Outdoor Enclosure- Horsefield Tortoise

Waffle_L

New Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2015
Messages
3
Location (City and/or State)
United Kingdom
Hi, I'm Charlotte and I have a little problem. I have a male horsefield tortoise called Marty who has just turned 2. I got him just over a year ago, but since I live in the UK the weather has prevented me from making an outdoor pen. It's nearing summer, and the weather is starting to get a bit warmer. I've done research as to what to put INTO the pen, but I have no idea what length or width it should be. I have a vague idea, but not much to go on with. Also, I need some tips to make it escape-proof. I'm aware that horsefield tortoises dig, and despite mine never trying it I want to be sure. Are there anyways to stop my tortoise from digging?

Additionally I also need to deal with predators. We may have the odd cat or fox slip into my garden, and I'm not going to be there constantly to watch him. Any extra safety advice would be really helpful too.

For the perimeter walls of the pen, I need a good material to withstand lots of rain and wind. Marty's only going to be out there during the day, but I want to make it as welcoming and tough as possible. My garden's also got a huge slope, but would it be better to place it on the flat? Please let me know.
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
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Jan 23, 2008
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Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
Welcome to the Forum, Charlotte!

Take a look through our Enclosure section for ideas. One of our moderators, @Jacqui , has put together a thread combining pictures from different members showing their habitats. There's one for indoors and one for outside.
 

WillTort2

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2011
Messages
1,250
I like the idea of building on the slope. It will give the tort more exercise walking up the slope. It's also more flood proof when build on a slope.

You can build a covered and buried home that has a down slope entrance and a secret lift lid that only the keeper knows in order to do emergency checks on the tortoise.

The bigger the better as far as size. For predator protection, I like putting a cover over the entire enclosure using hardwire cloth with 1/2" spacing.

Good luck!
 

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