Predator Cage in Hawaii

[FujiBaird]

Hi, we are new to the forum. We are in the research stage of getting our first tortoise. After looking at the different species, we were thinking about getting a juvenile Hermann's tortoise.

I am planning on building an outdoor enclosure for him/her in our yard, but Ive been getting varying opinions as to whether or not I need to build a predator cage for it. Where we are in Hawaii the only outdoor animals we see often are neighbor's cats and an occasional neighbor's dog that gets loose. However, we also have a territorial Pacific Golden Plover.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[Iochroma]

Welcome to the forum - good question you've asked.
I would worry about mongoose in Hawaii...
A cage would be a good bit of insurance.

 

[FujiBaird]

Thanks for your quick reply! You're right, I didn't even think about mongoose as you never see them...but know they are there.

As a second question, are there any aesthetic options for predator cages? The place we are building the enclosure is kind of a "display" wall (hard to describe).

 

[leopard777]

i would say , dont take any chances , you can't keep a eye on him 24/7 , their shell may seem highly protected but they really cant withstand hits from big predator

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

There are some great looking predator proof cages out there! I don't have any, because I bring my small tort inside, but wood is a great frame.
My cats don't bother any of the guys here, but I would worry about the dog!
What I'm thinking is a wooden frame, rocks bottom (maybe a foot up, so mr tort can't see out) and then some decent hardware fencing... a nice lid and a secure lock
You have a great climate for a tort!

 

[FujiBaird]

Thank you all for the advice. We are definitely going to set up a predator cage after your advice. This enclosure has a strange shape (due to existing walls) so we are thinking of doing PVC pipe to draw out the shape and place the cage part inbetween...unless there are any other suggestions. The shape of the area is like a crescent moon with the largest part around 38 inches and the shorter parts on each end about 16 inches.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

I don't like and never have liked the look of "caged" enclosures. I like mine to look aesthetically pleasing.
So, my enclosures have always been heavily planted "gardens" in which a tortoise resides. I never worried about day time predators. The plant cover is natural cover. However, to protect from night time predators I would either bring them inside or lock them up in a special, secure night house.
It's a win-win IMO.

Pretty to look at
Safe during the day
Safe at night

 

[ZEROPILOT]

When in doubt...Things can never be too safe.

 

[newCH]

I look at it this way, if I see predators outside in the daytime, they arent afraid of me
they aren't going to be afraid of one of my rabbits or a tort.
i have had a hawk fly right over my head, I heard the wind of his
wings swoosh & seen 2 hawks sitting on my back fence.
I forgo aesticecally pleasing for safety. The inside can look pretty
for the tort, but on the outside I want Alcatraz, the tort never
needs to know !

 

[kathyth]

My biggest fear would be loose dogs. Dogs see tortoises as moving rawhide.
Our tortoise walls are constructed of stone, well planted and covers are made by my husband.

 

[stinax182]

The idea of having a night box is nice. That way your enclosure can be a beautiful garden. You must make the night box large enough for him to move around a bit. Just put him in it at night and lock it..... Let him out in the morning.

 

[FujiBaird]

Thank you all for your informative posts and great suggestions. Our spoiled little tortoise will actually have three enclosures: the large, crescent-shaped outdoor one in the yard (for weekends), a weekday outdoor enclosure on my large lanai on a high floor, and a smaller indoor enclosure for bad weather. I definitely want to err on the side of caution when it comes to predators -- the odds may be low, but my heart would break if any harm came to our little cutie.

We are frequently out until sunset or a little later on weekends (when the tortoise would be in the ground-floor-level outdoor enclosure) -- for those of you who use night boxes, how critical is it that your tortoise is in there before sunset? If we live this kind of lifestyle, would a fixed frame cage over the entire enclosure be better for us?