Need some inputs on what is best for my sulcata

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erdavis

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Not sure if it belongs in this category, because it has to do with his enclosure, or the sulcata section.. move it if need be.

For reference, I believe Turbo is about 5 months. When I weighed him today he was about 137g and measures at around 3.25"x2.75"

This is currently his endoor enclosure
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This is currently his outdoor enclosure. He is only outside while I am at home. Or sometimes when I can get all of the cats inside, I'll let him stay outside while I go to school. It is a pretty decent size for him right now. In this picture he is actually in the right corner hanging out in the mud :)
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This is the current "garden"(what my mom tried to make a garden and eventually gave up on)
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Now here is my dilemma...
I would like to keep him out in the yard more, like put him in it when I wake up in the AM and take him back inside when it starts getting dark or during storms. But to do this I want to make him a better outdoor enclosure, like put a wire cover over it and fix it up. These are my choices:


  1. Fix up the current outdoor enclosure that he uses now.
    Would stack 2 more of those logs together.
    Would screw or glue the boards together to make them stay.
    Would plant some more grasses and weeds in it and just in general make it more interesting for him.
    Would use part of the empty garden to plant more plants for him.
  2. Turn part of the empty garden into his enclosure and throw out the one he uses now.
While the garden is 48' long, I would only use a max of 38' for his enclosure.
Would plant grass and weeds everywhere in his enclosure.
Would most likely use 3 8'x8' boards stacked on top of each other to create the enclosure, or more preferably find some cheap low fencing.
Would use the remaining 10' of garden to plant more plants for him outside of his enclosure.

So those are my choices right now. Also for whichever enclosure i pick I am going to put a wire top on it, and line the enclosure with a board dug into the ground so they cant dig under easily.

I of course want to give turbo the empty garden because it is bigger, but I am worried that it is not wide enough. Right now in his outside enclosure I see him pacing the side everyonce in awhile, which is why I am wanting to spice up his enclosure(and because he ran away this weekend and it took 2 hours of destroying my yard to find him). I am worried that with the empty garden enclosure he will just pace the entire time.

Also keep in mind that right now I am living at my parents house as I am a senior in highschool. I am going to college in my town and so I will be living with my parents for the first year. Then I am going to be moving out and getting my own place when I go to nursing school the previous year. So he will only be in this enclosure for a little over a year.

What do you guys think? Should I just fix the current one? Or do you think he will be happier with the garden?
Sorry the post is so long. Thank you if you read it!

And I know you all like tortoise pictures so here you go! This was from yesterday(sorry its blurry, had to take it with my phone). This is his mud corner. For the past few days when I spray his enclosure down with the hose I place some mud on top of him to keep him cool since I live in hot Florida. Today when I sprayed him he layed in the mud and I could see him try to flick the mud on himself! He wasn't very successful, but it was his first time trying!
8ecbd41c774d25a2102d6fca998c5b39.jpg

If you have never heard the song "Mud Digger" you should look it up, its funny! (its actually a remix of a song that I shouldnt say on here)
But anyways, I sing "mud turtle" to Turbo during his mud baths. :)
 

jaizei

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For small sulcatas, I usually use a 4' x 8' enclosure not unlike yours but I use 2" x 8" boards (or taller) for the sides. I think it will be easier to just raise the sides of your current enclosures and add the wire top. 8' x 8' is plenty big for now. You could give him the whole yard and he'd still pace.
 

lynnedit

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jaizei said:
For small sulcatas, I usually use a 4' x 8' enclosure not unlike yours but I use 2" x 8" boards (or taller) for the sides. I think it will be easier to just raise the sides of your current enclosures and add the wire top. 8' x 8' is plenty big for now. You could give him the whole yard and he'd still pace.

That makes sense. You could make two 4'x8' screened tops with 2"x2" frames. They could open away from each other, hinged to the outside edge, and prop open with a short piece of wood or PVC when needed.
Awfully cute pic of him with mud on his back. He looks pleased.
 

Tom

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You also need to know what the sun does all day back there. Did Mom's garden fail because its shady in that spot all day?
 
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