Predator Proof Outdoor Tortoise Enclosures: 9 Helpful Ideas

Ideally, you’ll want to maintain most tortoises outdoors whenever possible. Outdoor accommodations usually allow you to provide more space to your pet, and they give your tortoise plenty of exposure to natural, unfiltered sunlight, which provides important health benefits and eliminates the need for complicated lighting systems. 

But outdoor maintenance does present a few challenges.

For example, you’ll usually have to construct the enclosure from scratch, and you’ll have to monitor the temperatures and weather regularly. But the biggest challenge of housing a tortoise outdoors is likely the fact that your pet may be vulnerable to predators. 

Fortunately, keepers have devised a number of strategies to help keep tortoises safe from predators. We’ll share some of the most popular ones below. But first, it is important to identify the potential predators you’ll need to be concerned with. 

Predators Who May Consume Pet Tortoises

To an extent, the potential predators of your tortoise will vary based on your tortoise’s size. To use an extreme example, there aren’t many predators that will threaten a fully grown Aldabra tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea), whereas a litany of creatures may attempt to consume small common padlopers (Homopus areolatus).

With that being said, there are a few common predators that tend to cause the most problems: 

• Domestic, stray, or feral dogs
• Domestic, stray, or feral cats
• Raccoons
• Bobcats
• Foxes
• Coyotes
• Large hawks
• Large owls
• Crows
• Ravens
• Rats
• Snakes
• Squirrels
• Chipmunks
• Opossums
• Skunks
• Weasels
• Minks
• Badgers

Additionally, while they’re generally not considered “predators” in the strictest sense, rats will also attack tortoises – particularly small or dormant individuals. It’s also worth noting that while humans are unlikely to eat tortoises, some may attempt to steal your pets. So, it is wise to keep your enclosure secure from people too. 

How Do Predators Gain Access

To help protect your pets from predators, you must begin by understanding the way in which the predators will gain access to your tortoise’s enclosure. This primarily happens in one of three ways (presented in no particular order):

1. Predators climb over the top of the walls. This is likely the most common way that predators – especially birds and larger predators, such as dogs and coyotes — enter tortoise enclosures. Many can simply hop over the enclosure walls. However, small animals may climb the enclosure walls and gain access to enclosures in this way too. 
2. Predators burrow underneath the walls. Coyotes, dogs, and weasels are the most likely predators to tunnel beneath the walls of an enclosure, although rats may also do so. 
3. Predators crawl through gaps in the walls. “Gaps” may refer to the small spaces that often exist around the periphery of enclosure doors, as well as the gaps present in some enclosure wall materials, such as a chain-link fence. Snakes, weasels, and rats are the predators who’re most likely to enter tortoise enclosures in this way. 

By considering the potential predators in your area and thinking about the manner in which those predators are likely to access your tortoises, you can focus your efforts where they’ll be most helpful. 

In other words, if you don’t think that dogs, coyotes, or birds are likely to threaten your pets, you would probably focus your efforts on thwarting predators likely to tunnel into the enclosure or squeeze through gaps in the walls. 

Nine Ideas for Predator-Proofing Your Outdoor Tortoise Enclosure

It’s important to note that every situation is different, and you’ll have to carefully consider which predators in your area are most likely to threaten your pets to devise the most predator-proof tortoise enclosure possible. 

With that said, some of the most helpful and effective strategies keepers have employed are listed below. 

1. Enclose the bottom of the enclosure. 

Adding a “floor” to the enclosure is the best way to protect your tortoises from predators who’ll gain access to the enclosure by digging. You can use a variety of different materials to serve as the floor, including chain-link fencing, thin sheet metal, or moisture-sealed wood (though even sealed wood may need to be replaced every few years). 

Note that you can still employ living, natural groundcovers in enclosures with floors – you simply need to bury the floor 1 to 2 feet below ground level. You can then add soil on top of the floor before scattering non-toxic grass or weed seeds over the area. 

2. Add metal flashing to the sides of the enclosure. 

Metal flashing can be helpful for preventing some animals from climbing over the top of your pet’s enclosure walls. While it will not stop animals capable of jumping over the walls, it will often stop those who try to climb the walls, given that metal flashing is quite slick. 

