How to create a large cover

[SasquatchTortoise]

I’ve been planning a large outdoor area for our sulcata (maybe around 15x20 feet). I’m just not sure how to cover the area for protection from large birds, opossums, etc. what would you recommend?
one more question I might throw in, How deep into the ground should fencing go to prevent digging out?

 

[SasquatchTortoise]

Some of the animals around here:
Red tail hawk
mississippi kites (defensive of their nests)
opossums
raccoons (haven’t personally seen one)
cats (occasionally at night)

 

[Yvonne G]

Maybe your wildlife is different from mine, because I have most of the same things as you, hawks, crows, coyotes, cats, raccoons, oppossum, etc. and except for one occurrence a few years back with a heavily pregnant raccoon, i haven't lost any chelonia to wildlife.

In my outdoor yards I keep small to large turtles and tortoises - box turtles, juvenile desert tortoises, Texas tortoises, young to old leopards - well, you get the picture. All of these animals are locked inside their night houses each evening and let out the next morning.

My yards are distributed around my one acre plot of land and are not covered.

 

[SasquatchTortoise]

Maybe your wildlife is different from mine, because I have most of the same things as you, hawks, crows, coyotes, cats, raccoons, oppossum, etc. and except for one occurrence a few years back with a heavily pregnant raccoon, i haven't lost any chelonia to wildlife.

In my outdoor yards I keep small to large turtles and tortoises - box turtles, juvenile desert tortoises, Texas tortoises, young to old leopards - well, you get the picture. All of these animals are locked inside their night houses each evening and let out the next morning.

My yards are distributed around my one acre plot of land and are not covered.

Thanks. I’ll make sure to build a secure box

 

[Tom]

I’ve been planning a large outdoor area for our sulcata (maybe around 15x20 feet). I’m just not sure how to cover the area for protection from large birds, opossums, etc. what would you recommend?
one more question I might throw in, How deep into the ground should fencing go to prevent digging out?

What size sulcata? If its more than about 5 inches, then you don't need to worry about predators and a lid. Just have a night box to keep them warm and safe. Latch them in every night, and open the door every morning. Something like this:

Single Tortoise Night Box

I like my larger tortoises to live outside full time. My climate permits this year round with a little help. For people who live where it snows all winter, this type of box is still good for warmer weather, getting them out earlier in Spring, and keeping them out a bit later into fall. You'll...

tortoiseforum.org

If its less than 8-10 inches, it should still be living mostly indoors at night and during inclement weather.

Sulcatas don't "dig out". Many of them don't dig at all, but if they do dig, they dig a burrow at an angle down and use that one tunnel. They don't dig down and then back up at another angle. I have never once buried any kind of underground barrier in 30 years of housing sulcatas.