My Redfoot's outdoor pen

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spaceclown

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This is my first post. :)

I was hoping to get some feedback on my enclosure.



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I started with landscaping timbers 3 high and lined the bottom with plastic which I cut holes in so rain water would drain out.



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Next I added a layer of regular top soil followed by a heft layer of sphagnum (peat) Moss.



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I then added several plants and flowers. Not too many at first though. I want to see how big they are going to get. I used a coco fiber planter with a hole cut out turned upside down for my torts hide-box. I actually used 2 of them to provide a nice dark cave. I also used a plastic paint pan with the lip cut off as her water dish. I think it was a good choice because it has a shallow and deep end plus it's easy to get out of.



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Then I added a layer of Cypress Mulch except under the hide-box. I put some lattice at the end to provide more shade and keep her water cool. I moved her hut to right side front corner to be under the lattice for extra shade.



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Finished product. :)


I soak the whole pen and tortoise ever morning before she goes in the pen.
 

lynnedit

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That looks very nice! Great step by step instructions.

Welcome! What would you like us to call you? And what general area of the world do you live in?
 

spaceclown

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My real World name is Mike. Call my anything but late for dinner. :) old joke I know..

I live in middle Tennessee. Summers can get around 100 F winter usually have Snow. But lots of humidity.
 

Eweezyfosheezy

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Thats a great enclosure but I would try to cap those corners so that your tortoise doesnt really have any chance at climbing out.
 

spaceclown

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Update:

Being concerned with my tort playing an escape artist. I added a rounded 4 x 4 landscaping timber to the top to add more height. I'll probably still cap the corners. I'm just on the fence about doing that. As my tort is small and I'm thinking bout building some kind of cover to keep her in and others out.

I found that a coco fiber planter doesn't do well wet as far as keeping its shape and doesn't provide enough darkness. so I updated her hide box. I just used two landscaping stones with a landscaping stone tile on top. Gives her more room and makes it real dark and moist for her.

I also ran into a sale on plants at Lowe's so added some new plants. I hope they grow in soon to provide more shade and keep the moisture in. Here are some updated pics. I will be changing out the water dish soon. The paint pan is just to slick and is confusing for my tort to try and get out of. I'll post pics of those when I'm done.:)
 

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Yvonne G

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Hi Mike:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

Nice-looking enclosure.
 

DixieParadise

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Looks great...if you make it tall enough, they won't try to climb. By the heighth, I would say your tort is fairly small? I think a lot of us here would welcome that enclosure into our backyards...Love the lattice idea...

Thanks for the pictures and the point by point instructions.
 

Tyrtle

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Wow that looks fantastic. I like the addition of the lattice. I may borrow that one myself!
 

Zik

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That's a pretty rad tort enclosure, Mike. If my mom permits me to put one of these in our garden, I would like to build my Redfoot an enclosure like this if you won't mind. I'm sure you're RF tort is pretty happy with its home that has a natural habitat setup.
 

spaceclown

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She seems happy. She spends most her time in the hide box. I don't know if this is a natural behavior for Redfoots. I think she might be scared having so much room to rome around in. -or- she might be lonely. Maybe I'll use that as an excuse to add another Redfoot tort. :0 I am currently working on another water dish. I'm thinking on making a wading pool. Like the ones they have at the water parks. The pools you walk into and they get deeper at the end. I think they're called wave pools. Of corse I want put waves in mine. :)
 

lynnedit

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As the plants grow, she will feel safer. Especially if she is on the smaller side, she has to keep herself hidden or be someone else's FOOD.
 

spaceclown

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Here is my new water bowl. as stated earlier i used a plastic paint pan. well as it turns out not a good idea. the problem is it to slick when wet and my tort has a problem finding her way out. So i decided on making one out of Quickcrete. Basically I found a design I liked for the bottom. Which turnned out to be a Plant pot base. i then decided on a depth for it. I wanted it tall enogh to sit on the ground and reach the top of the substrate. next I used a Trick or treat bucket (minus the candy) to pour the cement in at the dept i wanted and then I pressed the plant base into it and place a bucket on top to hold it in place until it set. after 24hrs I took it out and allowed it to cure another 12 hrs before puting it in place. I ended up with what I originally thaought were bubbles in the cement. Turnned out to be oil. bubbles. I forgot I used cooking oil to keep the cement from sticking to the bucket or base. here are some pics.. and yes i had to stage the one with my tort in it. I got tired of waiting.. :) I did add a few more plants I really dont know what they are except a blueberry plant and aloe. I did make sure they arent toxic to my Red-Foot.
 

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acrantophis

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I love your enclosure! If anything I would add a small tree or a couple of shrubs. The heavy cover will make the tortoise more likely to come out of his hide. Maybe a hibiscus?
 

dmmj

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A flowering plant like a hibiscus or rose of sharon would make her day, my red foot loves hibiscus flowers.
 

Vishnu2

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That is very creative and beautiful.. I think I am going to shoot for that kind of project coming soon. I will try to do what you did: Step by Step.. and post pictures. Thanks for sharing!
 

erdavis

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that is a beautiful enclosure. i am actually thinking about redoing my entire(and fairly new) outdoor enclosure for my sulcata tort. although i do have one thing i would just like to bring to your attention. i have read from other users that putting their water dish on the edge of the enclosure could be dangerous. i think because some torts like to try to climb up the edges and could flip(like mine loves to do) and if they flip into the water bowl this could be terrible. i especially worry about it being in a corner as thats where most like to climb. of course if your tort isnt a climber/flipper its okay. just figured id give ya somethin to think about :p
and again, im completely jealous!
 

Ariele

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I love your colorful plant variety! It's NIICE! My redfoots LOVe higing behind my tomato plant! the setup is amazing! Nice job!
 
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