Need advice for a new outdoor enclosure!

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jmhoesch

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Hello guys! It's been a long while since I've posted about Mr. Pickles! (remember, I joined in late Jan. and bugged everybody. lol) Mr. Pickles is doing great but we need to get him outside. Here are some issues I need help with.

1. We're in southern AZ and the temp right now is above 100 on average. Mr. Pickles is a Greek torti. My hubby will be building the enclosure and we WILL need to put a top on it. The hawks here would love our Mr. Pickles for a meal. (also have rattlesnakes and scorpions to keep out) What kind of mesh/screen should we use? General chicken wire?

2. I know there's a list here somewhere about what desert plants he can have in his enclosure but I can't find it. I want to put a lot of fun things for him to play w/, eat and hidey holes for him to choose from.

3. When it rains (we're currently in monsoon season) can we leave him out there? Does he still need baths? (he'll have a big very shallow dish for him to get in)

I'm using ALL the pics of outdoor enclosures here that I can find as a guide for my husband to use.

Just would love some expert advice from the wonderful peeps here..........

thank you!
 

WillTort2

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For wire tops I like the one half inch square hardware cloth. It's strong metal; doesn't rust; and can keep out anything short of a bear. The half inch also allow plenty of sun light for your basking and ultra violet usage your tort needs.

For rain, pick an area the is graded for runoff. then build the hide/house on the uphill section. I would even build a hill to ensure that drainage goes away from the burrow. Look on the forum and you'll find examples.

In your heat the burrow will need to be well underground. Some with more desert experience will need to advise regarding burrow design.

Good luck!
 

jmhoesch

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Thanks! Anyone have thoughts on the wire to use for the top? The Arizona Wildlife and gaming had a bunch of advice for the enclosure and plants etc which was great.

We already have a hill out back that we're incorporating into the enclosure, I'm hoping that will work well. The enclosure is going to be around 8 ft by 5 ft.
 

wellington

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The hardware cloth that WillTortoise mentioned is what most use. It's better and stronger then chicken wire. It comes in many gauges and size squares. Home Depot, etc sells it, comes in rolls. Also, spraying the enclosure down during the really hot temps will help to cool it down. Many in your type of temps will set up a misting system, that will help a lot too. Set it on a timer to go off so many times a day and for how long. Check out the tortoisetable.org for plant ideas.
 

jmhoesch

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OOOOOOOOOO misting.......never thought about that! I like that idea. It can get (and frequently does) 110-115. We're going on the 40th day of over 100 degrees now. What we planned on doing is putting the enclosure near a tree that we planted. more then HALF of the enclosure will be in the sun. 1/4 of it (his burrow will also be in the shade) will be shaded by the little tree . I just wish we didn't have to put a top on it. I'm too paranoid w/ the large hawks we have around here. They've been known to swoop down and get the itty bitty PUPPIES that people have in their back yards.

I just know Mr. Pickles will LOVE all the fun things we'll put in there for him to crawl on. We'll have several hidey holes for him, including broken southwestern pots buried in the dirt, dried up dead cacti (they look really cool when they're dried out) for him to crawl under, areas where he can bury himself if he wants, a much larger shallow water area w/ rocks and flagstone for him to maneuver and a variety of desert and very edible plants for him to munch on.

During the winter months, we'll bring him in and put him in his tank. Don't want him out there in the cold. It CAN get down to freezing here at night......

When it's done, how do we transition him to his new home? Slowly? A few hours at a time and keep watch on him? I don't want him to freak out.......

O, what about scorpions? They are a way of life here. How can we keep them from the enclosure?
 
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