As active and potentially giant creatures, many species require quite sizable enclosures, with some types being completely impossible to feasibly house indoors when mature.
For these reasons, many tortoise keepers opt to design and utilize outdoor habitats for their animals. These may be either full time or part-time quarters for the animals depending on the tortoise’s size, species, and native climate.
In addition to providing adequate space for healthy activity levels, outdoor housing also offers tortoises exposure to natural, unfiltered sunlight, as well as fresh air and the opportunity to graze on organic plants and weeds.
If your tortoise enclosure is built directly on the ground, you should assume that at some point your animals will try to dig out.
This great escape is not always intentional but results in a missing pet nonetheless.
To prevent this from occurring, make sure that all walls or fences are buried into the ground at least a foot, and even deeper for larger animals.
Some keepers advocate the use of a mesh or solid floor, but this makes maintenance much more difficult and poses a threat of injury to your tortoise should it attempt to dig through this barrier.
Perimeter walls should also be of adequate height to prevent animals from climbing out.
While tortoises as a group are not typically considered expert climbers, some species are quite capable of scaling chain-link, and all species are capable of surprising you with a hidden talent.
In addition to the actual height of the enclosure walls, the material used should not provide too many tempting footholds. Rather, use a smooth surface that would seem more difficult to climb.
For all captive animals, it is ideal to provide a home as similar to the animal’s natural environment as possible. This is especially true for tortoises, including living outdoors.
Tortoises are generally best kept in outdoor pens in climates similar to their natural environment. Aim to keep tortoises from arid climates in arid areas and tropical tortoises in tropical areas. If this is not possible, setting up an outdoor pen for at least part of the year is the next best choice.
Except for certain circumstances (hatchlings, ill tortoises, tortoises not healthy enough to hibernate), keeping tortoises indoors is the least desirable option.
One of the biggest problems with indoor housing is providing adequate floor space.
Remember that most tortoises get quite large, so a correspondingly large enclosure is needed. In addition, you’ll want something that is relatively easy to clean and that gives you the ability to set up different temperature zones for the tortoise.
While keeping a tortoise indoors is not the preferred option, you can select the right type of enclosure to make it more acceptable. Learn what tortoises need and how you can best provide it.
For all captive animals, it is ideal to provide a home as similar to the animal’s natural environment as possible. This is especially true for tortoises living outdoors.
Tortoises are generally best kept in outdoor pens in climates similar to their natural environment. Aim to keep tortoises from arid climates in arid areas and tropical tortoises in tropical areas.
If this is not possible, setting up an outdoor pen for at least part of the year is the next best choice.
Except for hatchlings, ill tortoises, tortoises not healthy enough to hibernate, keeping tortoises indoors is the least desirable option.
One of the biggest problems with indoor housing is providing adequate floor space.
Remember that most tortoises get quite large, so a correspondingly large enclosure is needed.
In addition, you’ll want something that is relatively easy to clean and that gives you the ability to set up different temperature zones for the tortoise.
While keeping a tortoise indoors is not the preferred option, you can select the right type of enclosure to make it more acceptable.
You want to do your best to avoid overcrowding in any turtle pen. When you have too many turtles within any given living space, it often leads to more waste in that space and overall poor hygiene of all the inhabitants. The rule of thumb to follow when housing multiple turtles include:
Tortoises should get 3 square feet per inch of the shell. Young tortoises that are 4 to six inches long can live in a pen that is 4 x 3 ft but some fully grown tortoises will need to double that or more.
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Byers Fence
39 Rosedown Blvd, DeBary, FL 32713
(386) 457-2045
http://www.byersfence.com/
We get our metal from
Mid Florida Metal Roofing Supply, Inc
28328 County Rd 561, Tavares, FL 32778
(352) 742-7070
http://midfloridametalroofingsupply.com/
We use this product to achieve lifelong structures. This can be from fencing as shown to our own home roof. The cost was similar to using wood. The company even has a scratch and dent section in the back of the building so you can save even more money.
