Natural Ground Tortoise Runs

Order your Tortoise housing by Contacting us via e-mail at cosytortoises@btinternet.com or phone on 01890 818584. See our Order Houses page to find out why we request payments when you're at the front of the Order queue.

Natural Ground Tortoise Runs are designed to fit onto the front of a Natural Ground House. They should be placed on a perimeter wall at least 6.5 cm wide and 10-20 cm high, so breeze block or brick walls are ideal. Although, sleepers have their merits it is important to get new ones preferably not treated with chemicals so that they don't wash into the tortoise's soil. The photo shows a Custom Natural Ground House and Run with a second Natural Ground Run made to fit the remaining space.

The Standard Natural Ground Runs will have a cladding wall of 20 cm height below the triangular sides and under the lower edge of the Sloped Top. The total height of the wall from the ground to the top of the cladding should be dependant on the species, so you may need to request an higher wall. 30 cm high walls (10 cm solid wall and 20 cm cladding) are usually high enough for tortoises up to 30 cm Straight Carapace Length when fully grown, such as Hermann's, Turkish Spur-thighs and other common and garden Mediterranean tortoises.

Our Sloped Covered Runs are designed to fit the All-Season Houses and have their own page, but are similar except for the higher wall around the base. The Natural Ground Runs are designed to fit in front of the Natural Ground Houses as shown above or beside the Giant Natural Ground Houses. The sloped tops are attached with hinges to the top of the house. The polycarbonate window that covers the run can be removed leaving a mesh top underneath.

	Length	Width	Height	Price
Small Natural Ground Run	1.0 m	1.0 m	0.8 m - 0.3 m	£599.99
Medium Natural Ground Run	1.5 m	1.0 m	0.8 m - 0.3 m	£799.99
Large Natural Ground Run	2.0 m	1.0 m	0.8 m - 0.3 m	£1099.99
Extra Large Natural Ground Run	2.0 m	1.0 m	1.0 m - 0.3 m	£1199.99
Small Giant Natural Ground Run	2.0 m	2.0 m	0.3 m - 1.0 m - 0.3 m	£1799.99
Medium Giant Natural Ground Run	2.0 m	2.0 m	0.6 m - 1.3 m - 0.6 m	£2299.99
Large Giant Natural Ground Run	2.0 m	4.0 m	0.8 m - 1.6 m - 0.8 m	£3199.99

Order your Tortoise housing by Contacting us via e-mail or phone.

Please see the Order Houses page to find out why we request payments when you're at the front of the Order queue.

These houses will arrive as pre-assembled wall, base and roof sections with straightforward, complete and simple step-wise Assembly Instructions (pallet delivery required due to bulk and weight of the total).

The main difference is that the Natural Ground Houses and Runs are ideal for species that require access to substrate (ground material) that isn't too dry. This makes them ideal for most Tropical Tortoises because you can wet the ground regularly within the house or run without damaging the wood flooring. To protect the internal water-resistant plywood walls, we offer a mould-resistant Natural Ground Paint Upgrade to extend the life of your internal walls. Please see the Housing Accessories page for colour options and prices.

Heat-lamps always dry out the ground directly below them and gradually all of the ground in any enclosed space, however all tortoises prefer a choice of moisture and therefore these houses can be kept drier for all species including Mediterranean and some African tortoises. Regardless, it is wise to wet ground beneath a heat-lamp occasionally when substrate becomes too dry and a complete or partial change of substrate (by removal and replacement of soil and sand) will be necessary within the house every now and then to reduce any potential issues from waste build-up.

When the ground is maintained with a level of moisture the humidity in the enclosure will of course be higher, making them suitable for housing most African Tortoises. Of course keeping African Tortoise species outside in much more temperate locations such as the UK, may mean heat-lamps are required in the sunroom area in cooler months to maintain appropriate background temperatures, particularly if your tortoises don't hibernate. Extra Electrical Installations and Heat and Light packages maybe required. Although 3 or 4 way controllers may be requested if more sockets are required in the Electrical Installation.

Species suitability with recommended substrate

Small Natural Ground - Dwarf Hermann tortoises (on dry soil and sand), Egyptian Tortoises (on sand) or sub-adult tortoises up to 20 cm in Straight Carapace Length (SCL) with the various types of substrate suitable for their species.

Medium Natural Ground - Larger Hermanns (Hermanni Boettgeri) and Turkish Spur-Thigh (Testudo Ibera) tortoises (on a mixture of dry soil and sand), Horsefield tortoises (on drier soil and mostly sand). Young larger species up to 30 cm SCL as well.

Large Natural Ground - Redfoot tortoises (on soil kept at different moisture levels), Marginated or other large Mediterranean tortoises (on dry soil and sand), Smaller African species such as Algerian Spur-Thighs (F. Whitei) (on soil and sand dependant on species and kept appropriate humidities). These can be requested with higher cladding sides as a Custom adaptation for species that have longer Straight Carapace Lengths.

The Natural Ground Houses are insulated to protect against the cold, the wind, wet weather and over-heating in the sun. These houses are ideal for tortoise keepers who prefer their tortoises to have access to the ground all year round within the house. These Natural Ground Houses should be sat on breeze blocks or brick walls that are a height of 10-20 cm above the ground and level on the top (walls will need to prepared before the house is delivered). The Natural Ground Houses must not be placed directly onto the ground to prevent rapid deterioration of the wood walls.

Provides essential heating facilities for keeping your tortoises outdoors all year round and particularly when the UK has temperatures below 15 degrees C. This accounts for 8-10 months of the year.
Large enough space to provide a good temperature gradient. Ideal for closing tortoises in overnight when below 15 degrees C outside.
Walls and roof are double walled with premium insulation in the cavity.
Doors can be locked and the windows are made of security glazing with high impact resistance.
UV transmissive polycarbonate windows allow UVB to filter through. Glass cannot. UVB is essential for tortoises.
Very energy efficient housing.
Tortoise access door is 25 cm wide by 15 cm high unless specified otherwise by the customer.
An integrated covered removable Tortoise Run is included as the Sunroom.
Flat-packed pre-assembled wall, base and roof sections will arrive with straight-forward, complete and simple step-wise Assembly Instructions.
Hasp and Staples and Turn buttons included and fitted.
Heat and Light Pack, Electrical Installation, Colour upgrades are all available on the Housing Accessories page.
Vine Eyes included for fitting heat lamps.
Drip Mould fitted above the tortoise door to protect area below from rainwater.
Air Vents in the side near the heatlamp for adjusting the air flow seasonally.

If none of the seven standard sizes are suitable for you then you can choose your own size. Please visit the Custom Housing page for more details on how to inform us about your requirements. Please see the Tortoise Housing Information page for details of intended use and the Housing Accessories page for optional extras.