The Tort Resort is situated in and area highly populated by birds of prey and other animals. In the time it took us to bring four tortoises out for the day, two osprey began callng then circling and an eagle perched in a nearby treetop.
Our dogs have naturally gravitated toward protecting the tortoises much like a sheepdog would look over its flock. No dog should be the the only defense and they should never have unsupervised access to tortoises. Remember, dogs are predators, too. They can easily kill your shelled friend. The best strategy is to get your lids finished. Add a small hasp and lock (raccoons can lift heavy lids and figure out basic hook-closures.) This said, when things just aren't finished, a little improv is better than no lid. You can see we've set the lids from the old bins on top of the new enclosures and added a few old windows and soaking bins to cover the gaps. Predators want what is quick and easy. They don't want to worry about wiggling through a small gap and they certainly don't want to deal with a dog. With frequent visits to check on the torts, this is a good TEMPORARY solution, even though there is still some risk. Carefree days (and nights once the weather stays above 50 degrees) will return once the saw part arrives and our lids are finished!
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Much like springtime with the tortoises, it's time for us to come out of brumation. As many of you know, the Tort Resort moved unexpectedly in December 2019. It was a move necessary for our peace of mind as well as a change of scenery. We've relocated to beautiful Whidbey Island, with a quarter-acre and room for the tortoises and dogs to roam! With this change, we needed to consider where to place the new enclosures. This meant a year of watching where the sun hit the backyard during each season. Unfortunately, the place which best suited the tortoises needed to be graded and leveled. Pioneer Tree and Landscape had this nifty stand-on grader and came to the rescue! After several hours of scooping, measuring and leveling, the rest was left to me. All the blocks and lumber were brought from the last house. New 1/4 inch hardware cloth was laid and everything was reassembled (extra boxes were also added) into a long 40ft x 4ft space. Hardware cloth is important to housing your tortoises outside. It not only prevents your animals from digging out, it provides a barrier to keep digging predators from infiltrating your enclosure! Remember to make your enclosures tall enough to accommodate nesting torts and roots for your landscape. We recommend at least two feet in height, taller if you want plants like snapdragons and coneflowers! Lids are essential - ours are coming - they keep the flying and four-legged predators out. We really want to stress the importance of lids. As soon as our torts had the opportunity to start soaking up sunshine, two eagles began circling. As a stop-gap, we let the dogs out into the yard and laid the previous enclosure lids over the top of the new structure. Stoli (above) and the others in his group were able to safely eat and gather the all important natural UV!
As soon as the new structures are complete, we'll post some follow up photos. All shade is not equal. Amazingly, there are four degrees of light.
You might be asking why deep shade is important to a tortoise. After all, tortoises are arid desert type animals, aren't they? This is where it gets tricky... since they are reptiles, their body temperature is regulated by environment. In the wild, torts have the ability to dig deep into burrows to regulate their temperature. If the temps are too warm and there is no means for escape from the sun your tortoise can fall victim to heatstroke. To prevent this, let's give you some ideas on how to create 'deep shade.' Deep shade is created with layers. Think about forests for a moment. The tall trees provide shade, under-stories provide a second layer, ferns and smaller shade plants, create more shade and mosses, etc. all reap the benefits of such restricted sunlight. The same is true of your tortoise, who will need the ability to dig down at least several inches to nestle into cool substrate. Here are some examples of creating deep shade in your enclosure:
The important thing is to keep your tortoises safe by creating some deep shade! In 2017, we recognized the need for patio repairs. The initial plan was to remove the raised patio, pour a slab, revise the roof line, remove a door, add a window and reclad the back of the house in Hardie Board. We also wanted to add some tortoise bins to enclose the new patio. This post focuses on the construction of the bins and shows helpful, handy tips that you can incorporate into your yard. The slab has been poured and left a 20 x 18 border. Solo, a contractor from SIR Construction, using a long level and board, he temporarily set the connector bricks. The blue arrows show the depth at which the connector bricks were sunk to ensure everything was level, THIS IS THE MOST DIFFICULT AND A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THE PROCESS. If you want to have the ability to create partitions between your tortoises for emergencies, different species, etc. be sure to measure so the connector bricks are also directly across from each other. Once the area was completely level and even, he rolled out 4 ft wide 1/4 inch hardware cloth and secured it with the first layer of connector bricks. Hardware cloth is important because it keeps your tortoise from digging out (or under the new patio); but more importantly it keeps rats and other tunneling predators from gaining entry. If you plan the width appropriately, the hardware cloth will overlap to the outside of your enclosure, eliminating the worry of your tort getting stuck underneath it. The first boards were cut and set in place. At the hardware cloth seam, use 1 inch wide yard staples to secure the edge. Doing this will prevent your tort from digging between the two layers and getting trapped. I double lined this area with two rows of yard staples, set slightly off each other (like a mason sets bricks). Solo finished setting the side walls with 3 layers of connector brick and 2 layers of 12" pressure treated, 2 inch thick wood. (We like high sides, to accommodate taller plants and small bushes.) He then back-filled the enclosure with the untreated topsoil originally dug out of this area. Doing this project in the autumn allows the pressure treated wood to off-gas before your tortoises begin enjoying it in the spring. Here is a different view of the project. It still needs a screened top and dividers cut to accommodate the different "personalities" that will call it home. Using a series of smaller lids is best for those who are getting older or don't want to struggle with long boards. The new enclosure (in front) has 5 ft long lids; while the older 8 ft x 8 ft bin in the background has 8 ft x 4 ft lids, which are heavy and not as stable.
Like so many, we re-purposed an old raised tomato bed for a tortoise enclosure. The plants had died over the winter and we had an unexpected need for another enclosure. We added height to accommodate plants; then, a lid with 1/4 inch hardware cloth was affixed to the top. We added plants, a few hides and a large ceramic plant saucer for water/soaking.
We're pretty diligent about ensuring there is a layer of hardware cloth under the enclosures we build, and for some reason didn't give a thought to the tomato bed not having that barrier. The reason for hardware cloth is two-fold. In addition to keeping your tortoises in... the hardware cloth will keep predators that dig (like rats) out. It is an important feature, especially if your tort is a digger! When outside, we check on the tortoises frequently. She was busy each time we looked in on her... foraging, soaking or exploring. Late in the afternoon, she didn't appear to be in her enclosure. A quick walk around the entire bed, here she was popping up on the outside of her enclosure! Needless to say, we'll be working backward with this enclosure... removing the substrate, installing hardware cloth, back-filling the bed, re-installing the tunnels, hides and other hardscaping before re-planting. The only thing we won't need to worry about are the height and lid - which are still perfect. Just a friendly reminder to think about all SIX sides of your enclosure, so you don't have to dig everything up and essentially start from scratch later! |
AuthorThe Tort Resort is a Whidbey Island based project dedicated to rescue and rehab of smaller tortoise species. Archives
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