# My first enclosure build.



## DanB (Jan 12, 2019)

Right now my Redfoot is living in a plastic sweater box which doesn't give him much room and not big enough for live plants so I decided to build him a bigger home that will last until he is moved outside. It will be an L shaped enclosure with the long side being 6 feet long and the short side 4 feet long with walls 1 foot high. All of the wood has been cut and stained and it's now going to dry and outgass for a few days before I put it together.


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## LaLaP (Jan 12, 2019)

Sounds like a dream home for a lucky tortoise! What are you lining it with to keep the wood from rotting? 
Post pics of your process if you can. It's inspiring to see it come together.


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## DanB (Jan 12, 2019)

After the stain is dry I'll coat the inside with butcher block oil which is food safe. I'll also line it up to the substrate level with plastic sheeting. I have been talking pics but need to find a host for linking.

Dan


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## DanB (Jan 12, 2019)

Pics so far.

Dan


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## DanB (Jan 12, 2019)

Right now I'm researching live plants I can put in it. I plan on putting a 2 inch layer of soil covered with Cyprus mulch. The short side will have a one foot hide built in.


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## Blackdog1714 (Jan 12, 2019)

I have a spider and a geranium that enjoy my 6000 led plant bulb, UVB and CHE


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## Toddrickfl1 (Jan 12, 2019)

Awesome looking forward to seeing the end result. I just did a small 7ft x 2ft build yesterday.


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## DanB (Jan 13, 2019)

Well it's together.


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## Yvonne G (Jan 14, 2019)

I love it when our members show us the step-by-step pictures of their enclosure builds. And having your new one standing up in front of the door gives us a VERY good idea of just how big your new enclosure is! I am not familiar with using the oil like you did, and how well it is going to protect the wood. Let us know how it works out. So far I'm very impressed with your new enclosure! CAn't wait to see the finished and populated product!


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## Cheryl Hills (Jan 14, 2019)

Nice!


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## DanB (Jan 14, 2019)

Today Ill cut out the door to his hide in the panel I have already made, attach the wall and roof. The roof will just sit on top for easy access for cleaning. I did a test with the butcher block oil on a piece of scrap wood I stained and oiled. It does not bead water like I want it to so I'm looking into other waterproofing options.


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## Yvonne G (Jan 14, 2019)

I take a heavy duty black plastic 30 gallon garbage bag (probably not big enough for your table), and line the bottom of the table with it, smoothing the corners and attaching it up the sides with Gorilla tape. Then I staple occasionally through the tape into the wood.

On a larger table I used a product I saw on TV - https://www.flexsealproducts.com/pr...xD0liQd3L0JIMYCzbU57AOLm8o68ibDYaAmNVEALw_wcB

I had a bit of space in a few places where the wall didn't meet perfectly with the floor, and when I sprayed the sealant it dripped through the cracks. But it's safe for animals and dries rubbery. I've had it in use now for a whole season and the tortoise living in there shows no ill effects. It holds water great! and protects the wood from rotting.


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## DanB (Jan 14, 2019)

I dont want the wood getting water spots from misting/fogging. I will seal it with something to show the wood but protect it from the water.


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## DanB (Jan 14, 2019)

Hide is in, top is removable.


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## DanB (Jan 14, 2019)

I put small pieces of wood on the bottom of the lid to hold it from moving around.


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## CarolM (Jan 14, 2019)

DanB said:


> I put small pieces of wood on the bottom of the lid to hold it from moving around.


Very clever. What are you going to use to enclose the whole thing?


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## DanB (Jan 15, 2019)

CarolM said:


> Very clever. What are you going to use to enclose the whole thing?



I'm not sure what you mean by that.


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## CarolM (Jan 15, 2019)

DanB said:


> I'm not sure what you mean by that.


I mean is it going to be an enclosed enclosure? And if it is what are you using to do that.


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## DanB (Jan 15, 2019)

No the top will be open, Living in South Florida I don't need to keep the humidity in, its everywhere already. My humidity indicator in his pen now is sitting on the 1 inch of substrate and its reading 85%, his new area will have a few inches of dirt then the mulch so it should have no problem keeping the humidity at his level up to the required levels.


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## Chasen (Jan 15, 2019)

Nice build. I'm impressed with your skills and look forward to seeing the finished product.


