Ella and Gwen got a new den!

[Kristina]

I had plans that when we got settled into our new house, I was going to build a big den for Ella and Gwen. Well, we got it finished!

Here is my dear husband hard at work. (he is mad at me for posting this picture, since his boxers are showing. I told him it is just pop culture, lol!)

I am pretty sure the girls approve of it...

I designed the box to have two doors. I did not want big moose Ella to block a single doorway and not let Gwen out.

(One of my cats, Ziggy, approves also)

And a view of the whole thing

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I have a new project on the horizon, that involves a second level.

I realize that these girls are going to out grow this enclosure, and it isn't going to take long. It will be inherited either by my Hingeback tortoises, or a breeding group of Russians when that day comes

Kristina

 

[Meg90]

It looks wonderful Kristina! I am sure that they are very happy with it!

 

[Diana Stone]

That is so great! I want one too! Ok, I want more than one

 

[DuttonWebb]

Go ahead and build me one. hah.

 

[Kristina]

Thanks guys I also want to point out, the den box itself is 2' X 4', and is sitting on an old shower curtain to protect the carpet underneath. The den cost $9.90 to build It took one 4' X 8' sheet of 1 5/8 plywood, and two 2" X 2" X 8' strips.

I can't WAIT to get building outside! I am just dying to get these girls out of the house! Not because I mind them, far be it, but because....

I realized something the other day. I see a lot of Sulcatas that have such dark, rich color, and my girls are so blah. I don't know why it took me so long to put it together, but it is becuase they have NEVER been out. If the previous owner was to be believed, they are 6 and 12 years old. Can you imagine? They have NEVER been out! Poor girls

And no, saying that they have never been out is not conjecture, I know it for a fact because I was told. I just can't imagine.... can you guess how it is going to FEEL to them? So much has changed for them in the past few months, from diet to having a big box of DIRT to play in. I can't wait to give them the outside too.

Kristina

 

[Meg90]

Kristina, I think what you are talking about, when you mention dark rich color, is shell pigmentation right? You have a pair of very healthy girls....usually darker pigmentation means that the tortoise is compensating for being kept too cool by producing more melanin in its shell so that it can absorb more heat...

unless you were talking about something else, and I am just backwards?

Make sure you take some vid/pics of their first foray outside. I would love to see them!

 

[Kristina]

Yes, I am talking about shell pigmentation. Often lack of UV light (especially natural sunlight) will cause lighter colors. Being out in the natural light natually darkens the appearance in the shell. The same can be said o other species of tort, too.

I know they appear to be healthy, but Ella was on a path to some shell issues (she was starting to get sunken lines between her scutes, a sure sign of MBD) and I CRIED the first time I held Gwen... She was HOLLOW. There was no weight to her. It took me days of soaks and keeping her at 95 degrees before she would even move. When she started eating, she pooped nothing but pure sand. She was starved almost to death.

I know one of the biggest signs of ill health that we are taught to look for is pyramiding, but IMO it is not the biggest culprit. I live in a state where there is a major body of water every six square miles. It is HUMID here. I really think that is the reason that my girls are not pyramided worse than they are. But they did have other health issues, such as the onset of MBD in Ella and Gwen being so severely underweight, having guts full of sand, and huge parasite loads.

If torts weren't so tough, I think Gwen would have died, it was that bad.

Kristina

 

[Meg90]

I remember your original post on them.....pure sand? That's heartbreaking. And even in those conditions, their previous owners no doubt that they were "fine"....I am so happy that they are with you now....It was awesome to see your post of healthy new growth in them.

Just out of curiosity, how often do you have to change the substrate in there? Nigel's pee can make quite the spot...I can't imagine what those two girls can put out on a daily basis. Do you still soak them?

What's their weights now, vrs when you got them? (if you have that info of course....my mind is now in curious mode )

 

[Kristina]

They were kept on pure sand, 24/7 light (all the lamps were up to high to be of any use, they were ice cold when I picked them up) and fed a diet based on Iceberg lettuce and tomatoes. The owners had come to the realization that they could not care for them properly. The sad thing is that it took that many years for them to wake up!

This is what the enclosure looked like -

They had no hide, no water dish.

If you look even at the pics above, you can see the white lines on Ella. She is growing like a weed!

I do still soak them, although it is not going to be too much longer with Ella. I don't know what her weight was for sure, I never had an accurate way of measuring, but she is up around 20lbs now. I would say Gwen is 6-8lbs, both are active and eat like horses. The water dish is big enough for them to get into, and they do soak themselves also.

I just built the box, so I am not too sure how often it will have to be changed. The main part of the enclosure is tiled with peel and sticks, and is swept and replaced once a week, but poop is picked up several times a day. I am thinking as long as I pick the poo out of the den, I should be able to get by with once a month. They usually pee on their slate basking area

Kristina

 

[Isa]

Really nice Enclosure Kristina.
I am sure Ella and Gwen love it

 

[Laura]

Lucky torts.. Glad to hear you are building an outdoor area for them.. with the proper diet, they will soon be way too big for what you have! But that is a GOOD thing!
Do they have a heat source for thier den? They wil need it insinde when you move them out.
Dont you just love em?!?!

 

[Candy]

Where in Michigan do you live? I have relatives there they live in Flushing and in Grand Rapids? Your tortoises are great. They look very warm despite where you live. Candy

 

[Kristina]

Thanks again everyone.

I live in northern Michigan, just south of Traverse City. Quite a bit north of the GR area.

There is a heat bulb inside the box. When the girls go out, it will not be all night. I live in a small community where fenced in yards are not allowed, and they will only be out while I am home, and not at night.

I am well aware that they are going to quickly outgrow their enclosure, that just gives me an excuse to insulate the shed and get some more torts (Russians, NO MORE Sulcatas, even though I love them.) They are awesome in personality, but too big to practically keep a large group in this area.

Kristina