Krupbot20
New Member
Hi everyone. As I stated in my introduction, I live in Southern California and am looking to own some leopard tortoises, specifically GPPs.
I originally planned on raising two tortoises together, but I was informed that is not the way to go for the tortoise' s sake. I plan on getting a hatchling at the beginning of next year and am already working on a 4'x8' closed top enclosure for its first year or so.
So the reason for this post is the outdoor enclosure. I plan on making an outdoor enclosure out of my 5.5' x 80+' raised plant bed. It's raised about 3' off the ground. It's sloped so I'm going to get it professionally leveled flat. Then I'll install a wall (I'm thinking 1 foot tall) on the open side to prevent the tortoise (It will be named "Bowser") from falling out.
It gets direct sunlight from about 11am to 5pm.
Once the current plants and wood chips are removed and it is leveled, I will put in grass, a sprinkler system for higher humidity levels, plants, shade areas, and a house for heat. I'm brainstorming on predator proofing it.
I'm open to suggestions, but a few questions I do have:
Is this too narrow of an area? (5.5 feet)
Is it too large for a juvenile leopard and would I be better off dividing it in two separate enclosures for two tortoises?
Would this be large enough to house three adult tortoises if there was visual barriers and they were monitored?
Is that enough time in the direct Sun? (11am to 5pm)
Again, the welfare of the tortoise is my number one priority so please don't be afraid to provide critisim. I can take it!
That's just one area of my backyard and I have other options. That just seemed to be the best because it had tons of space and is out of the way in a sense.
Thanks again.
-Steve
(Trying to upload photos of the area)
I originally planned on raising two tortoises together, but I was informed that is not the way to go for the tortoise' s sake. I plan on getting a hatchling at the beginning of next year and am already working on a 4'x8' closed top enclosure for its first year or so.
So the reason for this post is the outdoor enclosure. I plan on making an outdoor enclosure out of my 5.5' x 80+' raised plant bed. It's raised about 3' off the ground. It's sloped so I'm going to get it professionally leveled flat. Then I'll install a wall (I'm thinking 1 foot tall) on the open side to prevent the tortoise (It will be named "Bowser") from falling out.
It gets direct sunlight from about 11am to 5pm.
Once the current plants and wood chips are removed and it is leveled, I will put in grass, a sprinkler system for higher humidity levels, plants, shade areas, and a house for heat. I'm brainstorming on predator proofing it.
I'm open to suggestions, but a few questions I do have:
Is this too narrow of an area? (5.5 feet)
Is it too large for a juvenile leopard and would I be better off dividing it in two separate enclosures for two tortoises?
Would this be large enough to house three adult tortoises if there was visual barriers and they were monitored?
Is that enough time in the direct Sun? (11am to 5pm)
Again, the welfare of the tortoise is my number one priority so please don't be afraid to provide critisim. I can take it!
That's just one area of my backyard and I have other options. That just seemed to be the best because it had tons of space and is out of the way in a sense.
Thanks again.
-Steve
(Trying to upload photos of the area)