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!!
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!!