Out Working On My Russians/Marginated Out Enclosure

[ohio]

Updated my outdoor Russian enclosure, Hope everyone enjoys. First i made it larger for my creep and added a green house. Still need to work on the landscaping and plants.The little part in front will be for my new Marginated Chloe and Zoe, The one on the left will be for unruly male Russians during egg laying season.

Had another post about my enclosures from last year but can't find it.....but someone had said i need to add a top rail. I hope this is sufficient.

 

[ohio]

Everything i used on the enclosure has been reclaimed and cost me nothing but time, except[t the new screws. The wood came from a neighbor who was tearing out his old deck, the blocks were free on the side of the road, and i get landscape plants when every i hear of someone doing a tear out or i make cuttings. DO IT ON THE CHEAP!

 

[jaizei]

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/winding-down-for-the-winter.132885/

 

[ohio]

You rock, I'm so computer illiterate.

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

That's fantastic looking! Well done.

 

[Yvonne G]

Wow! That's great. What a wonderful place for tortoises to live. Nice and big. The tree in the middle...is it dead or dormant?

 

[Rue]

Is the baseball bat to deter predators?

 

[ohio]

The tree is dormant. A quacking aspen. Still have a lot of work. Going to make a rock garden water feature with a tunnel underneath, lots of seeds to sow, and another yard and a half sand to bring in. My tortoise utopia. I also have some dwarf junipers to plant. Like the bat Rue, I'll get those vermin, I bring them in at night until i know they'll be secure.

 

[Cheryl Hills]

How deep in the ground did you put the sides? I do like your enclosure . And, I live in Ohio too, Youngstown.

 

[ohio]

I have a concrete side walk that goes around the enclosure and its 6 inches deep, it used to be the previous owner above ground pool, i add gravel and the nice hard Ohio clay mix all the way around the inside edge line. I have seen them attempt to dig around the edge but i think they get discouraged in the gravel. It a 30 feet in diameter and i do have sand towards the middle where i have one of my girls hide from me until the next day when they come out to warm up. She was buried in the sand. They have great camouflage. My other pen i put chick wire about two inches down then more gravel and clay mix on top of that. Always a sandy mix in the middle for drainage and nesting. Been busy want to get back out and work on it!

 

[ohio]

I'm up in Ashtabula county, SW corner.

 

[ohio]

Got my water feature and tunnel done...YEAH! My tortoise utopia. Still have some final touches to add. I planted coriopsis, sedum, lambs ear, stone crop sedum, and creeping jenny. I still plan to sow some california poppies and snapdragons around the rocks.





The pump for my trickling stream is solar power. Ok I've spent 20 buck on it so far. The tunnel was a 14 inch diameter culvert pipe that was scrap from a neighbor. I had them out today.(3-18-16) More to come.

 

[lisa127]

Nice! I'm in northeast ohio as well....but not in a rural area so I don't have all that space.

 

[Rue]

Are you worried about predators?

 

[ohio]

I bring them in at night, I've lost ducks and chickens to raccoon's. I have also seen coyotes, fox, opossums, etc. Eventullay i will construct a secure night box or preditor safe area. It's a lot moving my torts in and out.

 

[Rue]

We also live in a rural area so I was wondering. ..

I am planning ours. But we only have one tortoise!

 

[ohio]

Last summer i did leave my hermanns out a few times, but i also left my dog out as a security force. Once everyone's a little larger and there hides are constructed better i plan to leave them out 24/7.

 

[Cheryl Hills]

I think your torts are going to love there area!

 

[Amron]

What a great outdoor enclosure, I love the recycling and reusing, and of course the saving of the money. What lucky torts

 

[TortoiseWarrior]

Yup! Looks good