Temp outside enclosure

lismar79

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Set this temp enclosure up for nice days. I work from home a few days a week & am home by five the other two so will only be using under my watchful eye an hr or two a day maybe more on weekends....uber paranoid.... The entire thing is 10x10 & have it devided into 5x10 spaces for my 3(ish) yr old 4 inch Russian & my 8 month 4.5 inch Sulcata. I am filling in the hollow sections of the block for plants.

Materials are gathered to build something close to this link since I live in a partially wooded area with coyotes & eagles near. want at least 20x10 for sully & 10 x 10 for the Russian. I have a 10 x 12 barn to attach as well which will get split in half for each until Sully is big.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-2604.html?highlight=enclosure

But until then..... any ideas of needed adds?
 

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lismar79

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Planted with Testudo Mix, hens & chicks, hostas, grapevine (started) Mullberry trees (started) & rose of Sharon. Plus all the natural weeds & grasses. The side for my Sulcata has a lot more grass & RT side has a lot more weeds. so far so good.
Big fence enclosure will be built around this for Sully, Harper. The divider will come out of this for separated space for the RT, Martha. Have to cap it with another layer yet since Martha can climb like a champ.

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Harper, left side, loves it out there!
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Martha, not so much!
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She's more of an inside girl lol
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Jacqui

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This is just me, even if I had planned to be sitting there watching, I would still atleast put a barrier/lip on those corners. I know your planning on adding another layer, but even that will not slow her down much.Russians love to climb out (as it sounds like you have found out) and it takes just a moment of you being called away for an escape to happen.

I will tell you the enclosure your planning on making one like is an awesome one. I had the pleasure to see it in person and simply loved it.

Over all your doing great!
 

lismar79

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Yep, those corners are getting capped tomorrow. I do sit out there but it took her all of a min to climb that plant pot & fall into the hole in the block! Can't wait to get the big enclosure done!
 

Tom

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I'd go two blocks high and add plywood corner caps. I was going to say to move the flower pots out of the corners but it should be fine if the corners are capped and the pots are under the caps. I love the underground hideouts. Nice job on those. I think you need lots of bushes. They need shrubs and bushes to hide under and feel secure. They are very out in the open and exposed in your enclosures. They need some cover.
 

lismar79

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I'd go two blocks high and add plywood corner caps. I was going to say to move the flower pots out of the corners but it should be fine if the corners are capped and the pots are under the caps. I love the underground hideouts. Nice job on those. I think you need lots of bushes. They need shrubs and bushes to hide under and feel secure. They are very out in the open and exposed in your enclosures. They need some cover.

I have rose of sharons, grape vine, & mulberry growing in there but they are not mature yet. Hostas are growing in fast & Martha has a favorite patch of tall grass she digs into. I am capping corners today. Have to get more block & not sure if I will since this is mostly temporary. My big enclosure is going to be started as soon as hubby is done building his giant pole barn :)
 

Tom

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Do you have, or can you get, any big potted plants or bushes to put in there? The stark open-ness of it is making my OCD-ness cringe. I want to see some logs and large rocks laying in there and some bushes (even if potted) to get under.

Please don't misunderstand it is looking GREAT and it is suitable as is, but I think the tortoises would feel more comfortable in there with some "stuff" thrown in. Furniture, if you will. Think of it this way: If you put a tortoise in a 100x100' wide open flat dirt pen and there was one 3' diameter bush growing right in the middle and nothing else, where do you think most tortoises would spend most of their time?

Again, I'm complementing your work, just adding one little suggestion for improvement. :)
 

lismar79

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Oh, I do have some! I cant believe I didn't think of that, lol, was so concerned with only putting "safe" chemical free that I did not even think of the ones I have de-toxing in planters! LOL adding them now! I got tons of rocks too- seems like every time I dig a hole I find a big rock :) Will post Tom suggested improvements after my next few conference calls-AKA- working from home day.
 

Jacqui

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Plus depending where you live, keep in mind when you get the full sun force on it, shallow water becomes very hot. For where I live this only happens during the dog days of summer, but other places may have those ungodly hot days more of the year. So I like having one water source in a cooler/shaded area of the enclosure and then I do like one in the more fun sun area for those cooler mornings and days. Of course this is also more of a concern to folks who leave their tortoises outside for long periods or permanently.
 

lismar79

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"Furniture" added- But will keep working on it till the big ones up.
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