TortoiseForum.org

Hello

My little Hermy (Hermann tortoise) is getting bigger and bigger so her terrarium is getting smaller and smaller for her. I want to make her a tortoise table. I am not sure if I want to put a big rubbermaid on the wood table that I would fabric or If I want to put some glass at the bottom (I would put the substrate on the glass) I would put a glass because it would be easier to clean, I would just have to remove the glass and clean it, Does anyone has an opinion on this??

I know i cant put pine because it is not good for the tortoise, I know I can make my wood table from plywood but I dont find it to nice. What kind of hard wood can I use to fabric my tortoise table, what kind will not hurt my Hermy?

Thanks

Isa

Any wood would be fine because you are going to have to seal it well. If you don't want to seal it the only wood that comes to mind is cypress which has a prohibitive price. May I suggest for the bottom you plexiglass or other type plastic, this would be easier to handle and cheaper.

I made mine out of hard wood(sides) and plywood (bottom). Sealed it with a waterbased Thompson water seal. Let it air outside for a week, then lined it with a tarp. It's a fairly big table 58"x48". This Winter I will be making a new inside pen for them. The stacking bookshelf idea sort of like Jen made ( http://tortoiseforum.org/new-indoor-encl...-1392.html )for hers is what I am thinking about now that my tort family is growing.

If I make a box out of hardwood (like maple) and If I put plexiglass at the bottom and put the substrate on top, Will I have seal the wood??

Do I put the wood together with nails or with glue?

Thanks

Isa

I used a white pine in planks.Sealed them together with strips if wood under neath and used cocking glue and screwed it all together.Its 3 foot x 6 foot and the side are 14" tall
Then I used Bulls eye finish on the wood.Its safe enough to use on baby furniture.I let it dry out for a week.
Even tho I sealed the bottom I still put down a tarp.
Hope this helps

What is a tarp, what is the tarp made out of?

What kinf of cocking glue did you use? The ones I saw in store are toxic.

Can I put non toxic silicone to seal the corners?

I am soooo sorry, I have a million questions... I just want to be sure that everything is going to be safe for Hermy.

Thanks a lot

Isa

yes you can use silicone. That's what i meant by cocking.Sorry.
A tarp is a large piece of fabric plastic,water proof,to cover large thing.Sometime i use large garbage bags.Cut them open and lay them on the bottom of table.Very much easier

If I put a plexiglass at the bottom, will I have to "put a tarp"?

Thanks

I think that might be your call.Make sure you support the bottom with a strong piece of wood,and seal it.If you seal the bottom a few times you wont really have to worry about water damage.Thats why I only use the tarp or garbage bag method

Ok ladies, let’s keep the site clean. We use Caulking (this spelling counts) (lol) like silicone.
I used philip head wood screws to hold the wood together you could also use that on Plexiglas. Just have the Plexiglas cut to the size you wanted and have them drill the amount and size holes in it to fasten it to the bottom of the wood with philip (+) head wood screws. Isa, I am not sure why you want to use glass or plexi on the bottom. Glass would be fragile and Plexi glass is fairly expensive in comparison with wood. Sealed wood will work as well. You can get all these materials at a hardware store or construction store near you. As I remember you are in Montreal Canada. You could even buy an inexpensive book shelf unit and leave the shelves out put silicone caulking on the edges before fixing the pieces together. Most inexpensive shelving units use a laminate that covers the wood. Hermy is still pretty small and will not cause big wet messes, so water should not be a big an issue.
Other things used to line a table has been linoleum (not the square tiles the sheet type), blue poly tarps or Canvas tarps, http://www.tarpsplus.com/ They are also sold at hardware stores. If you use Glass or Plexiglas and Hermy digs to the bottom it may give him the sense that he can dig through it just like glass walls. It will also scratch depending on the substrate you use.