How Shall I Make this Balcony into a Tortoise Paradise?

[ChloeCrull]

Hello, everyone!

My name is Chloe, and I must admit that I have been terribly inactive from the forums lately. However, I am back and I have brought a project to share with all of you.

I live in an apartment and I have five tortoises. The management is very aware of my critters, and they are pet-friendly and do not mind them at all. In fact, they love seeing them when I supervise them in the garden! That being said, my outdoor strip of land is limited and not ideal for a tortoise enclosure.

Now, I currently have a very large, solid concrete balcony. It measures 11 feet (132 inches) across and 5.5 feet (66 inches) wide. I was thinking of remastering it into a tortoise paradise, but I would love some advise and ideas on how to do so.

I was thinking of placing down a thin slab of wood and lining it with bricks. Then, I would cover the entire area with a few inches of substrate and cover the top with a sort of mesh wiring as a lid.

I have added two pictures. The first one is the actual balcony (sorry, the angle is quite bad). The second is the visual diagram of the balcony if the picture is too poor to visualize the actual area.






What do you guys think? Thank you!

Appreciation and hugs,
Chloe

 

[mikeylazer]

Okay i like where you are heading, but what are the 5 species you currently have? Lets start there and then I have an idea or two I would love to share.

 

[ChloeCrull]

Okay i like where you are heading, but what are the 5 species you currently have? Lets start there and then I have an idea or two I would love to share.

Hello, Mikey!

I have three Russian tortoises (one male, two female) and two Mediterranean Spur-Thighed tortoises. I look forward to hearing your ideas.

Appreciation and hugs,
Chloe

 

[mikeylazer]

Im thinking you can actually make two seperate pens on the balcony each one being a 4x4 so you have room to walk. I know for three Russians they should have more space than 4x4, but if that is all you have to work with you might as well make the best of it. I would actually build 2 seperate 4x4 boxes out of pine wood, and have a piece of plywood cut so that it fits as a base to each one. Buy a shower curtain and secure it on the walls so moisture doesnt get onto the wood. Then fill it up and you are golden.

 

[ChloeCrull]

Im thinking you can actually make two seperate pens on the balcony each one being a 4x4 so you have room to walk. I know for three Russians they should have more space than 4x4, but if that is all you have to work with you might as well make the best of it. I would actually build 2 seperate 4x4 boxes out of pine wood, and have a piece of plywood cut so that it fits as a base to each one. Buy a shower curtain and secure it on the walls so moisture doesnt get onto the wood. Then fill it up and you are golden.

Thank you for your ideas, Mikey!

Since I have two different species, it would be a very good idea to have two separate outdoor homes. I am probably going to go lumber-hunting in the next few weeks to get a few new ideas.

 

[Merrick]

You could build thevtwo 4×4 then an another smaller enclosure and alternate in the outher enclosure I would puts lots of stuff to graze on

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Maybe two 5.5 x 4.5 foot halves with a narrow walkway in the middle.

 

[dmmj]

Dirt, and lots of it. Two enclosures is a good idea. Plants are always a plus