I live in Dallas Tx and want to build an outdoor enclose for my 11 inch Sulcata. my thought was to bury a perimeter of one layer of cinder blocks and then build up from grade to a height of 2 feet. I need opinions and ideas. How large should I make this enclosure? Should I add a sandy area? A spot for mud baths? What else should I consider?
outdoor enclosure
- Thread starter Sigmar
- Start date
- Status
how big an area do you have to work with?
Can you give a better estimation of size? My whole back yard is probably very different sized than yours 
Your 11" Sulcata is not going to remain 11" - you might as well build a pen big enough now to accomodate him when he is full grown. You may have to get "crazier" than you think.
Your 11" Sulcata is not going to remain 11" - you might as well build a pen big enough now to accomodate him when he is full grown. You may have to get "crazier" than you think.
I use slumpstone blocks. Cinder blocks will do the same thing. Buy some half blocks too, so you can stagger the rows. Makes the whole structure more integrated and less easy to tip over than three blocks stacked directly on top of each other. My sulcatas are 18-22" and 30-40 ponds and they haven't knocked them over yet. I just stack them, rather than mortar and concrete, so that I can move them and change the size or shape at any time. Kind of like giant, heavy legos. I don't bury them either. I just lay them flat on the ground. I do a daily digging check and somebody starts a hole about two times a year. If I'm gone all day they might get a foot deep, but never even close to escaping. I just fill in the hole, put a big rock or cinderblock in that spot, and no more digging for six months. Here comes the fine print: Every sulcata is different. Yours might dig more or less than mine.
You need to make sure there is ALWAYS some shade. I also like them to have an enclosure to hide out in and/or under. Here's a couple examples of nighttime den boxes. Your winters probably get too cold to use something like this year round, but these are good for most of the year.http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-12237.html?highlight=heated+den+boxes
A dog house style set-up will work nicely, with no heat or anything, if you are bring him/her in during cold spells and night time.
I use the mud hole technique for those really hot dog days of summer. It gets up to 120 where I am. I also soak them once or twice a week during the hot summer months in a big tub.
The bigger the better on enclosure size. 10 acres would not be too big for an 11" sulcata. My pen is around 6000 square feet for my three adults, but I turn them loose on the whole five acres all the time.
We'd love to see pics.
You need to make sure there is ALWAYS some shade. I also like them to have an enclosure to hide out in and/or under. Here's a couple examples of nighttime den boxes. Your winters probably get too cold to use something like this year round, but these are good for most of the year.http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-12237.html?highlight=heated+den+boxes
A dog house style set-up will work nicely, with no heat or anything, if you are bring him/her in during cold spells and night time.
I use the mud hole technique for those really hot dog days of summer. It gets up to 120 where I am. I also soak them once or twice a week during the hot summer months in a big tub.
The bigger the better on enclosure size. 10 acres would not be too big for an 11" sulcata. My pen is around 6000 square feet for my three adults, but I turn them loose on the whole five acres all the time.
We'd love to see pics.
It depends on the size of the area you have to work with. The bigger the better. No joke! GOOD LUCK!
hmmm my thoughts for the time being was something in the neighborhood of 12' square. Just how fast do these guys grow with proper care? My yard is divided in half, chain link fence all around, guess he could have half the yard. Think putting landscape timbers around the base of the fence would keep him in?
I would do cement blocks vs. landscape timbers. Sulcata are very strong, and can push the bottom of even the tightest chainlink out and escape underneath it. They also can injure themselves badly trying to get into the world they see beyond the fence.
Every tort is a bit different, as far as growth goes. There is no real time table as to when they reach a certain size.
I would do the biggest enclosure you can. In the wild, Sulcata walk miles every day. Even 12' X 12' is small for a medium sized Sulcata.
Every tort is a bit different, as far as growth goes. There is no real time table as to when they reach a certain size.
I would do the biggest enclosure you can. In the wild, Sulcata walk miles every day. Even 12' X 12' is small for a medium sized Sulcata.
