Outdoors for Redfoots

[Okietorter]

Building an outdoor tort yard cheaply is a challenge but I went against advice and built one with 4 ft. high garden fencing and 4 ft. high metal t-posts. Cost $65. The 3 adult and 2 juvie redfoots took a while to learn they could not go through the fence but now they walk the path around the perimeter looking for edible crawly things. I rescued several of the neighbor's garden arches from the city truck on Big Trash Day and used one over the gate. It will support a grape vine next year. After an accident with my homemade board gate, I spent another $27 on a fancy 4 ft. high wrought iron gate. I use available cement block and garden pots for hides. I cover the feeding area with a lattice section I've had for several years. Keeps the birds away from the food.
I'll post a pic later. 2 three-toeds and an ornate also live here in their own pens.

 

[Redfoot NERD]

You chose to go against advice and used fence.. which added stress to your torts? May I ask why? Cost?

Terry K

 

[Okietorter]

Yes, cost is a factor for anything I do. How do you measure stress? The RFs spent very little time trying to go through the fence the first few days. Most of their day is spent in the shade or the water bowl, prowling around looking for food and mating. As soon as I can do so I will put a 12" barrier along the bottom in case of new RFs coming in. But right now my RFs are very healthy, comfortable and very glad to be out of their winter confinement. There are some turtle keepers on different forums who use fence for adult tortoises. Also there is no danger here from predators, except squirrels and bluejays. Pen is 12' x 20', plenty of room. Yes, I have financial and physical challenges, but my RF torts are in excellent condition.

 

[Nay]

Hi Alice, We all do the best we can, nice job getting those torts outside.
I had used lattice for some of the fencing that wasn't against the house. I hadn't been on this forum yet, but was worried about my guys sticking their heads out for a better piece of grass on the other side.And being good eats for a raccoon. I had found this one piece of indoor, outdoor fabric (rug) from a putting toy golf game my son was done with. It was about 6 ft long by maybe 2 feet wide.Since my pen is lined on the inside with cinder blocks and rocks, what I ended up doing was sticking some sticks between the fence and the blocks to hold the fabric against the fence on the inside.. It was perfect. I have since found some kinda vinyl type fabric at the walmart (on clearance for 1 buck a yd!!) and ended up lining my pen for very cheap. The sticks occasionally get a little moved as my guys peruse the perimeter, and once in awhile the fabric stuff has to be slid back up, but really was a very cheap was to not worry about anything getting them through the holes. Just a thought. And so nice you can give them so much space.
Na

 

[Okietorter]

An extra huge bonus I get from my enclosure is viewing them from my bedroom (when I'm reading or watching TV) and from the window next to my computer. If there was a barrier I could not see what they were doing, especially early in a.m. and in late afternoon. It's like looking into prehistoric time when I see them moseying around their territory, without the roar of a T-Rex.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Hey Alice...Nice to see you here. The fence looks really good, we all do what we can. I made Bob's pen out of cinder block...It works for us...My whole yard is surrounded by chainlink and he spent most of his time trying to get thru to the other side. With the block he has settled down and is fine...I think they all do better with something solid that they can't see thru...

 

[Okietorter]

Rather a nice, cooler, cloudy day yesterday and I spent some time messing around in the tort yard....digging a shallow hole to place the soaking saucers in level with the ground, building up a big pile of dirt that was of much interest to Chief. He is so nosy. I have an antique crock that I buried partway in the ground since the juvies seem to like it in the daytime for a hide. I want to plant a weeping mulberry and have to rearrange the cement block hides into better structures. Everything is kinda slap-dash. One of an old pair of shutters from a window makes a good A-frame hide also. Can't believe summer half-way gone so now is time to turn the shed into a winter home. Aaaagh!!!!!!

 

[Crazy1]

Ah a tort moms work is never done. I know I am just begining to ready for winter housing of my torts as they all come inside. Alice as everyone has said nice job getting them outside and hopefully soon you will be able to put those site barriers in place as it is good for the torts and sitting out in the yard with them in the early morning having my coffee and in the evening having whatever hits my fancy after work is such a peaceful time for me. I just watch them and they me it is what I call my bonding time. And that is when I get to hand feed hibiscus flowers. Everybody wins.

 

[terryo]

Alice you are so lucky to be able to watch them from your windows. I would love that...only I would sit there all day and get nothing done. Our torts are going to be so sad to have to come inside again, but we still have some good weeks left here.

 

[Candy]

Hi Alice. I use a dog run for Dale and I just bought some wood and primered and then painted it so he can't see out. Here's a picture of it. I do have to worry about predators so I do have to bring him in at night. It must be nice not to have to worry. Good luck with your Redfoots. I'm adding a picture of Dale's enclosure I hope it comes out. If you click on it twice it will get bigger.

 

[terryo]

Oh Candy, that pen is so great. Why do you have to take him in at night? It is all closed and doesn't look like anything could get it there. I wish I had the space for something like that. I would deffinately have more than one if I did.

 

[Candy]

Oh Candy, that pen is so great. Why do you have to take him in at night? It is all closed and doesn't look like anything could get it there. I wish I had the space for something like that. I would deffinately have more than one if I did.

Thank you Terry I love the enclosure so much because it gives Dale so much more room (although he mainly stays in his hide all day). I know he likes being in it though because he is always awake in the morning waiting for me to take him outside and put him in it. I have to bring him in at night because of the opossums and racoons. The advice they gave me is to put up 1/4 hardware cloth and he would be safe, but it was not working right and the avocado leaves were getting stuck in it and it looked messy so we took it off and just decided to bring him in at night. After looking at your spring for Pio and Izzy my husband said we can make a smaller version for Dale inside of his. I can't wait.

 

[terryo]

I can't take credit for mine, because my son did it, but I do see Pio walking up and down the stream a lot and Izzy too. Don't forget to post some pictures.....

 

[Okietorter]

Pertaining to sight barriers, I guess I will put up some sort of material to keep Chief from obsessing about one area of the fence. The compost pile is just on the other side of this particular section and I think he smells the garbage deposited there. He is my longest kept tortoise and was very independent when in the house during the winter....picky about his food and sleeping in the coolest corner he could find. After I block the area off I'll see what he does then. If he just chooses another section of the fence then I'll put up sight barriers all around. The other four tortoises wander all around the tort yard and don't seem to want to "make a break." Ok, ok, I don't want to hear any "I told you so's."

 

[Chewbecca]

I cannot wait until Stagger is big enough for an outside pen.

We already have the spot picked for him.
And even though we have a big, wooden privacy fence around our yard, with NO gate on it, my husband STILL insists that we are bringing him in at night.
He's afraid that raccoons could still get into our yard, and he's right.
They probably could.

But I cannot wait until he can spend his summer days outside.