hi, im going to build an outdoor rt enclosure for when summer kicks in because right now my tortoise has an outdoor enclosure but it is quite small and it was just a temporary set up. Right now his enclosure has plates at the bottom so he couldn’t dig out. His new enclosure is going to be a lot bigger and we might not have enough plates to line the whole enclosure so my question is do I need to put a ground barrier? He digs in top soil and cypress mulch pretty deep so I know he can dig deep but idk if he can do it in grass. My concern is he will dig a way out. Any advice??
question?
- Thread starter Bro bott
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TheTortoiseKing
Active Member
My outdoor enclosure is set up with those I stacked them 2 high. I use 2x6s that were untreated. Russians sometimes dig so I would sink chicken wire around the edges.
This is a question for @biochemnerd808
What do you mean by sink chicken wire? Do you mean put chicken wire ALL over the ground and then put dirt on top or do you mean dig a trench around the perimeter of the enclosure and then lay the chicken wire vertically down???
TheTortoiseKing
Active Member
Just dig a trench around the perimeter and put it down vertically.
Good question! How hard or soft is your soil? More loamy or more clay?
I personally like to set the walls into the soil by 12-18" to prevent escapes, and I set a cement paver in each corner about 8" below surface, too. Being able to dig is good for them, they dig for fun or to stay cool. There is no need to line the entire habitat with pavers.
Depending on where you live and your soil consistency, you could set pavers vertically in a level trench, then set the walls on that.
I would NOT sink chicken wire in there. I personally have seen tortoises with missing toes from trying to dig through chicken wire that was sunken into the soil.
Best to focus your energy in the wall itself. To dig a trench and set pavers in there vertically. It's a lot of work, but worth it.
Our soil is medium. I can easily dig through it with my hands
Ok I’ll do that
Another safety question. I have screens overtop of his enclosure outdoors but his new one will be 8x4 feet and the screens won’t fit. I am not conformance with leaving it open bc we have deer, hawks, raccoons, vultures, foxes, coyotes, and other animals. I could use electric wire but it’s quite expensive and I have a very curious dog who would most likely lick or sniff it. I am out of ideas.
The_Four_Toed_Edward
Well-Known Member
Depending on how much wildlife you expect to get in your yard, you may want to consider getting a dog kennel around the whole enclosure.
Otherwise, you might have to fashion a DIY lid on the enclosure.
Yea we have a lot of chicken wire I could definitely take some chicken wire and wood and make a lid
I'm so glad you are thinking about how to keep him safe! I build multiple screened lids for each of my junior tortoise habitats. We have a lot of wildlife here too. They have hinges and a hasp lock with a quick link. Racoon proof, snake proof, coyote proof, rat proof. (For addutional safety, we have a 6ft electric fence around the whole area the tortoises are in!).
I also attach pieces of shade cloth into the lids, since it gets really hot here.
For the adult females, I have overhanging industrial fishing net suspended above the habitats (22ft x 17ft and 25ft x 16ft) , and I lock them into a predator-proof night house hide.
I will attach a few pics of my lid systems below. Be sure to use galvanized hardware cloth. Any other kind will rust out within a year.
Than, you so much this has been very helpful. I love living out in the woods with all the wild animals but also want to keep my tort safe
Here are some other ideas, too:
(keep scrolling, what you are looking for is quite a way in)
tortoiseforum.org
(keep scrolling, what you are looking for is quite a way in)
Enclosure inspiration
Howdy folks! Hope everyone is well! As you all know, I’m a big fan of making threads that cater more towards visual learners like myself, I’ve really been wanting to create a thread full of adult enclosure inspiration for a while now, I’ve managed to find some great references over time! I do...
tortoiseforum.org
ThanksHere are some other ideas, too:
(keep scrolling, what you are looking for is quite a way in)
Enclosure inspiration
Howdy folks! Hope everyone is well! As you all know, I’m a big fan of making threads that cater more towards visual learners like myself, I’ve really been wanting to create a thread full of adult enclosure inspiration for a while now, I’ve managed to find some great references over time! I do...