I agree with Kristina. Do what you can, but 12' square is pretty small for a big tort who is gonna get a lot bigger. I use a 15x30' pen for my little ones and they march up and down every square inch of it all day long.
Whatever material you use to line the fence, just make sure you create a visual barrier, that they can't see through. Anything big and heavy should prevent them from pushing under your fence. When you say landscape timber, are you talking about railroad ties? Those should work, but interlace them and stack them at least two high for now, more later.
Whatever material you use to line the fence, just make sure you create a visual barrier, that they can't see through. Anything big and heavy should prevent them from pushing under your fence. When you say landscape timber, are you talking about railroad ties? Those should work, but interlace them and stack them at least two high for now, more later.
M
Maggie Cummings
Guest
Until I staggered my blocks Bob knocked them over regularly. So the 10 yr old kid from next door told me to stagger the blocks and Bob hasn't knocked them over since. So my advice would be to stagger the blocks it makes the wall stronger...and make it as big as you can. In the wild they walk for miles every day then in captivity they are confined to a small area and over fed and they get fat and sickly...so I would make it as big as you can for the relative health of your tortoise...
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2010
- Messages
- 8,803
So you want to use cinder blocks? .. Well thats fine, but unless ontop a sound base footing and with rebar, Big sullies will knock them down if just " dry stacked". I considered using block and stone ,but wanted to create a more flexable enclosure and block off certain areas, such as the veggie garden and pond. Plus I wanted a Natural look" So .. I came up with an idea of using "cut logs" ranging in sizes, most at about 100 Pounds. These flat cut, sit up right and I actually buried them down about 16 inches. Even with the logs at 100 + pounds, as Harley grew he soon figured out which ones he could move . A 1 hour Free for all" in the veggie garden ... led to one close "turtle pie" one day for him. So, I then used simpson straps' ( a galvinzed metal construction anchoring bracket) and lag bolted the logs together. Now were talking megga strong and 4 years later its still " holding up " even as Harley grows. He is about 70 pounds now and his G friend is about 45#. The main yard which harley gets to cruise is about 3600sf. along with some different walkways blocked off with some large bamboo containered plants that I can change around thru out the season. In any case remember..... they get big and are Super strong!
Happy Building....
JD~
Happy Building....
JD~
Well now I'm in a panic. I want whats best for him as I do for all my pets. Its something I take very seriously. I bought him from a family only because he was being abused, the kids thought it was cute when they rolled him on his back and watched him struggle to right himself. Normally I research thoroughly before I acquire a new family member but this was a rare spur of the moment thing. In 01 I had a quad bypass and now have lost all but one, theres no way I can build him the habitat that ya'll are describing not because I don't have the room, just can't physically do it. Just don't know what to do now.
It sounds like you did a good thing getting him out of there.
Here is what I would do. I would post him in the adoptions section here on the forum, and perhaps on Craigslist. Just ask questions of the potential adopters, and make sure THEY know what they are doing before they adopt him. Find him a good home. You could also look for tortoise rescues in your area.
After that, if you have been bitten by the tortoise bug, I would start researching Russian tortoises. They are jam packed with personality, just like Sullies, but in much smaller packages.
Here is what I would do. I would post him in the adoptions section here on the forum, and perhaps on Craigslist. Just ask questions of the potential adopters, and make sure THEY know what they are doing before they adopt him. Find him a good home. You could also look for tortoise rescues in your area.
After that, if you have been bitten by the tortoise bug, I would start researching Russian tortoises. They are jam packed with personality, just like Sullies, but in much smaller packages.
Well don't know if I'll go the craig's list route. If I do need to rehome him I'd much rather it be off a forum such as this one. CL theres too much reselling going on, if hes to be rehomed I want someone knowledgeable and it be his last home. Just really ticked off about this, we've all kinda gotten attached to him. Even gave him a name, Panzer
Yes, I understand how upsetting it is, and I feel really bad for you. I agree that CL can be kind of scary, but if you are very very careful it can be done.
