Aldabra Enclosure Material

ben awes

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Building a new enclosure in my backyard for my young Aldabra. The first step is a tall privacy fence around the backyard. I'm planning on using 4 x 6 posts with a layer of fencing on the outside up to 7 feet, and a layer on the inside buried into the ground 12" extending up to about 3 feet.

The inside layer is the question. It needs to be durable and safe first and foremost. But it also needs to look good. This is our backyard and we inhabit it.

I could use horizontal 2x12 cedar or treated - might do that.

I'd like to use steel sheets 1/8" or 3/16" thick. They will rust but very slowly. I've got 1/8" plate steel planters that I made and they have been in place 10 years and they look great still. My concern is safety for the tort. Will it get too hot in the sun, or will the tort self regulate and simply move away from the hot parts?

And, is it too "hard"? Meaning since the tend to edge walk and rub against the perimeter walls a lot, should the surface be a bit softer, like wood? I see plenty of folks that use concrete block and they don't seem to have a problem - or do they? And a lot use wood.

Would appreciate your thoughts/experience.

Thanks, Ben
 

Yvonne G

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It is always a good idea when building a wood fence for the larger species to place the boards/pickets on the inside of the posts, not on the outside. I had a 6' privacy fence on the one exterior wall of Dudley's (sulcata) yard with a 12" board at the bottom then the redwood pickets above that board. The motion of Dudley walking by that fence daily, and bumping into it as he walked eventually loosened the wood from the nails. One day the 1x12 popped off the posts and Dudley went walkabout. To correct the problem once I nailed the board back on the posts, I bought more 1x12's and nailed them all along the posts on the inside of the fence.

The main thing with the Aldabrans is sight. If they can see past the fence, then the fence won't hold them in.
 

ben awes

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Hi Yvonne, yes, that's my plan - to place the steel or 2x12's on the inside of the posts.
 

wellington

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I always thought ALDABRAMAN/Gregs fencing looked nice. Also, easy to add more boards as needed. I don't have experience with cinder blocks for enclosures, but I have read where the shells do get damaged from them.
As for the metal fence, I would think they would move away if they got too hot, like they would from bulb or sun, but maybe @ALDABRAMAN can confirm.

Don't forget pics:D
 

Jacqui

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Why are you burying some?

I have tried several things for "walls", not for aldabras, but sulcatas.
This is the security fencing with the posts on the outside. If you look closely you can see the boards tend to warp and also the nails loosen.


With the wood boards and the blue you see just over the top are the support posts (once more on the outside).


I do not have a good picture of it, but we did use the metal roofing too. We attached it with t-posts. It worked okay, but when the tortoise would bump against the metal, it was noisy. No problems with heat of off the metal or as you can see, the plants growing next to it.
 

wellington

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Why are you burying some?

I have tried several things for "walls", not for aldabras, but sulcatas.
This is the security fencing with the posts on the outside. If you look closely you can see the boards tend to warp and also the nails loosen.


With the wood boards and the blue you see just over the top are the support posts (once more on the outside).


I do not have a good picture of it, but we did use the metal roofing too. We attached it with t-posts. It worked okay, but when the tortoise would bump against the metal, it was noisy. No problems with heat of off the metal or as you can see, the plants growing next to it.
They all look very nice Jacqui. Which one would you say is the strongest and less maintenance? I would guess the boards going left to right?
 

Jacqui

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They all look very nice Jacqui. Which one would you say is the strongest and less maintenance? I would guess the boards going left to right?

Yes, they are being the best. I have no complaints, except of course if it is with a small tortoise, you need to be sure there are no openings at the bottom. I have a very rolling landscape, so that is a problem for me. I also think this one has the best overall visual appeal.

Cost wise the metal was the cheapest and fastest to put up. I used it for several years with no real issues other then the noise.
 

ALDABRAMAN

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I always thought ALDABRAMAN/Gregs fencing looked nice. Also, easy to add more boards as needed. // but I have read where the shells do get damaged from them.
@ALDABRAMAN

~ We have found that an exterior industrial grade chain link fence and an inner wooden fence works really well for us!

-1.jpg
 

mike taylor

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I use r panels cut in half and nailed to my fence post .

1430864833107.jpg
 
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leigti

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~ We have found that an exterior industrial grade chain link fence and an inner wooden fence works really well for us!

View attachment 128809
If money was no object I would do what I'll Dobber Amanda did. But I would also use the fencing that has the slats in it so that it would be private. Either that or an all wood fence with the boards going horizontal.
 

ben awes

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~ We have found that an exterior industrial grade chain link fence and an inner wooden fence works really well for us!

View attachment 128809
Aldabraman, this is essentially what I am planning except that the back side has to be full privacy. I line in a dense neighborhood and need to keep out eyes in addition to bodies.

In place of the horizontal 2x12s, which is what yours looks like in the photo (are they treated or untreated?) i was also consider sheet steel - and heavy enough gauge that it would not have that load metal sound when bumped.

It looks like you've buried the bottom course of wood a bit? Is that true? How deep?

Thanks
 

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