Kitten danger

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PeanutbuttER

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My wife decided that she wanted a kitten so we got one. I went ahead and covered the hatchling enclosure. I used the lid that her rubbermaid came with, then added a mesh grill to one side for some air flow and as a place to shine heat lamps through. I left the tort table uncovered, because everyone seems to believe that cats and even sub-adult torts won't have a problem with hurting each other.

I did my check today and noticed that I had a spot of mold growing in my enclosure. The lid has added MUCH more humidity than I expected it to and I need to air it out. However, I'm still a bit worried that the kitten poses a threat to my hatchling.

What's all of your guys's experience with hatchlings and kittens? Does the kitten pose a serious enough threat to the tort that I need to worry about having a lid? Am I being overprotective?

My other idea is to lift the lid off the ground a bit using some wood stakes in the corners. That way air can still flow, humidity will still be raised, and the kitten won't be able to get in. In other words, there will an an uncovered inch or two all the way around the enclosure.

Any ideas for how to make this work? Thanks! Or, does anybody have any ideas on how to teach the kitten 1) torts are not food and 2) keep her distance?
 

chadk

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I drill holes in the sides of my plastic bins if I need to put the lid on. Drill holes, or heat a nail and burn\melt holes into the side. If you are careful, it won't crack... I also drill holes in the lid itself.
 

Laura

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i think it depends on how big your tort is. ive seen cats do some bad things to small critters.. they are predators...
i would protect your tort for now..
 

Yvonne G

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I saw a pretty inventive cover...I think it was here on the forum.

All of those big plastic bins that we use come with lids. This person cut out the center of the lid and afixed hardware cloth (wire with 1/2" holes) over the cut out space. This made it so the tortoise couldn't climb out and also protected him from something climbing in. Very ingenious.
 

kimber_lee_314

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I saw my kitten running down the hall with a box turtle hatchling in her mouth one day ,,, I wasn't happy. After that I did just what Yvonne suggested - hard cloth in the middle of the rubbermade tub lid.
 

ticothetort2

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I'd agree with Chad, drilling holes in the sides should provide you with enough ventilation. I don't think I would trust the kitten, they are pretty curious creatures and a little tort makes for a nice toy.
 

DonaTello's-Mom

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emysemys said:
I saw a pretty inventive cover...I think it was here on the forum.

All of those big plastic bins that we use come with lids. This person cut out the center of the lid and afixed hardware cloth (wire with 1/2" holes) over the cut out space. This made it so the tortoise couldn't climb out and also protected him from something climbing in. Very ingenious.
I found this pic on the web.....I think this may be what Yvonne means. It's a really good idea!

Container.jpg
 

PeanutbuttER

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I meant to post pictures earlier, but couldn't find the camera. Anyhow, after successfully finding the camera, here are some pics that may help you guys get an even better idea of the situation

This is the enclosure as it is tonight.
Tortsandcats003.jpg

Tortsandcats002.jpg


here's the lid that I made. I used the idea Yvonne referred to. The mesh is actually a kitchen pan grease spatter cover thing I got from the dollar store. It's made of a metal that doesn't really conduct heat, which is good because I hot glued it in place and I don't want it to melt its way out. The heat lamp I'm using still produces a hot basking spot through the grate. I like the idea of putting holes in the enclosure walls. At this moment, that will probably be the route I end up going unless I can find an easy and secure way to prop the lid up (notice the hinge in the middle. I would just prop the back half up to hopefully create some airflow from the back to the front.
Tortsandcats004.jpg


and just for fun, here's a quick break down of the animals involved:
Maui sleeping in her forest. See if you can spot her in this first pic.
Tortsandcats006.jpg

Tortsandcats005.jpg


and here's the little rascal. He may look cute, but he sure does seem to seek out trouble when he's not asleep. By the way, that is MY sweater he's chosen as a bed without asking...
Tortsandcats001.jpg
 

Sweetness_bug

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I have mine In there own room that i do not allow my cat into at all. LOL..Even though i know he wont hurt them ( he lays with my cully under the heat lamp when i am in there and he wants in lol, I just dont trust it when i am not home. I also had to put a lock on the door since my cat knows how to open doors (no joke) LOL
 

Shelli

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I think you could really use that hinge to your advantage obviously not leaving enough room for Rascal to get in.

During the day when my tort is out I don't let the cat out & at night we put the tort in the spare bathroom and shut the door..
I did catch my cat in the tort pen drinking out of the water dish once!
 

Angi

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Kittens and cats like to bat at little animal until they die. My mom's cats tore up the screen that came with her aquarium. Now she has a grill over it. I would not let the cat near the torts.
 

RV's mom

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awwwwwwwwww the little bugger looks so Innocent, yes? I agree with the rest, wouldn't trust my cats or kittens with babies. too much predator, too much play, too much to just pass by.

teri
 

starpython

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My kitten is a little terror. When we let our little red foot out to walk around she's always so curious about him. If we're not careful to watch her she will try to pounce on him or give him a swat. She's slowly learning that her little tort brother is not a play thing. What my kitten isn't learning is how to stay away from the light fixtures above the enclosure. Just yesterday she burnt a little fur off her back when she jump up under the CHE. I hope she's learned her lesson, but I kinda doubt it. Best of luck.
 

Jacqui

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It's because of our cats that all enclosures have lids. We have made them many different ways, but like somebody mentioned, the light weight ones or the ones sold to fit aquariums will not hold up to a cat. Remember that cute little guy will grow bigger and gain weight. That weight jumping onto the screen or using it as a launch pad breaks them down quickly. We use hardware cloth on either wooden frames or for the temp pen which is a plastic tote we did the cutting out of the lid center and used the ties to attach.

One big issue with leaving it uncovered, beside if the kitten may take off with his "new toy" or accidentally hurt it in play is that cats tend to like using tortoise enclosures as kingsize litter boxes. :( Then the ever helpful tortoise, will eagerly of course rush over to do cleanup work. According to my panel of tortoises, cat manure is YUMMY!

Then another issue to think about, are the lights. I had a cat who managed to get her tail up against a UV light. I smelled the hair burning before she got hurt or did any further damage. Now I have lids.
 
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