I would post him in the adoptions section and go from there, unless you think you can get help building an enclosure for him that is suitable.
I would post him in the adoptions section and go from there, unless you think you can get help building an enclosure for him that is suitable.
Hi Sigmar:
12' x 12' isn't near big enough for your tortoise at his current size.
I understand your physical problem, but maybe you can get a friend to help you. All you need to do is get some timbers or cinderblocks and lay them all along the edge of the chain link fence all around the bottom. If the tortoise pushes against them the fence holds them in place. Having the whole back yard will be a good thing! Then you just need to provide him with a nice hiding place (dog house, etc) and he's good to go. If your backyard is grass and weeds, he got food. I'd like to see you keep the tortoise. If you don't have anyone to help you, I'll send my son an email and see if he can spare you some time. He has a real love of tortoises, but can't have any because he has a rottweiller. I'm sure he'd come over some week-end and help you tortoise-proof your chain link fence. Let me know.
12' x 12' isn't near big enough for your tortoise at his current size.
I understand your physical problem, but maybe you can get a friend to help you. All you need to do is get some timbers or cinderblocks and lay them all along the edge of the chain link fence all around the bottom. If the tortoise pushes against them the fence holds them in place. Having the whole back yard will be a good thing! Then you just need to provide him with a nice hiding place (dog house, etc) and he's good to go. If your backyard is grass and weeds, he got food. I'd like to see you keep the tortoise. If you don't have anyone to help you, I'll send my son an email and see if he can spare you some time. He has a real love of tortoises, but can't have any because he has a rottweiller. I'm sure he'd come over some week-end and help you tortoise-proof your chain link fence. Let me know.
Sigmar said:
Don't know if this is feasible for your case or not, but consider hosting a "tortoisarium raisin' party" (same basic idea as a "barn raisin' party")...a lady, Sandra, who belonged to the North Texas Herpetological Society, as did I, "inherited" a 45# female sulcata, but had nothing to keep itin, except her garage, so a bunch of us got together one weekend and built "Claudine" a really nice enclosure of about 125' X 70' (about 2/3s of her Mom's backyard)...a couple of us knew a thing or two about stonemasonry, so we -and some helpers - brought out a several pickup loads of large rocks and mortar and built the walls of the perimeter, s couple of her nephews, who are excellent carpenters, built a nice little "barn" for Claudine, big enough for two huge sulcatas, while a couple of the gals, and their assistants, did some landscaping...and most important of all was LaRoy's mad bar-b-qing skills (and an unliucky mid-bull calf)...started on a Saturday and by the following evening, it looked pretty good...Claudine moved out of Mom's garage and into her own place the following weekend (I explained that it was wise for the mortar to have plenty of time to set, before Claudine had a chance to do her famous impersonation of a bulldozer
).10 years later, Claudine is nearly 60# and still lives there, along with another female, "Darlene".
All it cost Sandra was a few cases of beer and a lot of bar-b-q fixin's.
Bounce this idea off your friends/family and see what they think! If it's a go, I'm about 2 hours away (Wise county) and can come out and assist.
ChiKat said:What a cool idea Terry!
It's that kind of story that gives me hope for humanity
Just something we "country folk" do...help someone when they need it, they help you when you need it, kinda paying it forward (as the term goes)...
We're all in this together, and nobody gets out of Life alive!
I have a little less then a quarter acre and this is enough for my 2 male sulcatas with a 400 square foot side yard (run) where I can move one should things get rough...fortunately, they haven't yet! Keep this in mind if you plan on keeping a bachelor herd...they will fight EVEN if there are no females around. As long as I don't have any fighting, I don't see the need to build enclosures...FREE RANGE TORTOISES...that's the BEST!
- Status
Similar threads
New Posts
-
-
-
Is the peeling on his neck and on the scales of his head normal?
- Latest: ArdianElmazi
-
