DESIGNING HIGH QUALITY OUTDOOR HABITATS FOR TORTOISES
By A. C. and Nadine Highfield.
An excellent outdoor pen for Desert tortoises. This pen provides all the elements required for a long, healthy and happy life. There is enough space, it is well planted, the substrate is well drained and dry, the perimeters are secure and there is safe, dry overnight housing.
Where possible, outdoor housing will provide the
best quality of life to a captive tortoise. Very few tortoises are suitable for
keeping as exclusively indoor pets. The closer your own location is to the
natural habitat of the species you keep, the easier it is to provide high
quality outdoor housing.
If you live in a region with high ambient humidity and
high temperatures, you may do very well with some of the tropical species. If
you live in an area with very low humidity or low temperatures you may find
keeping tropical forest species outdoors impossible. In such cases, you will
certainly have to rely upon a combination of indoor and outdoor housing for
much of the year. If you live in a region with cool, short summers and long,
cold winters you are going to find keeping tortoises much more work (and cost)
intensive than keepers who live in warmer environments.
Tropical forest habitats need high ambient air humidity, moist substrates, lower lighting levels and stable temperatures. They can be quite a challenge to construct and maintain.
All pens need to be secure against two
eventualities: the tortoises inside getting out, and potentially lethal
predators getting in. The list of predators that can attack and kill tortoises
is quite long, and includes rats, dogs, raccoons, badgers, hedgehogs and even
large birds. In some localities, even ants can pose a significant threat. The
Tortoise Trust receives several calls a year from people who have had their
tortoise attacked, and often killed, by their family’s previously well-behaved
pet dog.
Juveniles and hatchlings are especially vulnerable to attacks by predators. Ensure all such pens are adequately protected, day and night.
The outer perimeters of all pens need to be of
adequate height, at least twice as high as the largest tortoise is long.
Corners need to be adequately secured, as many species are excellent climbers.
Other species are adept at digging and burrowing. Burying a wire mesh barrier
beneath ground level as part of the perimeter is highly advisable in such
cases.
Large tortoises, such as these Leopards (Geochelone pardalis) demand incredibly strong barriers if escape is to be prevented!.
Despite their ‘slow’ reputation,
then, tortoises are really very agile creatures, as the number of tortoises
reported as escaped each year to the Tortoise Trust testifies!
Tortoise enclosure design
Flat pens on a grassy lawn are not an adequate
environment for any tortoise. Non-tropical tortoises need very well drained
substrates and pens should contain a variety of slopes, rocks, open basking
areas, shady areas, and good provision of edible vegetation.
Tortoises kept on damp grass can develop severe shell infections and respiratory disease. It is NOT a suitable substrate for Mediterranean or any other semi-arid habitat tortoise.
Abscess under the shell caused by using a substrate that is far too damp. THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON PROBLEMS, AND MOST OVERLOOKED ASPECTS OF OUTDOOR ACCOMMODATION DESIGN IN OUR EXPERIENCE.
Examples of the correct type of outdoor pen for Mediterranean tortoises featuring well-drained substrates with slopes, edible vegetation and supplementary basking facilities. This is the type of thing to aim for when constructing outdoor habitats!
A predator-proof
overnight or poor-weather shelter should also be available. One simple design
resembles a small cloche or gardener’s cucumber frame. Based on a strong,
rot-proof wooden frame and featuring a tough polycarbonate transparent roof,
this type of unit can make a major difference to the overall health of any
Mediterranean tortoise. The tortoise can enter and leave this unit at will, and
it will quickly learn to use it in its daily thermoregulation cycle. In effect,
this creates a mini-greenhouse, and temperatures within such a unit can easily
be up to 10 Celsius warmer than temperatures outside. This can make a huge
difference to feeding and overall health. No artificial heat is needed, as even
on wet and overcast days, this unit will be dry and warm.
A small 'cloche' type shelter suitable for juveniles.
Pens on dead flat surfaces are not attractive to
tortoises as they much prefer a sloped or undulating topography. If a tortoise
falls upon its back on a dead flat and smooth surface, it may have difficulty
righting itself, whereas on a sloped, rough surface with vegetation cover they
can usually ‘flip’ themselves over rapidly.
It is absolutely vital that Mediterranean or other
semi-arid habitat tortoises are maintained on well-drained substrates. Damp,
saturated clay-type substrates will contribute to an increased incidence of
shell infections, especially on the plastron (underside) and also to increased
likelihood of serious respiratory conditions. Aim for a mix of loose,
sandy-type soils for all Testudo species.
An outdoor pen for Egyptian tortoises (Testudo kleinmanni) closely based upon their natural habitat (below)
Many people greatly underestimate the effect that
the correct choice of substrate has on the overall health of tortoises. In many
cases, it can make the difference between long-term survival and a life plagued
by infections.
Tortoises often bury deep down in their substrate so it is vital that it provides both the correct microclimate and is safe. It is usually reasonable to assume that the NATURAL HABITAT of the species is the best guide to the substrate required!
A well-planted pen of adequate size can also be
largely self-supporting in terms of food provision, permitting grazing at will
on a high fibre, healthy diet of mixed flowers, herbs and miscellaneous edible
“weeds”. Plants also provide hiding places and shade. Our own pens have been
designed to meet both needs. Additional shade is provided by use of half-buried
hollowed-out logs, and by plastic pots or buckets cut in half and partially
buried. These allow the tortoises to retreat to a stable microclimate in case
of very hot or very cold weather, just as they would retreat to their scrapes
or burrows in the wild.
The outdoor requirements for tropical tortoises are
quite different, and highly dependent upon your own location. Species from
humid environments will require very special housing in cool and dry climates.
The larger species such as Redfoot and Yellowfoot tortoises are especially
challenging, as not only do they require specialised climates, they also
require a lot of space. Many keepers of these species maintain a large tropical
house with year-round heating and humidity control. This obviously requires a
substantial financial investment initially, and ongoing running costs are also
high. This is one reason why we suggest very careful consideration before
making a commitment to keep species like this. Of course, if you are in a
semi-tropical location yourself, then you may find that you can successfully
maintain these species relatively easily.
This is an extract from the new book on tortoise husbandry which will be published in the winter of 2008 by the above authors
All text andimages (c) 2008 A. C. & Nadine Highfield
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