help needed please in reworking my tortoise enclosure

[nancykj]

hi all!
I hope everyone's gopherus are slumbering happily away!
I have begun redoing my 2 guys (CDTs) outdoor enclosures, they are back to back but individual. I am planting native plants, redoing their burrows and generally trying to make it a more enriching environment for them. I am having fun doing it!
my big problem, as it has been every year for the past 20, is how to keep my big guy (12 lbs) from flipping on his back.
the enclosures are in a long strip next to the house, so the house itself is one long side, a 5 foot high block wall the other long side. then I have concrete blocks at the ends, and to separate the two pens. they each have well over 100 sq ft of living space. my big guy spends a good deal of his leisure time "climbing" the straight walls of the enclosure, until he is so vertical that he flips over on his back. he is unable (that I have ever seen) to right himself.
90% of the time this climbing is at the far end of the pen, I swear he knows the big grassy yard is on the other side. it is also where the sun shines first.
I affix boards at a slant to his climbing spots, but he usually manages to knock them down.
any ideas?? it is a big worry for me when I am at work. the smaller one never seems inclined to go vertical.
they get to go out in the "big yard" a lot, but only when supervised.
I would really appreciate any help or suggestions on how I can improve my construction to prevent this flippage. thanks!!

 

[thatrebecca]

Hi Nancy,

Sounds like a fun project. Does your tort have things he can use to right himself when he flips? I have one corner that is just flipping central for one of my CDTs. I tried putting boards, large flat stones and other impediments there but it didn't work. The only thing that seemed to help was planting a couple bushes in that corner -- she still goes upside down, but she's able to brace herself on the branches and right herself quickly.

Just a thought...

 

[Yvonne G]

I've always said, and this proves it, that when you allow a tortoise to see that there is another world on the other side of his fence he's never satisfied staying in his enclosure ever again.

Can you make the wall he wants to climb shorter then add a lip to the top so he can't stand up under it? Or maybe stack something in front of the wall that he can't try to climb, like his dog house or some great big river rocks.

 

[kathyth]

I wonder if this "lip" that Yvonne is talking about; if it came down nice and low i. The enclosure, to prevent the little mister, from even climbing.
Could you possibly plant bushes in this area or would he climb through them?
What a dilemma!

 

[Saleama]

Place a board that is wider than the bricks on top of the bottom brick, sticking out into the pen, so he can not get verticle. Also, round out the corners. Torts will climb in corners but walk around curves.

 

[nancykj]

thanks for all the input!
I tried the lip thing last year, thinking that if he stood there and looked up, and saw only board and not sky, he would "forget" for that moment at least, the world on the other side. he did not forget.
I have the ends of the enclosure close to 3 feet tall also, so the board did not prevent him from getting vertical to his full length of more than 12 inches!
can't plant there because a little concrete path goes down the middle of the enclosure.
I think I will lower the height to 2 feet (or 18" maybe?) and put the board lip on top again and see
I like the curved sides idea too and am going to look at home depot at those curved bricks for landscaping.
kath, why doesn't jim build something for me??

 

[kathyth]

He would be happy to help you! If you figure out what might work and need his help call. He will bring the tools, do the work and we can supervise him! 😎

Look at Lowe's too. They have different things than Home Depot, just for idea's.