Carlitos' enclosure

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Tortoise-Luke

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Well as i posted in my introduction my tortoise was a gift and most of the information the person that gifted me carlitos gave me was in fact wrong. So his diet was mostly lettuce with a not so adequate substrate in a fishtank, good thing was he got plenty sunlight, also no water (i was told he got hidrated from food alone). After a while i did some research on him and was amazed on how poorly i cared for him all this time so i decided id make proper accomodations for him. First thing was researching online (difficult due to so many misleading and outdated sites) about his overall needs after that i got to building his enclosure...
first i made wooden box 5'x5'
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then put a bunch of styrofoam and small stones on top for better drainage with a layer of some kind of mesh to keep it separate from the substrate.
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put the substrate in a mixture of soil and sand for low humidity (10"+-) Hes not a big digger, or at least hasn't tried yet but you never know..
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im not going to lie i did have some help with carpentry issues...
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taking a shower after working all day..
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And here's the final result, a week ago its got more plants in it now
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The back part is about 5 inches taller so i made a small trench for carlitos to go into when it gets cold :tort: it also has a cave made of stone two spots for food and a dish for water for him to soak in and allmost forgot didnt take more pictures but it has a removable chickenwire top for airborne attacks and another one for rainy days.
Im eager to hear any comments opinions and critiques :D
 

Yvonne G

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That's quite an upgrade from the original fish tank! Good job. I'm not quite sure you needed all that drainage material, but time will tell. Can Carlitos hide his complete body inside the small ditch? Tortoises like to feel secure and safe from predators.

I was wondering what happened to you. Thanks for coming back and showing us your project. (I especially liked your helpers!)
 
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Maggie Cummings

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He needs a small secure hide that he can go into and feel totally safe and secure. Half logs are good or rocks forming a cave would be good also. I have one 3 yr old who has a cardboard box for a hide. Anyhow, it doesn't have to be fancy just secure they need to be able to go all the way inside and turn around. Does he have lights for warmth? I can't tell how big he is...but I am thinkin that he needs a light bulb at night for warmth. His he living outside? Doesn't he get cold?
 

Tortoise-Luke

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Sorry it took me a while to get some time to post again..
IMG00214-20110308-1528-1.jpg

well his "underground lair" wich has an entrance through the "red arrow" is about 3+" wide wich is more than enough for him to get in and it is bigger inside so he can turn and what-not (this is depicted by the green lines) he also has a rock cave which he hoes into during the day when its warm and no he does not have any heating except for sunlight allmost all day long (partial shadow is provided by the walls) and in the night he goes into his little hideout im not sure if he does need heating since in his natural habitat (northern argentina) it goes even colder than here during nightfall. He is about 4" and approximately 2 years old, what do you suggest??
your enthusiasm encourages me to post more pictures hope you guys enjoy them

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and here a rare game of tort baseball i assume :p (can you spot the :tort:)
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Laura

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you did great job.. does styroform mold?
I'd be Very careful with allowing the dogs around him. you turn your back or get distracted.. and the dogs might think what a fun new chew toy. .. it happens all too often. so be really careful.
 

Tortoise-Luke

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Laura said:
you did great job.. does styroform mold?
I'd be Very careful with allowing the dogs around him. you turn your back or get distracted.. and the dogs might think what a fun new chew toy. .. it happens all too often. so be really careful.

well they dont show much interest in him, still he's in his new house now which has a chickenwire top and most importantly it's walls are 4 times as tall as the dogs are and whenever i do let him roam the backyard i always watch over him
oh and by the way, no it does not mold its used in roofs as acoustic/thermic insulation as it can be kept moist without affecting it
 
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Maggie Cummings

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I think that he needs some sort of heat at night. It's still too cold to be without any heat. Can you hook up a black light bulb for him? They are just 60 watts don't cost much and do keep them warm. I am enjoying your pictures and your creativity in making his habitat...good job!
 

Tortoise-Luke

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Maggie i think you're mistaken im actually in the southern hemisphere and its still pretty warm around here and will be for a month or so more, but still why a black light bulb? whats the difference? could you show me an example of what one looks like?
 

Tom

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The idea is that in an above ground, man-made enclosure, it might get too cool at night, even though you are in the "natural range" of the tortoise. It is definitely that way here for our CA desert tortoises. In the wild they would know where to go and what to do to manage their temps and well being. Since they are captive, WE have to do our best to manage things for them.

The advantage of the "black" light bulb is that it keeps things dark at night so he can still sleep properly, but yet gives him just a little added warmth in the enclosure.

I love your enclosure, your tort and your dogs and hope you post lots more pics.
 
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