pammidoc
New Member
I’m planning my outdoor enclosure , which would be better, just lining the bottom with hardware cloth/chicken wire , or setting the walls 6 inches down into the ground? It’s going to be 12 ft by 6 ft, I have one male tortoise
Outdoor enclosure bottom
- Thread starter pammidoc
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Depending on the tortoise...Maybe none of that.
What species do you have?
What species do you have?
pammidoc
New Member
I have a Hermann’s tortoise , I think he is 5 yrs old
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2014
- Messages
- 29,065
- Location (City and/or State)
- South Eastern Florida (U.S.A.)/Rock Hill S.C.
I don't keep Herman's. But I'm aware that they do dig.
Of the tortoises that do dig, I believe that they dig under things. But use the same hole as an entrance and an exit. So they don't tunnel out to the other side.
Let's ask for help from @Tom and from @Yvonne G.
They should both know what you need to do....If anything.
Of the tortoises that do dig, I believe that they dig under things. But use the same hole as an entrance and an exit. So they don't tunnel out to the other side.
Let's ask for help from @Tom and from @Yvonne G.
They should both know what you need to do....If anything.
For my Russian I ran hardare cloth (1/2" square metal fence) under and stapled it to the sidewalls. I then have a chicken wire cover. I live in the city and you name the predator- including coyotes and down to mice- so I took no chance
Hermanns aren't diggers. If it were my tortoise, I would make the walls secure and cap the corners. I wouldn't do anything underground. I don't think it is needed.
Having said that, there is no harm in sinking the walls into the ground or using welded wire underneath.
When I first set up my outdoor yard for a herd of Russian tortoises I cut a strip of hardware cloth and bent it in an 'L' shape lengthwise. I then dug a little trench all around the exterior fence of the yard, and stapled the wire to the bottom of the fence on the inside, with the 'L' down into the trench and going towards the inside of the yard. Then I put the dirt back. My russians never tried to dig under the fence, and eventually the wire rusted out making a big mess.
It has been my experience with tortoises that if they can see daylight under the fence, that's the spot they'll try to dig and escape. So just make sure the bottom of the fence makes contact with the ground all around the whole yard, and no daylight shows under the fence, and you'll be ok.
It has been my experience with tortoises that if they can see daylight under the fence, that's the spot they'll try to dig and escape. So just make sure the bottom of the fence makes contact with the ground all around the whole yard, and no daylight shows under the fence, and you'll be ok.
