Protecting from Sulcata backyard demolition projects

[kewp]

Hi. My Sulcata, pancake, is around 75 pounds now and has discovered his inner decorator and demolitions tendencies.
For example, he used to be able to walk under our outdoor faucet. Not anymore. It broke on a holiday weekend. Water spraying everywhere. He is also thinks he can still get around the ac unit and wants to come inside THROuGH the sliding glass doors.

I don’t care about the random chairs walking across the patio and I’ve strapped down the expensive pottery. I have no idea about the faucets, sprinklers, and glass doors.

Any easy diy suggestions? I’m attaching some pics of Pancake and the offending areas…..

Thanks

 

[kewp]

Wanted to add a pic showing roughly full yard. He has full access to w everything. Seems happy. Luckily no borrowing so far.


. It’s hot out here!

 

[Yvonne G]

What a brat! I firmly believe that a sulcata has no idea how big he is in back of his head. But I also believe they do destruction on purpose sometimes.

You could put up a decorative, tortoise strong fence around the patio.

 

[Dustin]

I agree with @Yvonne G you need to keep him off the patio. Those pots you have strapped to the columns are going to have the stands knocked out from under them. He will probably knock over the glass tables at some point as well. If you aren't home to catch it, he will probably start to eat the glass and pottery shards once they hit the ground. It is going to be expensive and you will wind up resenting him.

 

[ecachuh]

Solid barriers...and I mean solid. If they can see it, they will bulldoze!

 

[ecachuh]

Hi. My Sulcata, pancake, is around 75 pounds now and has discovered his inner decorator and demolitions tendencies.
For example, he used to be able to walk under our outdoor faucet. Not anymore. It broke on a holiday weekend. Water spraying everywhere. He is also thinks he can still get around the ac unit and wants to come inside THROuGH the sliding glass doors.

I don’t care about the random chairs walking across the patio and I’ve strapped down the expensive pottery. I have no idea about the faucets, sprinklers, and glass doors.

Any easy diy suggestions? I’m attaching some pics of Pancake and the offending areas…..

Thanks

View attachment 378814View attachment 378816View attachment 378817View attachment 378818View attachment 378819View attachment 378820View attachment 378821

BTW, He's a very handsome Tort!

 

[kewp]

How tall would you make the fence? I wouldn’t have a problem fencing off the main square area of patio. That’s where all the furniture / pretty Potts/ offending glass doors are. Would have to be a longer term project though.

For the faucets /sprinklers / ac I was thinking of something like this….

.

There is a second pair of sliding doors into a bedroom with drapes. She used to insist on sharing her breakfast with “the creature” (she had dementia and was in hospice). He bumps against those occasionally looking for the oatmeal and toast lady, but I think the drapes I hung helped and that aren’t really opened anymore.

 

[wellington]

Either what Yvonne said or just a small solid, non see thru barrier around the faucet and across the front of the slider.

 

[wellington]

How tall would you make the fence? I wouldn’t have a problem fencing off the main square area of patio. That’s where all the furniture / pretty Potts/ offending glass doors are. Would have to be a longer term project though.

For the faucets /sprinklers / ac I was thinking of something like this….

.View attachment 378833

There is a second pair of sliding doors into a bedroom with drapes. She used to insist on sharing her breakfast with “the creature” (she had dementia and was in hospice). He bumps against those occasionally looking for the oatmeal and toast lady, but I think the drapes I hung helped and that aren’t really opened anymore.

Yes, you posted just before my last post. Exactly what I was posting you could do.

 

[Sarah2020]

I think it needs it's own reinforced enclosure. Just bulldozing around it going to get tiresome and potentially harmful. Perfect example of what these cute hatchlings mature into . Nice tort . Please keep us posted.

 

[kewp]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Will start with the barriers around faucets and work up to enclosing the main patio.

He’s a good boy (most the time). He used to come in at night until I stopped being able to handle him. Think that’s why he tries to get through the doors. Wants to be with people.