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## DanB (Jan 15, 2019)

Chasen said:


> Nice build. I'm impressed with your skills and look forward to seeing the finished product.



Thank you


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## DanB (Jan 18, 2019)

I ended up coating the inside of the enclosure with Polycrylic spray. It will now sit for a few days to outgas.


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## DanB (Jan 22, 2019)

It's up on it's stands now and I put in the plastic berrier that will go between the dirt and the wood. You can see the increase in size he is getting.


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## Blackdog1714 (Jan 22, 2019)

Awesome I had the same idea to do an L to fit the space in my sunroom


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## EllieMay (Jan 22, 2019)

That is super nice! I love the wood grain and I can’t wait to see your tortoise enjoying it!


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## daniellenc (Jan 23, 2019)

Great build!


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## DanB (Jan 23, 2019)

EllieMay said:


> That is super nice! I love the wood grain and I can’t wait to see your tortoise enjoying it!



Found the wood at Lowes and had to have it.


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## malwa (Jan 23, 2019)

Great job , it looks great.


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## DanB (Jan 23, 2019)

Today I put in 3 inches of dirt covered with 2 inches of Cypress mulch and planted all the plants. I have a small hibiscus that might go in as well, if not I'll put flowers and leaves in for him to munch on. I'm also growing leaf lettuce outside for him to eat.


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## DanB (Jan 23, 2019)

New lighting will be in soon.


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## ZEROPILOT (Jan 23, 2019)

Where in South Florida, Dan?
I'm in West Sunrise.
P.M. me for a phone number if you wish.
I've got a ton of old supplies and equipment.
You can have as much of it as you need.


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## DanB (Jan 23, 2019)

Homestead


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## ZEROPILOT (Jan 23, 2019)

Also.
Even outside during the winter time. Our humidity does drop a little low.
This is Julio and Tarzan.
They have lived outdoors their entire lives.
Still somewhat pyramided with two pools and an over head sprinkler system.
And indoors with the A/C on it's much lower.
While I REALLY LIKE your enclosure....It might require tweaking.


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## DanB (Jan 23, 2019)

I keep up on the humidity daily, so far at his level it's at 80%. I will keep up on it and may get a fogger to ensure it stays up.


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## Toddrickfl1 (Jan 23, 2019)

DanB said:


> Today I put in 3 inches of dirt covered with 2 inches of Cypress mulch and planted all the plants. I have a small hibiscus that might go in as well, if not I'll put flowers and leaves in for him to munch on. I'm also growing leaf lettuce outside for him to eat.


Unfortunately, you can say goodbye to those plants real soon lol. My Redfoot literally bulldozes and eats anything in his enclosure within days. I had to switch over to fake plants.


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## DanB (Jan 23, 2019)

I say let him, it's why they are there.


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## DanB (Jan 24, 2019)

Here he/she is in the new home.


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## CarolM (Jan 25, 2019)

DanB said:


> Here he/she is in the new home.


LOL, S/He looks dwarfed in there. So there is plenty of space to grow. Is S/He enjoying her new digs?


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## DanB (Jan 25, 2019)

Seems to be.


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## Karenp (Jan 25, 2019)

DanB said:


> Here he/she is in the new home.


Thank you so much for taking the time to photograph & narrate your project. Your new enclosure is absolutely beautiful!! I love the ratio of tort to floor space. Watching the transformation from start to end is very inspiring and helpful to us fellow tort owners. Thanks again!


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## DanB (Jan 27, 2019)

OMG what a difference a little light can make. I got an LED plant light and installed it today and Marvel has never been more active. He has come out of hiding and is checking everything out. I thought he might not like the LED's but he seems to love them.

The purple is much more pronounced in the pics then with the eye.


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## Yvonne G (Jan 27, 2019)

I really like your enclosure.


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## Toddrickfl1 (Jan 28, 2019)

Just throwing this out there because no one else has. While the enclosure is beautiful, the chances of further growth in your Redfoot Pyramiding are very high. There's not going to be any way to keep constant 80-90% humidity with an open top, and your tortoise is still within that crucial stage of development for Pyramiding.


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## CarolM (Jan 28, 2019)

Toddrickfl1 said:


> Just throwing this out there because no one else has. While the enclosure is beautiful, the chances of further growth in your Redfoot Pyramiding are very high. There's not going to be any way to keep constant 80-90% humidity with an open top, and your tortoise is still within that crucial stage of development for Pyramiding.


