Taco's Double Wide

[Stephanie Logan]

Yes, my little Princess Bean needed more space, so I checked around on the internet and found another Tortoise house for "only" $95, so I bought it for Taco's early Christmas present. She strolled around and explored the new area and seems very happy with her expanded playground.

Here is an overview of the new "double wide":

Here is the view from one end to the other:

Here is my beauty queen snoozing soundly under her basking lamp:

Resting on the remains of her breakfast:

And here is Taco rambling about the yard on this fine sunny Thanksgiving afternoon:

And, in other good news, my Bonita Tacquita has gained nearly half an ounce since October 21st--so even the Queen of Picky Eaters can plump up a bit! We owe it all to the ongoing guidance of our friends at TFO, and for that I offer my sincere gratitude on this Thanksgiving day!

 

[reptylefreek]

She is absolutely adorable. I'm sure she loves you for her early Christmas present

 

[Kayti]

Taco is beautiful! What an awesome enclosure too!

 

[Kymiie]

Aww very cute, lovely pictures!

 

[Isa]

I really like her new enclosure, it looks great and Taco looks as cute as usual

 

[Sudhira]

Priceless, what a good Mommy you are!

 

[Maggie Cummings]

What a great enclosure! I really like it, I need to start looking at stuff like that. That's really kewl!

 

[jdawn]

What a find,Taco must be feeling super special this holiday~ that's a nice enclosure you (and Taco) got there!

 

[Stephanie Logan]

Thanks, everyone! It does make me happy every time I see her using the additional space to "exercise" in (which of course means patroling the perimeter, bulldozing over any object unlucky enough to be in her way)!

I am still working on keeping her hide humid---right now I have a muslin-type bag about 7" long stuffed with sphagnum peat moss to a diameter of about 4". I soak it in very warm water, wring it out a bit and then place it on the inside wall that is shared with the heating pad on the outside...thus releasing "warm" humidity, I hope.... I also have sphagnum moss underneath the hide substrate, which I moisten often.:shy:

 

[Yvonne G]

Taco is quite a bit smaller than I thought. If I'm not mistaken, the Chaco tortoise grows to be just about as big as a smaller Gopherus tortoise, about 8" or so, so she has quite a bit of growing to do. You should be able to see some improvement in her carapace over the next few years.

 

[Stephanie Logan]

I would LOVE that! That's why I'm hoping to get the humidity element just right. There are differing opinions (and I know you are familiar with the variations of agreement) here as to how much, when and where for humidifying the micro-climate.

I did see in the Vinke and Vetter book (I think, or it was on an internet map of South America) that Chaco's natural environment is actually in the driest parts of South America, so compared to Redfoots and Yellowfoots, Chaco's don't hail from a naturally humid climate. That's why I'm trying to supply ALL of the components most likely to ensure healthy shell growth, and yes, I am praying she still has some growing to do so maybe we can have a LITTLE reduction in the pyramid handicap!

Taco measures 6" SCL right now.

 

[terryo]

Wow! You did a great job Stephanie. Am I understanding...you put the two together? Eventually I'm thinking of doing something like that with the glass viv. Making it like an L shap. Taco's like a pig in...oops....too much egg nog today.

 

[Stephanie Logan]

A pig in paradise? I wish! I wish she had an appetite like a Russian, that's for sure!

Yes, the Zoomed tortoise house can be set up end-to-end; I used duct tape (what else?) to secure the seam in the middle, and I didn't put in the panel for the hide at the far end, just used the cover so it is a shady spot she can retreat to when she needs to cool off. My family teased me quite a bit about how much I spoil my tortoise, but even though Taco overheard what they said, she forgave them because she knows that no criticism will dissuade me from spoiling her all I can!!

 

[Sulcatatortoiseman]

isn't she pyramiding?Did you rescue her?

 

[mctlong]

Beautiful enclosure! Where online did you find it? Its very nice.

Taco's a very lucky tortoise.

 

[Stephanie Logan]

Beautiful enclosure! Where online did you find it? Its very nice.

Taco's a very lucky tortoise.

$95 on Amazon! I started by googling "zoomed tortoise house".