You only need to place the flashing along the outside of the enclosure walls, and you can affix it with a variety of adhesives (mechanical fasteners are best avoided, as they may provide a place for animals to grip). Note that many metal flashing products are only 6 inches wide, so you may need to install two or three strips. This way, you’ll have 12 to 18 inches of metal on the walls; 6 inches of flashing probably won’t provide enough of a gap to stop most climbers. 

3. Attach solid panels over walls with gaps. 

If the enclosure walls feature gaps (such as occurs in enclosures utilizing chain-link fence or chicken wire walls), you may be able to protect your pets by installing wood, metal, or plastic panels to the enclosure walls. You can add the panels on the inside or outside of the walls, but by adding them to the outside, you may also provide some protection from climbing predators (metal and plastic are typically somewhat slick). 

4. Use expanding foam to plug small holes or gaps. 

If you have only a few small gaps around the perimeter of the enclosure, you may be able to protect your pets by using expanding foam to fill the gaps. This won’t serve as a completely impenetrable barrier (a dedicated rat, squirrel, or weasel could certainly tunnel through given enough time and dedication), but it will likely discourage all but the most determined predators.  You can consider first filling the gap with a rigid wire or metal mesh before adding the expanding foam to add even more protection. 

If you choose to use expanding foam, try to do so in a manner that prevents your tortoises from having contact with it. Also, be sure to remove the tortoises from the enclosure until the expanding foam is completely dry and has hardened. 

5. Add a chain-link, hardware cloth, or bird netting to the top of the enclosure. 

Adding a top to the enclosure is one of the best ways to protect your pets from a variety of predators, but because you don’t want to block the sun completely, you’ll have to use a material that has gaps. This includes things like chain-link fence, plastic-coated hardware cloth, or bird netting. 

Being stronger materials, chain-link fencing and hardware cloth will provide greater protection, but if you suspect that birds are the most likely animals to threaten your pets, bird netting will likely suffice. 

6. Use urine-based predator deterrents. 

Some manufacturers market spray products that are created from the urine of large predators, such as wolves or bears. These are said to repel small and medium-sized predators (including animals as large as coyotes), but their efficacy remains unclear – some users report excellent results while others explain that they haven’t been effective. 

Nevertheless, these types of deterrents are often worth trying, as they’re both affordable and easy to apply. It would be wise to spray them relatively far from your tortoise’s enclosure (perhaps around the perimeter of your yard), for the best chance of success. This will also prevent your tortoises from being surrounded by the odor of predators constantly.

7. Add a gravel border around the periphery of the enclosure. 

If you’re primarily concerned with digging predators, you may be able to protect your pets by simply placing a thick layer of gravel or river rock around the perimeter of the enclosure. Though not a completely infallible approach, these kinds of gravel barriers do tend to discourage weasels, rats, and other tunnelling animals. 

You may need to make the border quite wide – extending 2 feet or more from the walls – to achieve the best results. Otherwise, predators may simply tunnel below the gravel. Also, it will be important to inspect such gravel borders regularly for signs of predator activity. If you see the signs of digging or the rocks become dislodged, you’ll want to replace them and consider adding more stones. 

8. Install motion-sensitive deterrents. 

Many predators are wary, easily startled animals who may be discouraged by motion-activated lights, alarms, or sprinklers. Sprinklers are likely the best of the three options, as they’re the least likely to disturb your tortoises while still being effective at frightening away predators. 

Just note that you should avoid ultrasonic predator deterrents, as it is not clear whether these devices would disturb tortoises or not. 

9. Employ guardian animals. 

A variety of animals may serve as “guard dogs,” for your tortoises, including actual dogs (particularly livestock guardian breeds) and donkeys. Some farmers have even found that swans can offer some protection against small predators. 

This is obviously not a small undertaking – you will need to care for at least one more (likely large) pet to employ this strategy. You’ll also have to use care to introduce the guardian animals to your tortoise, preferably from a very young age. However, this can be one of the most effective ways of keeping your tortoises safe from predators. 

Citations

• GardenStateTortoise.com – Protecting Turtles + Tortoises from Predators
• Conservation Evidence — Use guardian animals (e.g. dogs, llamas, donkeys) bonded to livestock to deter predators to reduce human-wildlife conflict
• Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee – Questions & Answers About the Desert Tortoise