That was why I initially asked about it being a closed chamber. However as no-one was bringing up the point about keeping the humidity at a high level, I was starting to think that the care was slightly different to what I have been learning on the forum, and that the humid hide was enough for a red foot. I am glad that someone else brought it up.


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## DanB (Jan 28, 2019)

It has been brought up a number of times and explained. The humidity at his level is between 75% and 85%.


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## Toddrickfl1 (Jan 28, 2019)

DanB said:


> It has been brought up a number of times and explained. The humidity at his level is between 75% and 85%.


Im just giving you a heads up, not trying to argue. I doubt your humidity gauge is working then. I have a closed chamber with 85-90% humidity and when I remove the lid humidity immediately falls to 50-60%. How are you keeping it at 75-80% humidity?


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## DanB (Jan 28, 2019)

First let me say this, I fix weather equipment for a living so I think my humidity readings are correct being I used a calibrated meter. 

I live in South Florida between the ocean and the everglades so the yearly average humidity is 78.2% here, I just checked it inside my house and its 62.3% and this is our dry time of the year. 

Sensor placement, This will have a major impact on your readings. I have 3 inches of dirt covered by 2 inches of cypress mulch. The dirt is very wet which gives off its moisture. The higher you get from the bottom the lower the humidity gets. At his level humidity is in the proper range. If you go up 6 inches it will be in the mid 60's. If you measure under the plants he likes to hang out under you will get readings in the 90's. 

I spray down his enclouser every morning and every night to ensure the dirt stays very moist. 

Having a lot of live plants helps with keeping the humidity up as the plants are always giving off moisture. 

People keeping saying if it was that humid then everything should be wet all the time. Condensation is a result of dew point not just humidity, and the temp difference between the enclouser and the surrounding air is not different enough to cause condensation.

And lastly, as you know he will burrow down into the dirt/mulch when he is resting and that is the most humid of any area in the enclouser. If I stick the meter into one of these holes its almost 100%.


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## Toddrickfl1 (Jan 28, 2019)

DanB said:


> First let me say this, I fix weather equipment for a living so I think my humidity readings are correct being I used a calibrated meter.
> 
> I live in South Florida between the ocean and the everglades so the yearly average humidity is 78.2% here, I just checked it inside my house and its 62.3% and this is our dry time of the year.
> 
> ...


Like I said just trying to give you a heads up on what people have found to work. I hope you can pull it off because you'd be proving a lot of people wrong but I've yet to see a smooth Tort here raised the first year or two in an open table utilizing many different methods of misting, humid hide, etc. Even in South Florida. I wish you the best of luck though.


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## DanB (Jan 28, 2019)

I totally appreciate your concern and the help you're trying to give. I guess time will tell.

Here is the equipment I use.


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## Maro2Bear (Jan 28, 2019)

Hey Dan, thanks for the updates. What humidity/temp gauge is physically in your enclosure. 

Good luck - lucky YOU and torts in humid Florida!


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## Toddrickfl1 (Jan 28, 2019)

DanB said:


> I totally appreciate your concern and the help you're trying to give. I guess time will tell.
> 
> Here is the equipment I use.


Ya I've never even seen anything like that. I've honestly had my doubts about humidity being the sole factor in Pyramiding. I even considered an open enclosure for my newest hatchling and utilizing some different methods to keep the carapace moisturized. Im just paranoid about having a Pyramided tortoise, and since I've been here I have seen close chambers work. So humidity definitely has to be a factor. I do think with your background in your field though you could probably contribute greatly to the dialogue that's been going on here.


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## BrianDallas (Jan 28, 2019)

I lined my enclosure with clear acrylic sheets. Little tricky to cut, but you can piece them together with silicone caulk which will create a water tight tub(if you do it correctly). I can now dump water directly into their substrate which really helps keep the humidity up. After i did this all my new Rads have smooth shells now! I also gave their diet a bump too so I don’t really know if it was the humidity or diet(or both!)


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## DanB (Jan 28, 2019)

Maro2Bear said:


> Hey Dan, thanks for the updates. What humidity/temp gauge is physically in your enclosure.
> 
> Good luck - lucky YOU and torts in humid Florida!



