Planning 'tortoise-tight' (!) outdoor enclosure

Tino the Tortoise

New Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2017
Messages
11
Location (City and/or State)
England
So I am planning on making Tino her first outdoor enclosure this Summer and was looking for some advice/tips. She's a ten year old Russian tortoise and has had to live inside up until now because of my inability to stay in one place long enough to build a suitable outdoor enclosure! I now have my own house with a south facing garden, so it seems the perfect time to get her outside enjoying what limited sun we get in North West UK!

I'm planning on setting up a cold frame (and possibly a solid frame with heat lamp in if needed during the cooler days), taking inspiration from some of the great designs on this site (I will update and post pics as I go along). However, the biggest concern, particularly with her being a Russian, is ESCAPE! Her enclosure will either be wood or brick outside with some form of covering to keep the neighbourhood cats away, with the necessary shelters etc for her. I was hoping to have at least part of the ground as grass or bare soil into which I can plant edible weeds/plants that she can feed on (or more likely just trash!). My concern is that having bare ground will allow her to dig and that will be the last we see of her! I've seen suggestions of digging walls down into the ground, but can anyone tell me what that actually means (how deep to go, what to make them from etc). Is there a way of distracting her from digging out, perhaps by including a big pile of soil on some paving slabs that she can dig into with no fear of her getting away? Or is digging most likely a way to escape very high temperatures, which is unlikely to be a concern where we live?

Any help or suggestions would be awesome! Cheers
 

katieandiggy

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2018
Messages
1,022
Location (City and/or State)
Suffolk, United Kingdom
There is a great thread by Joesmum on the tortoise enclosure thread, it’s a sticky one at the top I think it’s titles outdoor enclosure design in UK . There is a great cold frame and solid frame idea. Sorry I can’t link it on my phone (don’t know how)
 

Tino the Tortoise

New Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2017
Messages
11
Location (City and/or State)
England
Indeed it is a great thread, I have looked through her post :) From what I saw there doesn't seem to be an enclosure as such, so it would be interesting to hear how she stops escapees! Unfortunately my garden isn't quite tortoise proof!
 
Top