Hermann outside enclosure substrate

[Donattello]

In process of building outdoor enclosure for 6 yr old Eastern Hermann, 2 mts x 1 mtr, happy I’ve got depth, side walls etc correct, but keep getting conflicting info on final substrate to use, it will have good drainage beneath.
Any advice would be welcome

[Nina]

Hi Donatello,

So I'm thinking that you're not building this enclosure on the ground. That's fine, and as long as there is good drainage (in case of a sudden heavy rain). The best substrate to use is a mixture of ordinary screened topsoil and children's playsand (and you can buy bags of both of those at DIY shops like Homebase, B&Q, garden centres, etc. Mix them either 50/50 or about 60% or 70% topsoil and the rest play sand, and if it gets very dry you can spray it to keep it from getting dusty. I would make it 3" or 4" deep, so that your tortoise can bury himself in it if he likes.

Will the enclosure have corners (walls at right angles)? If so, and it doesn't have a top on it, then it's a good idea to have a little lip facing inwards all the way round, so that if he does climb up where the corners meet (see photo below) then he can't climb all the way out.
[attachment=1]Tortoise climbing fence.jpg[/attachment]
[attachment=0]Tortoise climbing wall.jpg[/attachment]

They do get bored if they can see from one end to the other without interruption, so some nice rocks, plants, hiding places, etc. are recommended. Will he be out there 24/7? If so then you will need some protection from predators (rats, foxes) at night.

Here's an article from our website on outdoor enclosures (a lot of it assumes the enclosure will be on the ground, but having a floor in it is absolutely fine, as long as there's good drainage, which you are planning. https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/tor ... /outdoors/

Good luck with it and it would be great to see a photo of the finished enclosure if you'd like to post it.

[Donattello]

Gosh, that sounds like textbook perfect! Are you taking photos as you go along? I think other people would really benefit from seeing how you construct your outdoor enclosure. And If you can make the substrate deeper than 4" that would be even better.

Nina

[Nina]

Oh dear! I am so sorry, Donatello, but when I was writing my response below, I accidentally deleted your post, describing how you are building your outdoor enclosure. Is it possible for you to post that again? I'm not sure what I did, but I can see from moderator logs that I accidentally deleted it, and I don't seem to be able to get it back. Many apologies!

Nina
> Gosh, that sounds like textbook perfect! Are you taking photos as you go
> along? I think other people would really benefit from seeing how you
> construct your outdoor enclosure. And If you can make the substrate deeper
> than 4" that would be even better.
>
> Nina

[Donattello]

My enclosure plan is to dig down about 10” lay a plastic grid ( like they put in grass for cars/people to walk over ) then fill with gravel, I’ll then cover with weed membrane and lay 4” of topsoil/ sand mix on top.
This will be surrounded by wood gravel boards bring it up to 12” above ground level.
There will be a removable mesh cover over the whole thing.
There will be a tray set into the substrate which will have rocks and water in it to a shallow depth.
I also plan to bury empty flower pots so I can drop pots of various feed plants into them which I will have growing in my greenhouse.
There will be a tortoise house and various wood/stone areas included.

[Nina]

Thank's so much for reposting the details! I really do think your plan is excellent (and many apologies again for my inadvertent deletion).

Nina

[Donattello]

No problem Nina, will post pics at each stage of the build, hopefully I’ll have a happy Hermann.

[Nina]

Looking forward to it! A few other tips. If the cover will at any time not be on the enclosure, then the walls should be taller than your tortoise can reach if he is standing upright on his hind legs. 12" would be fine, though, if you could nail a little 1" x 2" board horizontally to the top of the walls all the way round, so that it makes a tiny lip facing inwards. A tiny lip is all that is necessary to prevent him climbing out if he manages to reach up to the top of the wall. Also, avoid putting any little structure next to the walls (sleeping hut, even a good sized plant), because they are amazing at using things like this as a ladder to climb out if there is no cover in place.