Right now I have a cheep set of dial temp and humidity indicators in his enclouser but they are always about 10% off. That is why I check with the work meter I showed above. I do have this on order and it should be here in a few days, I will calibrate it against my work meter and then should be good to go.


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## Maro2Bear (Jan 28, 2019)

I’m ready to move to Florida....

Your Redfoots i know love it, and i KNOW our Sully would just love to be grazing on green grass n weeds from Florida. 365 x 24 hours seven days a week.

Plus i can kayak in WARM water.


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## DanB (Jan 28, 2019)

If your not from Fl you want to move here, if your in FL you want to move away. I hate not having 4 seasons, the Redfoots may love the high humidity but I don't. Hurricanes suck.


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## Toddrickfl1 (Jan 28, 2019)

DanB said:


> If your not from Fl you want to move here, if your in FL you want to move away. I hate not having 4 seasons, the Redfoots may love the high humidity but I don't. Hurricanes suck.


I moved away from South Florida in 2005 and I can confirm this statement lol.


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## Maro2Bear (Jan 28, 2019)

DanB said:


> If your not from Fl you want to move here, if your in FL you want to move away. I hate not having 4 seasons, the Redfoots may love the high humidity but I don't. Hurricanes suck.



But - the TAXES are better. Uncle Sam wants all of our money here. 

Yes, four seasons are nice.


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## Toddrickfl1 (Jan 28, 2019)

Maro2Bear said:


> But - the TAXES are better. Uncle Sam wants all of our money here.
> 
> Yes, four seasons are nice.


Ya but the cost of living is outrageous


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## Chasen (Jan 30, 2019)

DanB said:


> OMG what a difference a little light can make. I got an LED plant light and installed it today and Marvel has never been more active. He has come out of hiding and is checking everything out. I thought he might not like the LED's but he seems to love them.
> 
> The purple is much more pronounced in the pics then with the eye.
> 
> ...


Looks great! What's in the jar?


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## DanB (Jan 30, 2019)

Had an orange go bad in the kitchen and the fruit fly's moved into the enclosure, Its 50% apple cider vinegar, 50% water with a few drops of dish soap in it. covered in cling wrap with some holes in it. I was skeptical at first when I saw it online but it really works. In one day they were down 90% and the liquid is full of dead bugs.


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## Chasen (Jan 30, 2019)

DanB said:


> Had an orange go bad in the kitchen and the fruit fly's moved into the enclosure, Its 50% apple cider vinegar, 50% water with a few drops of dish soap in it. covered in cling wrap with some holes in it. I was skeptical at first when I saw it online but it really works. In one day they were down 90% and the liquid is full of dead bugs.


Great idea. Love those hints from Heloise. lol


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## DanB (Jan 31, 2019)

So I got my AcuRite humidity indicator yesterday and right out of the box it was spot on. Below are pics of the temp and humidity bumped up against my calibrated meter.
The last pic is of it this morning before misting.


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## DanB (Feb 2, 2019)

As you can see from the first pic the little nook his enclosure is in has no ceiling lighting and I don't like all the dome lights hanging off the side so I'm making a pool table style light to hang over the enclosure. It will hold 3 sockets and be rated for 600 watts, way more then I'll ever need. This will hold the viewing lighting. I plan on using soft white light so it's not super bright.


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## Yvonne G (Feb 2, 2019)

That's much better. I'm not a fan of using the clamps off the walls like that. Hanging will be better.


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## DanB (Feb 2, 2019)

It's coming along nicely, almost ready for stain.


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## Yvonne G (Feb 2, 2019)

I've never seen planks of wood fitted together in squares like that. It makes for a very pretty look when oiled and finished.


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## DanB (Feb 2, 2019)

This is how the light bar goes in.


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## CarolM (Feb 2, 2019)

DanB said:


> This is how the light bar goes in.


That looks very nice. It is such an achievement when you can build it all yourself.


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## DanB (Feb 4, 2019)

Light is done and hanging up.

I adjusted the exposure to show the light, it's not that bright.


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## schuyler22 (Feb 5, 2019)

DanB said:


> It's up on it's stands now and I put in the plastic berrier that will go between the dirt and the wood. You can see the increase in size he is getting.


I'm loving the L shape...I wish this could work for my sulcata, but he's over a foot long. Still trying to figure it better insure accommodations for him since we live in Wisconsin. I cannot wait to move to Arizona were it will be so much nicer for it little guy!!!


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