New Outdoor Enclosures

[StudentoReptile]

Hey guys, just thought I'd share some pics of the new enclosures I've been working on in the backyard.

A couple weeks ago, I ordered a pallet load of cinder blocks and created this 19' x 19' pen for my juvenile sulcata, Kobe. Hopefully, this will last her for about 2 years, and I will just systematically order another pallet load and expand the enclosure as needed every 2-3 years or so. I still need to make a shed or shelter for her and rake the leaves out, but everything else is pretty much ready to go. She never really went into a pool, so I'm going to try this poultry waterer idea I got from another tortoise keeper, and see if she'll take to it. I also went ahead and transplanted the hibiscus tree and the other tree from her previous pen.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b400/MDC_Leviathan/Tortoise%20Tank%20ReDo/KobePen_phase1_1_zpsdebf46bb.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b400/MDC_Leviathan/Tortoise%20Tank%20ReDo/KobePen_phase1_2_zps6a999b1c.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b400/MDC_Leviathan/Tortoise%20Tank%20ReDo/KobePen_phase1_4_zps29cfd8a3.jpg

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Here is the outdoor pond I am in the process of building for my false map turtle. Any suggestions for filtration?

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b400/MDC_Leviathan/Tortoise%20Tank%20ReDo/TurtlePond_phase1_1_zps71b9b1f6.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b400/MDC_Leviathan/Tortoise%20Tank%20ReDo/TurtlePond_phase1_2_zps333e151b.jpg

[infernalis]

look who came out of hiding..

[StudentoReptile]

Yeah...I know its been a while. Nothing personal to the site at all, really. I just have not had regular access to the web lately, and its hard to check forums on a smartphone. So my absence was not out of choice, really.

[DeadlyDesires]

why do you need something so big for a turtle?

Let me specify that i have no idea what turtles need nor do i know how big they get lol... just seems like its pointless if its only going to last for 2 years and i could keep like 3 sav's in that thing lmfao :P i wish!! .. Its cool though.

[StudentoReptile]

I like to provide as much space as I can for my animals. Plus the natural sunshine and humidity does them all a lot of good..much better than the wimpy artificial lighting I provide in their indoor tanks.

For the tortoise...she's only 10" now, but she'll live 60+ yrs and be over 100 lbs.

For the turtle, true, he's only grown at about 6" but this is a lot better than the cramped 20-gal he's now. And if I ever get any other turtles in the future, this will do nicely as well.

[DeadlyDesires]

aahh ok, i understand.. i never knew there was a difference between turtles and tortoise.. i thought they were the same thing lol..shows how much i know about turtles...

[Aaron_S]

I like to provide as much space as I can for my animals. Plus the natural sunshine and humidity does them all a lot of good..much better than the wimpy artificial lighting I provide in their indoor tanks.

For the tortoise...she's only 10" now, but she'll live 60+ yrs and be over 100 lbs.

For the turtle, true, he's only grown at about 6" but this is a lot better than the cramped 20-gal he's now. And if I ever get any other turtles in the future, this will do nicely as well.

You can correct me, but don't sulcata's do a lot of roaming as well?

[StudentoReptile]

Yes, they do. This is a 10" tortoise that is getting an 19' x 19' pen.

[marvelfreak]

Looking good.

[StudentoReptile]

aahh ok, i understand.. i never knew there was a difference between turtles and tortoise.. i thought they were the same thing lol..shows how much i know about turtles...

Tortoises are typically terrestrial and are characterized by their elephantine non-webbed feet.

Turtles are usually aquatic or semi-aquatic, more stream-lined and have webbed feet.

Terrapins (including box turtles) are somewhat in between, usually terrestrial, but hang out near water. Some are more water-loving than others, and some have more webbed feet.

I'm sure there are more taxonomic and skeletal features that distinguish the three groups, but in general, those are the differences between turtles, tortoises, and terrapins.

[DeadlyDesires]

lmfao there another form of them? .. thats to much for me.. im not fond of turtles :P they seem lazy to me :P not that my reptiles aren't lazy, but turtles are cool :D just not the reptile for me :D but i think they are cute :D

[Mark Taylor]

I was just thinking I hadn't learned anything today so thanks for teaching.

[StudentoReptile]

lmfao there another form of them? .. thats to much for me.. im not fond of turtles :P they seem lazy to me :P not that my reptiles aren't lazy, but turtles are cool :D just not the reptile for me :D but i think they are cute :D

What do you mean, another form? Not sure what you're asking there.

And you'd be surprised how active and fast any chelonian (fancy scientific name for all of them shelled reptiles!) can be. My little 20-mo old loves watching my false map turtle splash around as he eats or the baby tortoises rush out of their hides to munch on greens. And my larger tortoise can haul booty across the yard if I'm not watching her.

[Aaron_S]

What do you mean, another form? Not sure what you're asking there.

And you'd be surprised how active and fast any chelonian (fancy scientific name for all of them shelled reptiles!) can be. My little 20-mo old loves watching my false map turtle splash around as he eats or the baby tortoises rush out of their hides to munch on greens. And my larger tortoise can haul booty across the yard if I'm not watching her.

I think they meant that they didn't know of terrapins.

Also, I always found torts to be pretty quick when they want to. They can sure motor. My favourite are the little sulcata's that charge a hand.

[Aaron_S]

By the way, will they all spend overnight in these outdoor enclosures? Anything to keep predators away?

[StudentoReptile]

I plan on building a wire cage around the turtle pond, not just for predators but for keeping my kids from getting into it (they're still young). The tortoise pen, I'm not too worried about. The entire yard is fenced in, and she was out all summer last year without any screen guard. The only intruders I have ever witnessed out in the yard are cats, and she is already too large, hefty and bulky for a cat to deal with. We do have one stray dog (chihuahua mix) in the neighborhood, but he has never ventured into my backyard either, and is not much threat to him. I nor any of my neighbors have seen any coons or possums in the area. Have seen bears, but they are rare, and more apt to raid the garbage cans than a tortoise pen!

[infernalis]

Yeah...I know its been a while. Nothing personal to the site at all, really. I just have not had regular access to the web lately, and its hard to check forums on a smartphone. So my absence was not out of choice, really.

I already know this. I frequently look at herpfamily and noticed the absence there too.