I really like it when you all post your Projects and Ideas with photos and details so I figure I should do the same.
After 3 years of thinking we would re-home our Russian tortoise I adopted from a family whose dog had mauled him (thread about that) our family has decided we cannot re-home him and will keep him for life.
So I have now been working on his outdoor enclosure. He has been in a 4’x4’ area I used to use for baby Sulcata’s to have day play. With the remodel, I left the same 4’x4’ area and more than doubled it and am now trying to make his area interesting and enjoyable for him.
My first thing I made was a cement tunnel/shelter to be buried under the dirt and have planting seeds on top of it.
Here is the 94lb. Mortar/cement I bought from Home depot for $5.97
I wanted the tunnel to be a boomerang shape with an area in the middle that was bigger. I measured with a piece of string were I wanted to put it and then got a piece of plywood, sharpe pen and layed the string down too draw the outline of what I wanted.
I than made a form using plain dirt from the garden . It needs to be just a little moist so it will hold itself together to form the shape you want the inside to be.
Now I mixed the Mortar/cement to a cake icing / tooth paste consistency. You must be able to make a cement ball and then break it half or pile it up and have it hold its shape. If you added to much water you need to had more Motar/cement. I add a little water at a time until it is correct.
Once the mortar/cement was mixed, with my hand (I used rubber gloves) I took a hand full of motar and started at the bottom and put it on the form to what ever thinkness I wanted. I made mine about 2-3” think.
After I completed the base I move upward and completely cover the entire dirt form. I used about 2/3 of the 94lb. bag of mortar.
The entire project took about 1 hour to make. I then let it dry for 24 hours and then turned it over to take out the dirt I used as the form.
I then dug a hole the shape of the tunnel/shelter and then back filled it with extra small ground cover bark and loose soil so it would be easy for him to dig in if he wanted to.
I then placed the tunnel/shelter and the cover it with dirt.
I have since planted seeds all over the top and the seeds are just starting to sprout. I will take some pictures once they are more visiable.
After 3 years of thinking we would re-home our Russian tortoise I adopted from a family whose dog had mauled him (thread about that) our family has decided we cannot re-home him and will keep him for life.
So I have now been working on his outdoor enclosure. He has been in a 4’x4’ area I used to use for baby Sulcata’s to have day play. With the remodel, I left the same 4’x4’ area and more than doubled it and am now trying to make his area interesting and enjoyable for him.
My first thing I made was a cement tunnel/shelter to be buried under the dirt and have planting seeds on top of it.
Here is the 94lb. Mortar/cement I bought from Home depot for $5.97
I wanted the tunnel to be a boomerang shape with an area in the middle that was bigger. I measured with a piece of string were I wanted to put it and then got a piece of plywood, sharpe pen and layed the string down too draw the outline of what I wanted.
I than made a form using plain dirt from the garden . It needs to be just a little moist so it will hold itself together to form the shape you want the inside to be.
Now I mixed the Mortar/cement to a cake icing / tooth paste consistency. You must be able to make a cement ball and then break it half or pile it up and have it hold its shape. If you added to much water you need to had more Motar/cement. I add a little water at a time until it is correct.
Once the mortar/cement was mixed, with my hand (I used rubber gloves) I took a hand full of motar and started at the bottom and put it on the form to what ever thinkness I wanted. I made mine about 2-3” think.
After I completed the base I move upward and completely cover the entire dirt form. I used about 2/3 of the 94lb. bag of mortar.
The entire project took about 1 hour to make. I then let it dry for 24 hours and then turned it over to take out the dirt I used as the form.
I then dug a hole the shape of the tunnel/shelter and then back filled it with extra small ground cover bark and loose soil so it would be easy for him to dig in if he wanted to.
I then placed the tunnel/shelter and the cover it with dirt.
I have since planted seeds all over the top and the seeds are just starting to sprout. I will take some pictures once they are more visiable.
