Smart Tips to Make Tortoise House Escape-Free
Turtles and tortoises are active animals who need extra space for roaming around. Getting them a tortoise enclosure is necessary. As they are captive animals, it is necessary to keep them in a space whose ambiance or atmosphere somehow resembles their natural habitat. And before building or choosing a tortoise enclosure, you need to know about the features to keep in mind for the same. Following are the features you need to consider for a tortoise enclosure:
1. Size
The foremost thing to consider while building or getting a terrarium is its size. The size of the cage should be according to the size of the tortoise. They need the maximum space to walk around. For example, if your tortoise has a length of 12 inches, it will need a minimum enclosure of 9 feet x 9 feet.
2. Materials (Of which cage is made)
Materials are to be checked before getting your hand on the tortoise house because of their specific needs of hiding places and enough heat. Wired cages are a strict no for the enclosure because there are chances that they will hurt themselves or tear-up the cage.
The ideal material for the tortoise house is either plastic or wood. Plastic enclosures are suitable for small tortoises, while for adult ones, you will need a wooden cage as it will provide them with enough heat and space to walk around.
3. Escape-Proof
A tortoise has a habit of climbing, digging, and are an active walker. So you have to make sure that its home is escape-proof, in order to keep them safe from predators. Those cute little ones are damn tenacious and escapers. So be aware!
While constructing, make sure sidewalls are upright vertical, there shouldn’t be a slight slant also, or they will succeed in escaping. And make sure the height of the cage is double of the tortoise’s length. If the length of your tortoise is 5 inches, then the height of the walls should be 10 inches minimum.
4. Heat Supply
Once you are done with the decision of which cage to select, think about the heat supply. These little babies need less visibility and more warmth. There are two options for basking in the heat.
One is with the help of incandescent light, which will work as an artificial sun, and another one is through the belly heat — that will provide heat underneath the tortoise.
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