Renee_H
Active Member
She’s a complete sweetheart! Thank you!
The beginnings of an outdoor enclosure for a Leopard
- Thread starter Renee_H
- Start date
Renee_H
Active Member
Making progress. No worries friends when I am *done* Tort won’t have access. The sides and back are cinder block walls which I will plant around and they’re definitely tall enough to prevent any climbing ability and I’ll be swapping out the large rocks to the front to make a solid barrier. Just wanted to continue to document the progress on my tortoise garden.
Renee_H
Active Member
Renee_H
Active Member
Journal update 3,456
I’ve nearly eliminated the pile of removed creeping fig from wall #1 in the weekly yard waste bin. Once the pile is gone I will remove from wall #2 and repeat. I need to acquire a stump grinder as the roots I was unable to remove from wall #1 are sprouting and the sh*t is growing back at an alarming rate. Same for the large toxic bush I removed. Why is it when I want to keep plants alive I kill them and when I try to kill them they refuse to die?
I’ve added a low/raised bed area to grow tortoise salad and all my seeds have sprouted(this was a test run).
I have also planted hibiscus, rose, multiple safe grasses and succulents.
As I’ve planted I’ve discovered a buried plastic mesh barrier that has become a nightmare. I rake dig pull daily and I just keep finding more and more of the sh*t.
I’ve nearly completed my pondless water feature and have begun mortaring the stones and wall.
I continue to debate on the insulted box/house. DIY or hire the job out. In the meantime I’ve been watching videos on similar construction and have acquired a few necessary tools from my FIL’s garage.
I have no clue how anyone manages to obtain a tortoise and then build their enclosure I feel like I’ve encountered so many barriers to creating a safe space despite having a space and resources.
Goal is to finish by spring 2025 so that I may begin the search for my tort!
So I keep on keeping on week after week.
I’ve nearly eliminated the pile of removed creeping fig from wall #1 in the weekly yard waste bin. Once the pile is gone I will remove from wall #2 and repeat. I need to acquire a stump grinder as the roots I was unable to remove from wall #1 are sprouting and the sh*t is growing back at an alarming rate. Same for the large toxic bush I removed. Why is it when I want to keep plants alive I kill them and when I try to kill them they refuse to die?
I’ve added a low/raised bed area to grow tortoise salad and all my seeds have sprouted(this was a test run).
I have also planted hibiscus, rose, multiple safe grasses and succulents.
As I’ve planted I’ve discovered a buried plastic mesh barrier that has become a nightmare. I rake dig pull daily and I just keep finding more and more of the sh*t.
I’ve nearly completed my pondless water feature and have begun mortaring the stones and wall.
I continue to debate on the insulted box/house. DIY or hire the job out. In the meantime I’ve been watching videos on similar construction and have acquired a few necessary tools from my FIL’s garage.
I have no clue how anyone manages to obtain a tortoise and then build their enclosure I feel like I’ve encountered so many barriers to creating a safe space despite having a space and resources.
Goal is to finish by spring 2025 so that I may begin the search for my tort!
So I keep on keeping on week after week.
Renee_H
Active Member
Step 1 🙈 gonna try and do this thing!
Renee_H
Active Member
Step one ☑️ does anyone else build in their front room? No? Just me 🙈 wasn’t as hard as I thought! I’ll continue onto step two next weekend!
Renee_H
Active Member
Day 2. Next weekend I’m going to haul it outside put it together put in the insulation and interior walls. Not bad considering my only tools are a $30 jigsaw a drill and 0% building knowledge. I had to make it up as I went along because I have no idea what I am doing. But it all fits together so something is working. 🙈
Renee_H
Active Member
Her house is beginning to look like a house! Sooooo close to being done! Need to attach the door and roof, and next weekend I will prime and paint. She’s already gone in even without a ramp and checked it out. I built it all inside my house and just assembled it outside. She’s been side eyeing me all morning 😆 Whatchu doing now lady! Get out of my territory!
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Nice! Now build 15 more over the next few years and you will be a PRO!
Renee_H
Active Member
:::::dies:::::: please tell me I won’t need to build even ONE more in the next few years 🫠.
I started adding all my trim and weather stripping etc and got too brain tired; I wanted to be done today. For someone that’s never built anything outside of ikea bookshelves this was a lot of thinking and taking apart and putting back together. 🤯
There is definitely an "art" to it...
I don't think my builds are going to impress any real construction type people, but they sure have gotten better over time, and I'm satisfied with them now. My early builds were not so great and required a bit of retro-fitting and refurbishing to make them work better.
Renee_H
Active Member
Leonora had a very busy day. I know tortoises aren’t supposed to “hear” but to say my saw cuts and drilling annoyed her is an understatement! She stomped up and down the perimeter of her enclosure and got in my way repeatedly in a way not unlike a small child. Once I finished for today I added some dirt and opened the door for her to go and check it out. She went right on in despite her new ramp being bulky and different than her original one. She made a good 4-5 laps around and then went back out to ensure I was finally on my way out. As soon as I was out she parked herself under her large purple fountain grass and hasn’t moved. I guess her silent albeit neurotically judging of my lack of carpentry skills tuckered her out.
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Tortellini0000
Member
Looks amazing. Good job!💪🏻
Your carpentry skills are just fine!
