How To Build The Outdoor Tortoise Enclosure (Guide for you)
It is essential for owner to provide proper outdoor enclosure to his pet tortoise. Almost every tortoise requires outdoor enclosure to stay in. The large tortoises like sulcata and leopard tortoise can’t be housed in indoor enclosures because of their large size. Smaller tortoise such as Russian and Greek tortoise can be housed indoor but they require large tank to stay in.
It is advisable to keep your pet tortoise outdoor to maintain its health. Tortoises require access to natural sunlight to maintain their health. The UVB rays of sunlight produce vitamin D in the skin of the tortoise. Outdoor enclosures will provide the best quality of life to a pet tortoise. Building an outdoor tortoise enclosure is not an easy job. There are several things that you should consider while building outdoor tortoise enclosure. The enclosure should be at least 10 square metes per average-sized tortoise.
Safety in outdoor tortoise enclosure:
It is important for one to consider safety and security of the tortoise and its enclosure. Make sure that the outdoor enclosure you provide to your pet tortoise is escape proof. You can cover the tortoise enclosure with fences to prevent the escape of tortoise. Outdoor tortoise enclosures should be big enough so that they can stay there comfortably. While keeping your tortoise outside, make sure that they are safe from predators, pesticides and other unwanted elements. One should put a wire top over the enclosure to restrict the entry of predators in the enclosure. For smaller tortoise you need to build smaller enclosures. If you have a garden pond then cover it with fence to prevent the tortoise from falling in.
Lighting in outdoor tortoise enclosure:
It is essential to provide artificial basking and UVB light in the enclosure of the pet tortoise. The UVB lights usually become hot during the use. Therefore these lights should be used with ceramic holders instead of plastic holders.
Plants in outdoor tortoise enclosure:
It is a good idea to decorate your outdoor tortoise enclosure with plants. The outdoor tortoise enclosure should contain plants on which tortoise can feed on. Plants such as – dandelion, plantain, hawksbeard, clover, dead nettle, mallow, honeysuckle can be planted in the outdoor enclosure. Make sure that there are no poisonous plants in your outdoor tortoise enclosure.
A safe and comfortable outdoor enclosure is essential for pet tortoise. You should check the outdoor enclosure regularly. The outdoor enclosure should be clean and safe as dirty enclosure can cause several health problems to your tortoise. The temperature of the outdoor enclosure should be checked regularly. The base of outdoor enclosure should be covered with the proper material. Different species require different base in their enclosure. Desert tortoise likes to have sand base whereas tropical species prefer leaf base in their enclosure. Therefore, you should understand the need of your tortoise before providing outdoor enclosure to it.