Taco's Outdoor Pen

[Stephanie Logan]

Hi everyone,
I took some pictures of our outdoor enclosure to post here. It's really a landscape feature that serves as a pen, so in some ways it's still a work in progress. There is no cover because it's too big and our yard is fenced, so no dogs can get in. I do not leave her out at night because we do have racoons, foxes and coyotes sometimes (that's why I never let my cats outside). It gets some sun throughout the day, has several hiding places, and I put bricks in places where the ground slopes enough that Taco might get wedged in or (my darkest nightmare) overturned.

Looking down at Taco's shelter (under the flat board), from the upper end of the enclosure. Her shelter sits next to the sprinkler valve box, and the green cylindrical fixture there also has something to do with the sprinkler system. The only sprinkler head actually in the enclosure is in a corner of the lower end and doesn't reach very far.

Looking across the lower end of the enclosure toward Taco's shelter

Looking across from the lower end

Looking across the lower end of the enclosure toward the patio

Looking across the upper end from the patio

 

[Crazy1]

My what a lovely place for Taco to enjoy her daytime outside. what type of plants do you have in there and what is the bush?
The whole enclosure looks lovely.

 

[Stephanie Logan]

We have a 40' Austrian pine (light needles and it "sheds" twice a year), its trunk is surrounded by Euronymous. Then there is Virginia creeper, vinca, buttercup, geranium, and the bush is a Whirling Butterfly. The red flowers you see in the last picture are Dragonwing begonias, but they grow in pots up on the patio, not in the enclosure. Taco likes to hide under the buttercup/geranium and also likes to dig into the pine needles till only her butt sticks out.

 

[tortoisenerd]

Wow that's huge!

 

[Isa]

Very very nice , I am sure Taco loves his new outside enclosure, you did an amazing job!

 

[Yvonne G]

That's a beautiful enclosure. Taco is a lucky tortoise!

Yvonne

 

[vh24]

hi, i love your outdoor pen. how did you build it? i want an outdoor pen for my Barbosa (tortoise). thanks.

 

[Stephanie Logan]

I actually did not build it. It was a lucky chance that this landscape enclosure was already there in our yard; I just had to clean and clear and fix a few possible hazards. Sorry, I wish I had a more helpful answer.

 

[terryo]

That is beautiful! It's like a little garden of Eden. Lots of hiding places too. I love it.