# New/Made of old book shelf Tortoise Table



## byerssusan (Sep 28, 2011)

I tried posting this earlier but could not figure out how to get the dog gone pic in there. It keeps coming up with an X instead of photo. Anyway hopefully this time works. I am so proud of my new tortoise table I made. Thought I would let you all take a gander and see what you think. Maybe some advice on anythi

ng I may have missed or could add. I am going to add top soil in with the eco earth..what do you think. I know Phoenix loves her new home. Much better than the aqaurium we had her in to begin with. Any advice would be appreciated.


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## Yvonne G (Sep 28, 2011)

Hi byerssusan:

I don't believe you've ever told us your name or where you are?

Your tort table turned out very nice. Its a good home for a little sulcata.


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## AnthonyC (Sep 28, 2011)

Looks good! Very creative!!


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## Claireabbo (Sep 28, 2011)

looks great!


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## babylove6635 (Sep 28, 2011)

thats way cut i love the plant in the middle good job


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## ascott (Sep 28, 2011)

Fantastic


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## Turtle Guru (Sep 28, 2011)

I love that I would like something like that for a red footed tort or something when I get it. Now how did you come up with the idea because that is cleaver


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## bobbymoore (Sep 28, 2011)

good job


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## byerssusan (Sep 28, 2011)

emysemys said:


> Hi byerssusan:
> 
> I don't believe you've ever told us your name or where you are?
> 
> Your tort table turned out very nice. Its a good home for a little sulcata.



Sorry. Hello all my name is Susan, I am soso glad to be here . And I live in Maricopa Arizona.


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## byerssusan (Sep 28, 2011)

Thank you all. I have been going nuts trying to figure out how to get Phoenix in a proper enviroment. I also made the caves inside the encloser. I couldn't find anything at the stores I liked nor thought Phoenix would like so I went out and found all the flat rocks I could find. Concreted them, after cleaning of course.And Alot of sanding afterwards to make sure there were no rough areas where Phoenix might hurt herslef. I do thank you all for your encouragement.. I want to do everything I can to make Phoenix happy andhealthy lol..


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## dmarcus (Sep 28, 2011)

You did a very nice job...


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## Tom (Sep 28, 2011)

It looks very nice.

Now for the advice part that you asked for:
It will be very hard to maintain the right environment for a baby sulcata in an enclosure with a wide open top like that. I would recommend covering most of the top and adding a humid hide for him.

And finally, try tinypic.com for posting your pics. Its free, no sign-up or accounts, and easy to use.


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## SulcataSquirt (Sep 28, 2011)

Looks really good - like the way it looks with the plant in the middle.


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## chase thorn (Sep 28, 2011)

looks great!!


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## byerssusan (Sep 28, 2011)

Tom said:


> It looks very nice.
> 
> Now for the advice part that you asked for:
> It will be very hard to maintain the right environment for a baby sulcata in an enclosure with a wide open top like that. I would recommend covering most of the top and adding a humid hide for him.
> ...



Well I thought about that. Because it is open..What would you suggest to cover it with? The humid hide your referring too would that be like a plastic box with wet sponge in it?


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## Utah Lynn (Sep 29, 2011)

Hi Susan, I'm too new at this to offer any advice, but you have made a very nice looking enclosure.


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## byerssusan (Sep 29, 2011)

Utah Lynn said:


> Hi Susan, I'm too new at this to offer any advice, but you have made a very nice looking enclosure.



Thank you. I am a newbie as well. So nervous I am going to do something wrong. I just keep researching all I can. There are so many different ways people raise their sulcatas..Food etc. Nice meeting you by the way


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## DesertGrandma (Sep 29, 2011)

Hi Susan, welcome to the forum. This is the newest hide I have and it keeps the moisture/humidity/heat up very well inside. It is also very easy to make. Get a plastic shoe box with a dark colored lid. Picture it with the lid on top and the bottom sunk into the substrate. Cut a hole in the side of the shoebox from the top down tall/wide enough for your tort to get into it. Fill the bottom of the box with clean sphagnum moss and top it off with cypress mulch. Moisten it well. Place it deeply into the substrate so that your tort can enter/exit easily. Now place the lid on top, then a piece of slate on top of the lid and locate it under your heat bulb(s). It is easy to get your tort out from the top. Measure the heat and humidity to make sure it is right on target.


