New 2.5 Story Enclosure

[haylee345]

I finally finished my 8 month old leopard tortoise's new enclosure. I'm super proud of it. It's 4ft wide, 4ft tall, and 32in deep. The wooden doors and plexi are on hinges. Every bit of exposed wood is painted with exterior, mold resistant paint. I might need to add a few things or move some stuff around - she finds ways to get herself in trouble that I could never imagine- but for now I'm happy with it.

I used pine plywood, discounted paint, discounted scrap plexi glass ($3!!!), discounted plants, coco coir, cypress bark, sphagnum moss, sticks from our pomegranate trees, rocks, scrap tile. I made the picket fence from wood shades I found in a thrift store and painted.

I'm hoping it'll last her a couple years until I can move her outside full time.Then I'll find something else to live in it. Maybe a baby rock iguana?


Right now it's nice and hot in West Texas, so I have the enclosure set on the front porch. I'll add more lamps, cover the top with clear vinyl, and move the enclosure inside when it gets chilly.


She seems excited to be in her new home and took to the ramps straight away. The top one is a little slippery, so I'll probably glue in some wood sticks like the bottom ramp.


The plants were all bought from Walmart and repotted in chemical-free soil. They're all listed as "Feed moderately" on Tortoise Table, but I haven't seen her even nibbling on them yet. Which is good because I know they're still full of chemicals.


Hope you guys like it!

 

[wellington]

Looks very nice. If you get some natural sunlight in it, you won't need the UVB light. Also would be nice to build an outdoor pen so he can't graze naturally. Then put him in the enclosure for night time and bad weather days

 

[Jodie]

Adorable. Your did a great job decorating. It looks great.

 

[Fredkas]

Oh... this is great

 

[haylee345]

Thanks! I have a 4ft x 8ft pen in the front yard where I leave her for a few hours a day, but she mostly just hides. I do catch her grazing sometimes which is good. Maybe she doesn't like the wind, or being so exposed, or maybe the ground is too prickly with the sand spurs. I'm between houses right now and staying with my mom, so I haven't done much work on her outdoor pen.

Looks very nice. If you get some natural sunlight in it, you won't need the UVB light. Also would be nice to build an outdoor pen so he can't graze naturally. Then put him in the enclosure for night time and bad weather days

have

 

[wellington]

Thanks! I have a 4ft x 8ft pen in the front yard where I leave her for a few hours a day, but she mostly just hides. I do catch her grazing sometimes which is good. Maybe she doesn't like the wind, or being so exposed, or maybe the ground is too prickly with the sand spurs. I'm between houses right now and staying with my mom, so I haven't done much work on her outdoor pen.

have

Some won't roam in the hottest part of the day and some need lots of plantings to feel safe to roam. However, even if they are in the shade of a bush or log, they can still get some UVB. Just like cloudy days and we can still get sun burned, so can they get UVB.

 

[Gillian M]

A warm welcome to the forum, to you and your cute tort!

If it is hot and dry back there, take care: water and humidity are essential for torts. Please give your tort daily soaks in warm water in order to avoid dehydration and pyramiding.

Lovely enclosure!