Jenna524
Member
I wanted to share my Sulcata Tortoise enclosure and plant ideas for my backyard. So much of this was created from the many ideas and advice of all of you. Thank you so much!
This is Toki's "pen" area. He has a heated house, a tortoise-made mud hole, a paver for a food plate, and a water dish (aka water heater pan). We have pavers dug 18 inches into the ground and buried around the perimeter to discourage digging into the neighbors yards. We leave the gate to his pen open all day every day so he can enjoy the entire yard space. We only close him in if we have kids playing or a party. We like this system because it gives us the freedom to enjoy the yard without worrying about hurting Toki. We built the heated pen according to Tom's instructions as posted on this sight. I highly recommend his advice on this as it has worked amazingly for us. We laid pavers on the ground before setting down the pen, and also have bins with water stabilized at the top of the pen inside to create humidity.
We have hibiscus planted in pots around the yard. While I wish I could get more of them to survive year-round, they seem to be a worthwhile purchase each year as Toki loves to eat both the flowers and leaves. The rose of Sharon are planted throughout the yard to create hides. For some reason Toki doesn't like to eat these--but I keep them anyway for shade.
We keep 3 garden beds to grow food for my family and Toki. Right now I only have one bed going, but I'll be planting for the fall season soon. This has been a great way to add to the varied diet for our Tort.
We created a perimeter "fence" around our pavement by using wooden stakes on either side of a painted siding panel. This has worked so well for our 65 pound Tort. For now, he can't see through, and so he doesn't bother to try to get out. It's an easy step over for even children, and very light to move. It is sturdy, and we like that we can easily slide a panel out to bring in the lawn mower or trash can. While we haven't had the need, we know that it would be pretty easy to remove all the panels and stakes if we wanted to for any reason, like a special event or large machinery for trimming. The only negative is that we have to replace the wooden stakes as they degrade in the ground over time. But that could easily be fixed by using a metal or plastic stake. We've been using these same boards for over 2 years and had no problems yet.
We recently removed some Cyprus trees that were creating problems in our yard, and we need to reposition and set our drip line system--however, it has never been an issue for Toki when it's secured. Now we have some empty space we want to fill with more plants next spring. Our yard and enclosure continue to be a work in progress as we find more things to add and change.
We've created an area on the side that is long and skinny, which Toki enjoys. We planted some grape vines, and Toki really enjoys the fresh leaves when they're in season.
I was able to get clippings of cactus and propagated them in pots. This has been a great way to always have food to use for Toki. And I like that it doesn't take over the yard since it's in a pot. We really have mostly a sustained food system in the yard. We buy cuttle fish for bone strength, and I have hay for emergency in the winter (which he NEVER will eat with all this fresh stuff around). But other than an occasional sprinkle of a dry mix of flowers I bought, I don't really have to buy food. It's all grown in the yard. We don't use weed killer--we just let the weeds grow to allow more food diversity (trimming the height with a trimmer or lawn mower as needed).
I hope you can glean something to help you with your enclosure and plant ideas! Again, thank you to all you have shared their knowledge with me as well. I would have been lost without you!!!
@Tom Here's a link to Tom's night box:
tortoiseforum.org
tortoiseforum.org
This is Toki's "pen" area. He has a heated house, a tortoise-made mud hole, a paver for a food plate, and a water dish (aka water heater pan). We have pavers dug 18 inches into the ground and buried around the perimeter to discourage digging into the neighbors yards. We leave the gate to his pen open all day every day so he can enjoy the entire yard space. We only close him in if we have kids playing or a party. We like this system because it gives us the freedom to enjoy the yard without worrying about hurting Toki. We built the heated pen according to Tom's instructions as posted on this sight. I highly recommend his advice on this as it has worked amazingly for us. We laid pavers on the ground before setting down the pen, and also have bins with water stabilized at the top of the pen inside to create humidity.
We have hibiscus planted in pots around the yard. While I wish I could get more of them to survive year-round, they seem to be a worthwhile purchase each year as Toki loves to eat both the flowers and leaves. The rose of Sharon are planted throughout the yard to create hides. For some reason Toki doesn't like to eat these--but I keep them anyway for shade.
We keep 3 garden beds to grow food for my family and Toki. Right now I only have one bed going, but I'll be planting for the fall season soon. This has been a great way to add to the varied diet for our Tort.
We created a perimeter "fence" around our pavement by using wooden stakes on either side of a painted siding panel. This has worked so well for our 65 pound Tort. For now, he can't see through, and so he doesn't bother to try to get out. It's an easy step over for even children, and very light to move. It is sturdy, and we like that we can easily slide a panel out to bring in the lawn mower or trash can. While we haven't had the need, we know that it would be pretty easy to remove all the panels and stakes if we wanted to for any reason, like a special event or large machinery for trimming. The only negative is that we have to replace the wooden stakes as they degrade in the ground over time. But that could easily be fixed by using a metal or plastic stake. We've been using these same boards for over 2 years and had no problems yet.
We recently removed some Cyprus trees that were creating problems in our yard, and we need to reposition and set our drip line system--however, it has never been an issue for Toki when it's secured. Now we have some empty space we want to fill with more plants next spring. Our yard and enclosure continue to be a work in progress as we find more things to add and change.
We've created an area on the side that is long and skinny, which Toki enjoys. We planted some grape vines, and Toki really enjoys the fresh leaves when they're in season.
I was able to get clippings of cactus and propagated them in pots. This has been a great way to always have food to use for Toki. And I like that it doesn't take over the yard since it's in a pot. We really have mostly a sustained food system in the yard. We buy cuttle fish for bone strength, and I have hay for emergency in the winter (which he NEVER will eat with all this fresh stuff around). But other than an occasional sprinkle of a dry mix of flowers I bought, I don't really have to buy food. It's all grown in the yard. We don't use weed killer--we just let the weeds grow to allow more food diversity (trimming the height with a trimmer or lawn mower as needed).
I hope you can glean something to help you with your enclosure and plant ideas! Again, thank you to all you have shared their knowledge with me as well. I would have been lost without you!!!
@Tom Here's a link to Tom's night box:
Single Tortoise Night Box
I like my larger tortoises to live outside full time. My climate permits this year round with a little help. For people who live where it snows all winter, this type of box is still good for warmer weather, getting them out earlier in Spring, and keeping them out a bit later into fall. You'll...
tortoiseforum.org
Double Door Night Box
As the years have gone by and I build more of these boxes, I learn more and more each time. This one is the latest and I incorporated everything I've learned over the years. I also tried to take lots of pics so I can explain in more detail some of what is going on. It will take multiple posts to...
tortoiseforum.org
