tortoise habitat design ideas & innovations

There are a couple of interesting and quite affordable solutions for new tortoise owner looking for a great indoor/outdoor house and outdoor pen.

Zoo Med’s Tortoise House (available from PetSmart) provides excellent privacy and security for your tortoise. This indoor/outdoor unit provides both a safe hide box area, as well as an area with a wire screen top. The unit is lockable for added protection. The end panel of the tortoise house is removable to allow for a second tortoise house to be attached to double its size. For indoor use, the wire screen top provides an excellent area for your tortoise lighting/heaters.

Zoo Med’s Tortoise Pen (available from PetSmart) is a great way to allow your tortoise to naturally and safely forage for food, while absorbing natural UVB rays from the sun. Just be sure not to place it on chemically treated lawns as this may be harmful to their health.

Keeping your tortoises cool during the hot days of Summer is vital for their health and happiness. Creating an effective watering hole for your chelonian is essential. A couple of solutions for creating a tortoise pool include using a pond liner or creating a custom cement form. A great solution for a large and safe pool is to use a washing machine pan.

Washing machine pans are about 30″ square and are about 2″ deep. This is a safe depth, while still providing a good drink and belly (aka plastron) soak on a hot day. They are available from hardware/plumbing stores for around $20.00.

When planning my outdoor tortoises habitat each Spring, I focus on two areas: Food and Protection.

My redfoot tortoises eat a variety of greens, flowers, and fruit throughout the Spring and Summer.  This includes a lettuce mix, dandelion greens, nasturtium flowers, fresh figs, and berries.

The dandelion greens grow wildly in my yard each year — I have a non-chemical lawn, so I feel that this is safe to feed them.  I grow berry bushes in my yard, as well as a couple of fig trees.

In the habitat, I plant organic nasturtium flower seeds, an organic salad green mix, and seeds from a variety of weeds.  The weeds provide both food and protection — with some growing up to 5 feet tall.

I found an interesting website that offers embroidered turtle gifts for kids. Just thought I’d share this link with anyone interested in turtle gifts for kids!