Tortoise Fence

Thickness comparison

The below is a thickness comparison of the material. HDPE plastic thickness is measured in "mils" which is "thousands of an inch".

How To Prevent Your Tortoise From Escaping An Enclosure

Whether you are building an outdoor enclosure or you have bought an enclosure kit, you should be aware of certain design features. Some are more important than others depending on the weight, size, and strength of your tortoise.

If you have only dealt with small tortoises but now have a larger one, it can be somewhat intimidating because they have the power to push everything and everyone out of their way thanks to their very strong back legs. That said, you do not want a flimsy, weak fence that your newfound friend will simply ram into and push out of the way. Also, over time, a tortoise will flatten the fence and just walk away.

When building your tortoise fence, make sure it's strong enough to withstand being bashed in by your tortoise if you prefer to use a different material instead of brick or cinder block. Needless to say, chicken wire is out of the question but a wooden fence could work as long as it's on a strong, solid foundation.

If you have a smaller tortoise, you can probably get away with a wire fence but you must make sure the fence is high enough so he cannot climb over it.

The best option to guarantee your tortoise will not escape is to have a mesh roof covering on the top of the enclosure. In many cases, this will not be necessary unless you are concerned about predators coming after your tortoise.

Something else you must keep in mind, a wire fence can cause injury especially if there are exposed raw ends of the wire. It can be a bad outcome if their head or eye makes contact with these endings. Across the board, chicken wire should be avoided at all costs. A plastic-coated wire fencing will be much safer for your friend.

Outside of their size and age, you will notice your tortoise continually trying to escape from the enclosure simply because a wire fence will allow them to see what lies beyond the enclosure and they will give it their best shot to get there.

Another alternative might be a transparent-sided vivarium enclosure. A vivarium is an enclosed area for a stable environment for animals. They usually contain a portion of an ecosystem for a specific species on a smaller scale.

To know if your tortoise will be distracted by the outside world beyond their enclosure, is to pay attention to them.

The ideal material is a thick, smooth plastic sheet that is made of HDPE plastic. This material can be used to line the outside of the pen area and is durable to stand up on it’s own when partial buried and can be staked for additional support. When installing this type of material you will want to put rocks or backfill on the back side of the barrier so the tortoise cannot push the material over.

What To Do If Your Tortoise Escapes

To prevent any unforeseen nightmares, you need to take photos at every angle and get him microchipped. This is the best way to be able to identify your tortoise and will show you are the rightful owner if and when he is found. Unfortunately, none of this will matter if your tortoise is stolen or killed once they have escaped, but you should still prepare for it.