my outdoor enclosure

[jobeanator]

well i finally decided to take some pictures of what i have rigged up for my sulcatas. i didnt find out till uploading my pics they arent the best lol. ill defently be taking more of my enclosure soon! in my enclosure picture i didnt get the whole enclosure in the photo, but it measures around 4'X8' give or take. its pretty big. my sulcatas seemed to really enjoy there day out today. it was about 75-80 degrees and i took advantage of it. enjoy!

http://i330.photobucket.com/albums/l401/jobeanator/landfill.jpg

http://i330.photobucket.com/albums/l401/jobeanator/enclosure.jpg

http://i330.photobucket.com/albums/l401/jobeanator/mortimer1.jpg

http://i330.photobucket.com/albums/l401/jobeanator/mortimer-2.jpg

 

[Yvonne G]

Good job, Joby: I'll bet your guys are pretty happy to have their own space outside. Do they have hiding places in their new pen? One thing I noticed was that the walls aren't very high. You should always make them slightly higher than if the tortoise was standing on his back legs, he can't reach the top with his front legs. Also something to consider, sometimes they use each other as a stepping stone to gain the top.

Yvonne

 

[tortoisenerd]

Wow I agree those walls are VERY short. Especially once the tort grows that won't work. You want walls at least twice as tall as the tort (plus some for growth for you with Sulcatas). Otherwise, that's awesome! Congrats.

 

[Seiryu]

Ya, once those torts grow that wall will be far too short if not already.

That enclosure is just for taking them out with your supervision right? Not actually leaving them outside?

 

[jlyoncc1]

Another suggestion for you that I have found useful is to cut some boards you can put over the corners. If you add another layer to the height of your enclosure then lay boards across the corners it serves 2 puposes. 1. Helps in them climbing the corners. 2. Gives shade they can go in and out of. They've got lots of grass for munching thats for sure!

 

[jobeanator]

yeah, im working on some new hiding places for them to go into. one of my sulcatas has already tried climbing over the enclosure, so ill be defently adding some hieght to it. for the corners, should i screw in some boards to each corner? when i do let my sullys out its always supervised since i dont have a screen yet to cover the top. one of my sulcatas, landfill (i think hes in one of the pics) he seems to be the most daring, always trying to knock over stuff and seeing if its good enough for him not to escape lol. next time ill take some pictures of my new and improved enclosure from all your guys help!! thanks for all the great input!

 

[purpod]

Hiya Joby,

Looks like a good start; I'll bet you're gone have a great time adding plants too; you know, they make good hides too. Do your tort's have a lil' pool out there too? That might be an idea as well...

Loved the pic of chowing on the clovers! yumm!

Keep us posted
Purpod

 

[jobeanator]

yeah, thanks! i thought about some hostas.. what other plants are good for them to hide under? i gotta get them a place for them to get water too! would a water dish be the best idea for them or somethin else?

 

[purpod]

Greetings Joby!

If you look at this link: http://www.pbase.com/purpod/tortie you'll see some of what I mean about the plants being hides; shoot, the strawberries not only provide my lil' shelled buds a place to hide, but tastiness to munch...

Have fun with it!
Purpod

 

[jobeanator]

wow, very nice im going to try to incorperate some plants like you have in your enclosure for your torts. im gonna have to take a look at the greenhouse has for sale and hopefully i can find some plants for cheap too!

 

[purpod]

Hello again Joby ~

Thanx; yeah, it is a continous work in progress, for as they eat the plants down, I plant in new ones. It's alot of fun, and it's a great way to incorporate non-traditional foods into the traditional spring mix. Just make sure you take a list of edible plants for sullies with you when you go to buy any plants.

Of course, I'm the first to admit that my experience with torties has been with either Eastern Boxies or with African Leopards & have never owned or cared for a sulcata... but surely you will be able to plant some treats and hides for them. I often get my succulents from just a clipping of something I see that appeals to me, or I go to the local "Green Thumb Nursery" & buy the plants small (to allow for more and to keep the costs down)

Looking forward to seeing more pic's after you've gotten a chance to play. (Oh, and I think I forgot to say this before, but your tort's are very cute! )

Glad I could offer some inspiration
Again, enjoy!
Purpod

 

[jobeanator]

lol thanks! i love what you have for your leopards alot. i want something like that for mine. its looks pretty simple to construct, but ive found out that looks can be decieving lol

 

[purpod]

LOL, in my experiences, looks are almost always deceiving, LOL!

Lemme know when you've got your area constructed; you know, you might wish to just use cinder blocks; another person here did that, altho, forgive an old memory, I don't recall who it was. :shy: It mighta been Terry, but I truly can't recall. The good thing about it, aside from strength, is that as the sulleys get larger, all you'll need do, perhaps, is simply add another layer of cinder block..? {lol, do ya like how I said 'simply'?}

There are pic's of it here; I'd imagine in the same "Enclosures" folder. It was recently and so you should be able to locate the thread relatively easy. They were smart about it, for they incuded walk ways for them, which allows them to not trample on the greenery when the tort is out of reach.

Anyways, gots to run for now, but I'll keep an eyeball out for ya.
Blessings,
Purpod

 

[Isa]

Nice job Joby
They seems to enjoy the sun and they look happy to be outside .

 

[jobeanator]

yeah! i have now what renforces my enclosure is 3-4 stakes on each side of my enclosure. i plan on soon using cinderblocks all around to make it somewhat more stable and stronger so i wont have to worrie that my pen will get knocked over. my pen is still a work in progress, i plan on making something similar for my leopards. what does everyone use for hides? i have one hide in the enclosure for them, its half a log hollowed out, but its only big enough for my little one. i appreicate all the comments and help from everyone, couldnt of done it without everyones help!