10 X 10 Enclosure

[Nobody]

I am building an outdoor enclosure for my new 4 inches in length Sulcata.I shall place him/her in there during the daytime and indoors at night.The size of the outdoor enclosure is 10 Feet by 10 Feet.My question is shall there be any drawbacks by placing a Sulcata ,who is only 4 Inches in plastron length ,in an enclosure with that size?By the way,there is a screen ,with locks on top of the enclosure ,to prevent predators(Cats,Rats,ETC.).
Thanks.

 

[alfiethetortoise]

Where do you live? What material is your outdoor enclosure on (ie is in on grass, in a yard)? Does your tortoise have a hide? All tortoises like to dig, so if it's on grass i'd watch out for an escapee sulcatas are supposed to have a but of a temprament

 

[t_mclellan]

Just from what you are saying, I would think you plan on putting the enclosure on grass.
If that is correct make sure to dig down so the side walls are 6" underground at least. I would also suggest rebuilding the enclosure in 2 years to something larger & with deeper sides. Make a nice hide & I think you will be ok for a couple years. The ground area should not be able to flood in the rain but your Sulcata still needs a relatively humid Hide at least.
Remember that a small tortoise will heat up faster & cool down faster than a larger one so keep an eye on the temps.

 

[Nobody]

Where do you live? What material is your outdoor enclosure on (ie is in on grass, in a yard)? Does your tortoise have a hide? All tortoises like to dig, so if it's on grass i'd watch out for an escapee sulcatas are supposed to have a but of a temprament

Actually,my enclosure lies on cement which I shall put soil over to plant grass on top of it.I also have a hide for it with a wooden floor.

 

[t_mclellan]

I might also suggest a wooden floor in your pen. This would keep the tortoise from wearing down its nails & digging scutes on the concrete.

 

[khriz anne]

==a very nice place....can i just have a question...because here in the philippines we don't have alfalfa...what can be a replacement for that one..==thanks!

 

[Tom]

I think you'll be fine with what you are proposing. Just make the soil 15-20 cm deep so he's not in contact with the concrete and keep an eye on it daily. Add more soil if necessary. I've never had a problem with little ones digging in a large area like that. Even my big ones have only tried to dig twice in 12 years of living outside in a dirt pen. The two times I saw this, I moved them out of the way, filled in the hole and put a brick or rock in that spot for a few days. Problem solved. Some of them do like to dig, but as long as you check for holes daily you should be fine.

Most importantly, for your area, is make 100% sure their is always some shade. At all hours of the day. Half shade all day long would be a good idea, since its so warm where you are. This can be accomplished with trees and bushes, proximity to buildings or other structures, or covers. Just make sure if you use covers that they are elevated a bit so that air can flow freely. You don't want to make a hot box out of your enclosure. In other words, don't rest the cover right on the sides of the enclosure. Put in on legs, or something, and have it elevated above the enclosure. Another easy way to accomplish this is with a big potted bush right in the middle of the enclosure. They can tuck up against the pot for shade no matter which way the sun goes. This will, however, interfere with your screen cover. Send us pics when you build it and we'll let you know if we see any potential problems.

 

[Nobody]

==a very nice place....can i just have a question...because here in the philippines we don't have alfalfa...what can be a replacement for that one..==thanks!

Hi.I'm also from the Philippines.If I may ask,what species of tortoise do you have?Do you also have a Sulcata?How old what size and from whom did you get it?
Thanks.

 

[Yvonne G]

==a very nice place....can i just have a question...because here in the philippines we don't have alfalfa...what can be a replacement for that one..==thanks!

Hi Khriz Anne: You can use any grass hay. We DON'T recommend that you use alfalfa.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I agree with my friend Roachie about the digging. None of my animals dig. If they have hides and shade they don't have the need to dig a burrow or dig out...