Tortellini's new and Improved outdoor enclosure

hdeaver1

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Tortellini has been indoors for the last year aside from little jaunts to the backyard with supervision. As the weather is hot and sunny I decided it was high time to create a good outdoor enclosure for Tortellini to grow in and enjoy. I looked at and read many of the posts on what to include and what not to include.

Construction of enclosure:
Luckily, I have a wonderful father and husband who helped with the woodworking and construction of this habitat.

contstruction of enclosure.jpg hide box unpainted.jpg

Painting the enclosure:
My two girls and hubby helped with painting and creating the habitat. The inside of the hide box was left unpainted.
gemma painting.jpg painting with girls.jpg violet painting.jpg

The enclosure was made so that the hide box can be removed if needed.
putting it together.jpg finished.jpg
My girls can sit on top of the hide house and observe Tortellini without disturbing her. They have agreed each night to fill his water container and close the door to the hide box.
(I hate the green of the hide house, but now that's already painted I am just letting it be!)

girls watching tort.jpg

Inside the box: There is a heat mat, a heat rock, and a water dish. Installation of the thermometer will be happening tonight when the hubby gets home. We also, noted that we may need to insulation...a step that was forgotten in the construction. We will see how the temps hold up.
inside hide house.jpg
The hide box has latches on the door and lids on the top. The box can easily be carried with two people using the handles.
side view of hide house.jpg Tort exploring new area.jpg

Overall, I think it is pretty good, but if you notice, or see something to add let me know!
 

Yvonne G

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It's not safe to use hot rocks with baby tortoises. See if you can find a small radiant heat panel instead, and mount it on a wall towards the bottom of the night house.
 

hdeaver1

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How long until they are no longer considered babies? Tort is about 5 years old.
 

Levi the Leopard

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I like that it was a family affair. :) :tort:

Can you put potted plants in the main area? I'm thinking at least 5 or 6 that have lots of hanging down foliage to provide sight barriers, obstacles and natural hides. The pros to having them in there will outweigh the con of slightly less floor space.The flower pot on its side is cute and all but they prefer hiding in plants (my tortoise told me ;) )

Not sure where you live but it's highly likely you'll be insulating that hide/house. Don't forget to add weather stripping along the top under the lid and plastic strips in the doorway when you do.
Neat idea making the box removable. That'll help you as you make improvements. And I'm going to copy your handle idea.. ;)

Like Yvonne, I wouldn't use a hot rock as a heat source. And I *think* heat mats can't have substrate on them, so check the instructions that came with your mat.
 

Levi the Leopard

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P.s. I see grass in the background! Does that mean tortellini will have a yard space in the future when he's bigger? :)
 

hdeaver1

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I like that it was a family affair. :) :tort:

Can you put potted plants in the main area? I'm thinking at least 5 or 6 that have lots of hanging down foliage to provide sight barriers, obstacles and natural hides. The pros to having them in there will outweigh the con of slightly less floor space.The flower pot on its side is cute and all but they prefer hiding in plants (my tortoise told me ;) )

Not sure where you live but it's highly likely you'll be insulating that hide/house. Don't forget to add weather stripping along the top under the lid and plastic strips in the doorway when you do.
Neat idea making the box removable. That'll help you as you make improvements. And I'm going to copy your handle idea.. ;)

Like Yvonne, I wouldn't use a hot rock as a heat source. And I *think* heat mats can't have substrate on them, so check the instructions that came with your mat.

I can definitely add plants throughout. Functional is better than cute. Any chance you can share your magic tortoise listening skills?! I live in Nevada. It's pretty hot here. :) I will remove the hot rock and check the instructions on mat. Thank you all. This is why I post on here!
 

Levi the Leopard

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Any chance you can share your magic tortoise listening skills?!
No.... The magic will be lost if I tell the secret. ;)
I sound like Elisa Thornberry....

At the moment I only let him out there supervised.

Since he isn't living in the enclosure full time, you have plenty of time to make the heated hide improvements.
 
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