could you share your tortoise weight, age and size.
Thank you in advance!



London my lovely Sulcata tortoise :0))

 

[Dizisdalife]

My husband and I decided that he is making to much noise and we are going to build a night box outside this weekend. Could you please show me a picture of the inside?. I would like to see how you organized. Could you share your tortoise weight, age and size.
Thank you in advance!

Not much to the inside. A heater in the corner, a small fan to circulate air, and a shelf for water trays. More important than inside organization is the construction method. To make the tortoise as comfortable as possible the box has to be well insulated so that there are no drafts or cold spots. My night box, as well as the ones build by several Southern California members, are patterned after ones built by Tom. Here is a link to a thread Tom did that is very instructional.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/my-best-night-box-design-yet.66867/

 

[Magilla504]

Awesome hide mike . Love the idea

 

[Earth Mama]

Great looking, simple hide. Good job

 

[Tom]

Check these out:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/my-best-night-box-design-yet.66867/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/another-night-box-thread.88966/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/daisys-new-enclosure.28662/

 

[Evy]

Tom than you so much for all the input. We visited Joe and chuck today and we got the actual view of the night box. My dad and husband are building one as the first link. I'll keep you update. It should be done by Monday.



London my lovely Sulcata tortoise :0))

 

[Magilla504]

This is my new outdoor hide idea that I got from Alaskanmike! I built it so that they walk threw a corrugated pipe into the Rubbermaid box. The box sits in my existing raised garden I just tilled up . Two of my Russians are already getting acclimated to their new addition . What do you all think!?!?
Thanks

 

[Magilla504]

Here is my finished product. There are two different hides about 8 ft apart . One entrance on the bottom left and one bottom right of the pic. Now I'll just get some vegetation to grow in those areas .

 

[Alaskamike]

View attachment 99873
Here is my finished product. There are two different hides about 8 ft apart . One entrance on the bottom left and one bottom right of the pic. Now I'll just get some vegetation to grow in those areas .

Very nice !

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I like it Alaskamike! I just buried half a drainage pipe in my Red Foot pen and realized that he likes it so much that now I have to get down on the ground to see him or reach the 24" or so in there to haul him out. I shoulda used an access panel at the end. There's always NEXT years remodel...