DPtortiose
Member
- Joined
- Sep 16, 2015
- Messages
- 97
So it’s the first week of real good weather we’ve had so far. So I’ve opened up the new outdoor part to their little greenhouse so they can get used to the new part of the enclosure. It’s still a bit on the cold side, but they’ll need to learn to the exit and entrance are anyway.
So since it’s the start of a new season I find it useful to review and reflect how everything is working out and what I’m go to do this year.
The thread from last year can be found here.
General
Well the position of the enclosure and greenhouse have been great, just as the drainage of the soil. I’ve yet to see a puddle form and the soil dries out pretty quickly. The only ‘problem’ I’ve encountered so far is the humidity in the greenhouse. Moister condenses on the sheet of polycarbonate, making it harder for the light to penetrate it. This moister also collects on the lower half, making the wood moist. I’ve specifically picked out wood that is resistant to this, so we’ll see how this goes.
The pictures also shows the problem with polycarbonate; it can turn yellow after a few years in the sun. There are sheets of polycarbonate that are threated to be UV resistant, but these are quite a bit more expansive but don’t always works as well as advertised. So in a safe environment I’d much rather use glass. It might have a chance of breaking, it does let a lot more of sunshine through.
A benefit of the moister condensing is that it slowly slides down the polycarbonate, creating a nice humidity gradient across the greenhouse. The lower part of the greenhouse has a higher humidity and ambient temperature, while the upper part is more dry and has a higher surface temperature. As seen in the picture, the greenhouse hasn’t got much plant life. I’ve done this on purpose, the greenhouse is prone to be overgrown by herbs and grasses. The plants trap moisture and blocks sunlight, making it less suitable for basking. The drier upper part serves as a nice spot for drying shells, I’ve read that the plastron is prone to infection when it hasn’t got a place to completely dry. This place should help prevent this.
This ‘cave’ has proven to be a favorite spot for the tortoises. It traps moisture from the ground and is a favorite spot for them to dig down for the night. Since I don’t want to expose them so young to a rare cold snap I still bring them inside each night. I think the animals favor this spot because It’s also a favorite climbing/basking spot for several tortoises. Giving them a good spot to warm up right after the cold night.
The second favorite hiding spot for the tortoises. It’s incredible how well camouflaged they are when they dig down in here. I’ve ‘lost’ animals in this small piece of long grass. It used to contain some edible weeds, but these where quickly eaten out. I’ve seen them nibble on the odd grass sprout, but this serves mostly as a cool shelter.
The hotter and wetter part of the greenhouse. I tried planting some weeds here (dandelion). But the newly planted weeds where consumed and destroyed in a couple of days. This part also house a large colony of native black ants (I think Lasius niger), this worried me at the start. I would find a tortoise soundly asleep in the middle of one of their nest, ants crawling all over it. I’ve decided that this can’t be helped and I highly doubt an tortoise would rest inside the nest if the ants where bothering it. I’ve heard some keepers suggest the ants deal with mite infestations that plague indoor terrariums.
This is this year’s new addition to their living space. It’s currently covert in a bit of dirt, but a bit of rainfall and time should fix this. This will be their grazing meadow and will allow them to thermoregulate in spring. It’s covered in two types of mesh, one for strength against larger predators, one with fine mesh to stop birds. Since this is only a temporary border, meant to last only a single season, It’s made to be easily removable. Though the whole thing is pretty heavy, I’ve put some stones on top of the mesh for my own peace of mind.
So since it’s the start of a new season I find it useful to review and reflect how everything is working out and what I’m go to do this year.
The thread from last year can be found here.
General
Well the position of the enclosure and greenhouse have been great, just as the drainage of the soil. I’ve yet to see a puddle form and the soil dries out pretty quickly. The only ‘problem’ I’ve encountered so far is the humidity in the greenhouse. Moister condenses on the sheet of polycarbonate, making it harder for the light to penetrate it. This moister also collects on the lower half, making the wood moist. I’ve specifically picked out wood that is resistant to this, so we’ll see how this goes.
The pictures also shows the problem with polycarbonate; it can turn yellow after a few years in the sun. There are sheets of polycarbonate that are threated to be UV resistant, but these are quite a bit more expansive but don’t always works as well as advertised. So in a safe environment I’d much rather use glass. It might have a chance of breaking, it does let a lot more of sunshine through.
A benefit of the moister condensing is that it slowly slides down the polycarbonate, creating a nice humidity gradient across the greenhouse. The lower part of the greenhouse has a higher humidity and ambient temperature, while the upper part is more dry and has a higher surface temperature. As seen in the picture, the greenhouse hasn’t got much plant life. I’ve done this on purpose, the greenhouse is prone to be overgrown by herbs and grasses. The plants trap moisture and blocks sunlight, making it less suitable for basking. The drier upper part serves as a nice spot for drying shells, I’ve read that the plastron is prone to infection when it hasn’t got a place to completely dry. This place should help prevent this.
This ‘cave’ has proven to be a favorite spot for the tortoises. It traps moisture from the ground and is a favorite spot for them to dig down for the night. Since I don’t want to expose them so young to a rare cold snap I still bring them inside each night. I think the animals favor this spot because It’s also a favorite climbing/basking spot for several tortoises. Giving them a good spot to warm up right after the cold night.
The second favorite hiding spot for the tortoises. It’s incredible how well camouflaged they are when they dig down in here. I’ve ‘lost’ animals in this small piece of long grass. It used to contain some edible weeds, but these where quickly eaten out. I’ve seen them nibble on the odd grass sprout, but this serves mostly as a cool shelter.
The hotter and wetter part of the greenhouse. I tried planting some weeds here (dandelion). But the newly planted weeds where consumed and destroyed in a couple of days. This part also house a large colony of native black ants (I think Lasius niger), this worried me at the start. I would find a tortoise soundly asleep in the middle of one of their nest, ants crawling all over it. I’ve decided that this can’t be helped and I highly doubt an tortoise would rest inside the nest if the ants where bothering it. I’ve heard some keepers suggest the ants deal with mite infestations that plague indoor terrariums.
This is this year’s new addition to their living space. It’s currently covert in a bit of dirt, but a bit of rainfall and time should fix this. This will be their grazing meadow and will allow them to thermoregulate in spring. It’s covered in two types of mesh, one for strength against larger predators, one with fine mesh to stop birds. Since this is only a temporary border, meant to last only a single season, It’s made to be easily removable. Though the whole thing is pretty heavy, I’ve put some stones on top of the mesh for my own peace of mind.