The “Breakfast Lady” (my grandma…thus tortoise was only animal she ever liked)

 

[SinLA]

yeah its unfortunate, we see a lot of that here, especially what I call the "Instagram effect" because so many people see tortoises wandering the house or mixing with other pets (or eating fruit), but places like this board see the results of that that doesn't get shown online - namely when the tortoise is hurt or killed because of being raised that way. Good luck, I hope you get it sorted!

 

[Maggie3fan]

My Mary Knobbins is destructive like that...I freaking love Sulcata anyway. lol Honestly, he is only going to get bigger and more destructive. You really need to make plans for that. Seriously, you cannot have Sulcata AND a nice yard. Pick now...
this is Mary Knobbins
This is where she lives
her pen is made from 2 high cinderblocks.

The bottom right is the box turtle pond, Mary likes to knock over the blocks there and she takes herself for a swim...this photo was taken in the fall. The swimming is in warm weather...Mary is pretty pyramided as she's had a pretty difficult life.
Please believe my experience when I say your tortoise needs his own enclosure to be safe...he will get worse...Mary is easier to keep as she has her own world...

 

[Tom]

Your tortoise needs a tortoise enclosure. Loose in the yard is a recipe for any number of disasters. You’ve already received your wake up call with the broken faucet. Do you have a heated night box for him?

Another major problem is the concrete. Eventually that will wear through the tough scales on his feet and you will find bloody foot prints all over your patio, Then, because the tortoise won’t stop walking on them, those wounds never heal and can get infected. It’s a bad deal. Prevent it now. Keep the tortoise off the concrete,

18 inches will usually be tall enough for the walls. Go 24 inches if you want to be extra thorough. It needs to be an opaque barrier, not anything see-through.

 

[kewp]

Yes. He has a house with a thermostat and Kane pig blanket. 95% of his food is Mazuri, fresh hibiscus flowers and clippings, and grass. Once a week he may get a little fruit/veggies instead of throwing it out.

He came in at night when he was younger due to coyote an activity. When he first transitioned from his heated and humidified indoor enclosure, he had a tendency to fall asleep in a fern instead of the heated house. I would get off work at midnight and be hunting for an hour with a flashlight. I checked with my local vet, Dr Greek, and he said letting him in was a little overkill but harmless at that size. He was confined to one room from about midnight to 7 -8 am. Except for a few times he has opened the screen door himself, he has been outside 100% of the time for 3 years.

 

[Maggie3fan]

You are making excuses instead of trying to understand. No matter how cool he is...he needs his own enclosure NEEDS his own enclosure. He needs a basking light to directly hit him and warm him up...he needs a nightttome enclosure with a warming 'light' to directly hit him and make him warm...I cannot stress enuf that he absolutely needs a safe night box...you asked for advice....or were you just sharing photos of him?

 

[kewp]

He has his own night time enclosure house with pig blanket heater mat. He usually has a basking light, but recently knocked it over. Since it is summer in Southern California and super hot even at night, I’ve removed the light until I can secure it better to prevent him knocking it over again and getting burned. The pig blanket is still on at night for heat. His two soaking pools along with lots of trees, bushes and shade that keeps him cool. He spends a lot of time hanging out in that area.

I appreciate the suggestions for blocking my sprinkler controls, faucet and ac unit was the question in my post. I probably will eventually fence off the main patio as a more long term project. At the moment I’m concerned with preventing another emergency plumber bill which is why I posted for advice.

Please be assured that I researched Sulcatas for a year before even getting him. I was active on this forum while he was a baby. From Tom, I learned about running humidifiers to prevent pyramiding. I’m happy to say that his shell is very smooth and he is extremely healthy and seems happy. I am willing to modify things for him as they come up.

I posted pictures because this tortoise forum and love my tortoise. As someone who is not on social media, a tortoise forum seemed it would be more receptive to pictures then pulling them out to show my relatives. I apologize for being presumptuous.

Again thanks to everyone for the advice. I appreciate your concern but please understand that he is very healthy and well taken care of.