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## Momof4 (Sep 29, 2011)

Looks great!


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## lynnedit (Sep 29, 2011)

Looks really nice! Good suggestions above about making a humid hide.
You can cover part of the enclosure with plexiglass, but that can be expensive. You can get cut pieces at places like Home Depot. Acrylic plexiglass is cheaper than Lexan, so look around. 
I have see some use wire (like chicken wire) and cover this with plastic. The main thing is to keep the plastic well away from the MVB bulb, but as that is on one side, you could cover the other 1/2.
Others might have additional suggestions for covering part of the enclosure. That with the humid hide will work very well.
You are probably sprinkling water into your substrate regularly, especially under the MVB bulb.


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## byerssusan (Oct 11, 2011)

Well after looking at everyones enclosures..And myself sifting through so many ideas ..addding plants for one which I will but as of right now I could not find the right ones I wanted. Have to go to another place who might have the plants I am looking for. Any ole way I did add a water container. I've heard so many say no they get enough water from their food. Others have said diff. I know Phoenix gets water from her food because I soak it before she eats it. I also give her a good soaking every other day which at times she acts like she is so thirsty it's incrediable. So better to be safe than sorry. So I'll quit rambling on and show it haha..


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## Stephanie (Oct 11, 2011)

byerssusan said:


> Well after looking at everyones enclosures..And myself sifting through so many ideas ..addding plants for one which I will but as of right now I could not find the right ones I wanted. Have to go to another place who might have the plants I am looking for. Any ole way I did add a water container. I've heard so many say no they get enough water from their food. Others have said diff. I know Phoenix gets water from her food because I soak it before she eats it. I also give her a good soaking every other day which at times she acts like she is so thirsty it's incrediable. So better to be safe than sorry. So I'll quit rambling on and show it haha..



That is an awesome water dish! I believe that tortoises NEED a water dish- they need that constant access to water. The water provided in the misting of food just does not do enough, imho...
I LOVE your tort table! Those little hides are way cool


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## lynnedit (Oct 11, 2011)

That's the ticket! Now your tort has the option to take a drink. Might, not, but...


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## byerssusan (Oct 11, 2011)

Thank you all...And I am so glad I added the water bowl. She has already drank from it. So yeah!!!


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## lynnedit (Oct 11, 2011)

I notice my torts will sometimes just hang a back leg in the water dish, like they are at the spa


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## byerssusan (Oct 11, 2011)

lynnedit said:


> I notice my torts will sometimes just hang a back leg in the water dish, like they are at the spa



Awe I can picture them now. They are just so darn sweet. How old are yours? And how many do you have?


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## babylove6635 (Oct 11, 2011)

ou done a great job on it


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## byerssusan (Oct 11, 2011)

babylove6635 said:


> ou done a great job on it



Thank you very much


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## lynnedit (Oct 11, 2011)

byerssusan said:


> lynnedit said:
> 
> 
> > I notice my torts will sometimes just hang a back leg in the water dish, like they are at the spa
> ...



I have 3, all adopted from people who no longer wanted them.
Two females, age 10 and 12 and a male (still separated), age indeterminate???, but definitely more than the age of 3 that the previous owner told me.
They are a lot of work but so much fun.


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## byerssusan (Oct 11, 2011)

How much do they weigh if you don't mind my asking? And have you had them very long?


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## lynnedit (Oct 11, 2011)

I have wanted to get torts for a long time, finally did this year.
Got the 2 females in 2/11, the male in 7/11.
Then, the females weighed 670gm and 870gm. I don't have a weight on the male yet.
I just got a small digital food scale off of Amazon last week, and it is time to get an updated weight and shell length on them!


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## byerssusan (Oct 11, 2011)

Well sounds like yo just jumpedright in there haha.. I would love to have more but not until I am pretty experienced with the one I have now. I have a little scale guess I need to weigh her also. They are wonderful pets for sure. Glad you got yours


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