Enclosure:

[Millerlite]

I was wondering if anyone had younger emy enclosures? I have an idea of what i want to do, i even have an outdoor enclosure built, but i feel i need to add something to it, lol..

Maybe i can look at redfooted tortoise enclosures since they are more common and get an idea. What do you think?

 

[Yvonne G]

redfoot or box turtle enclosures would be fine. Years ago I gave one of my intergrade babies to a fellow who lives in Oakland, CA. This city is just across the bay from San Francisco. It has pretty fair weather, never too hot or cold. However there are many cool days in the 40's and 50's, of rain, fog and mist throughout the winter. This guy raised the baby intergrade Mee/Mep in an outdoor pen with a safe house for night time. He never provided any extra heat for the baby. Some times he wouldn't see the baby for several days in a row. I must admit, that his baby compared to the six I kept from that clutch, looks great. It's bigger than mine and looks like a wild-caught animal...that is to say, almost perfect in every way. He fed a lot of snails, which are plentiful in the Bay Area. He also fed Pathos, a plant that's on the toxic lists. However, Pathos is native to Southeastern Asia, as are the tortoises.

Yvonne

 

[Millerlite]

Thanks for the info. I need to find snails and slugs, i know they are hiding somewhere around her, lol. I heard these guys grow slow, or slower then most species is this true?

 

[Yvonne G]

Pretty slow. My intergrades are about 10 or 12 years old now, and are about a foot long, weighing about 15lbs. The hatchling I bought from Vic Morgan was hatched in August of '94. Last year she weighed 41lbs and it was the first year she nested and laid eggs (she was 15 years old)

Yvonne

My:
aldabrans weigh 100lbs at 9 years of age (600lbs)
Sulcata weighs 100lbs at 19 years of age (150-200lbs)
Manouria weighs 41lbs at 15 years of age (65-70lbs)

 

[Itort]

Mine is identical to my redfoot enclosure. It has a wading/soaking pool, a mudhole, heavy foliage (they have their own elephantear plant this year), and built in hides at either end. It measures 6' long, 2' wide and 1' h with an eastern exposure (shaded from noon on) with a screen cover (except where the elephant ear is). I also have a piece of scrap plastic lathe that I move around to provide extra shade. I use a yard sprinkler set on mist to recreate rain on dry days. They are active morning and late afternoon and rest in the hides or under foliage during midday. I feel the key is a damp, shady habitat.

 

[Millerlite]

Thank you both. Mine is about 6 foot by 3 foot big and a foot high, and i have a few different plants and hoping the grass and weeds will start growing to add a little more and help with humidity. I too have a misting system and it works great. The sun on mine though is through out the whole day, but i put shade cloth on one side of the enclosure so its mostly shady on that end, and sunny on the other, one of mine actually likes sitting on the sunny end under a bush i have in there. I will post pictures, and maybe my enclosure isnt as bad as i think it is, they seem to like it, i guess i just always feel i need to add to it

so they do grow fairly slow, that cool, i dont mind it, i just want them to grow nice and slow and stay heathy, fun tortoises too. I always get people asking what are they, lol