# Building Tortoise Table Number Two!



## Oxalis (May 23, 2017)

We're finally on to our Russian enclosure upgrades! Here's is the thread for Steve's first enclosure my husband and I built (after Steve lived in that dreadful glass tank): http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/steves-new-enclosure-the-first-one-ive-built.80648/ We have since re-painted his bedroom (yes, Steve's bedroom) from a light yellow to bright green and blue.

Right now we're building a frame of 2-by-4s that will support the tortoise table. For the table itself, we're planning on using a VOC-free plywood base and maybe the same material for the walls as well. The inside corners of the table will be patched with fiberglass, and—although it's expensive—we're hoping to use Pond Armor to coat the inside of the table. I always prefer the healthiest options for my little tort assuming I can cover the fee! Once we get the supporting frame together, I can start taking some photos for the thread.

Feel free to share any comments/suggestions you have with these materials.  Thanks in advance!


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## Oxalis (May 24, 2017)

Here is Steve's room earlier today. Yesterday, hubby cut some 2x4s to lay out the supporting frame of the table, and those are laying on the floor in the picture next to Steve's current table. We moved it back from under the window, which is where his new enclosure will be, so he will still get some sunlight.


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## Oxalis (May 25, 2017)

The frame for the new enclosure is almost complete. It will be in an L shape, which will allow me to reach entirely across to the back walls of the enclosure. As you can see, it's a bit bigger than the old tort table.  This way I should be able to add some plants as well as new, brighter lights. Steve should love having more space.




The corner of the L will be where the green and blue walls meet, maximizing the enclosure space.


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## Linhdan Nguyen (May 26, 2017)

Cant wait to see the end results ! By the end of fall I should have a very long tortoise table for my russians also!


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## Alicia Hoogstra (May 26, 2017)

Wow! Do you rent your hubby out? Lolol


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## Oxalis (May 27, 2017)

Alicia Hoogstra said:


> Wow! Do you rent your hubby out? Lolol


I know; he's having a great time building!  The supporting frame is completed (and he vacuumed for me!). There is a space at the corner of the L where I can't reach, so it may become a small "garden" space; not sure yet. Most of this bottom area will be open, so we won't be covering up that floor vent, and I will also have a small cupboard to store Mazuri and other tort supplies.


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## Oxalis (May 30, 2017)

Most of the enclosure's floor is attached now. Hubby is working on getting the walls up. You can see Steve will have a sunny side and a shady side to choose from. To save a few bucks, we opted for the plain pine plywood instead as the off-gassing is negligible.


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## AmberD (Jun 1, 2017)

Thank you for posting. My husband and I plan on making a similar L shape when we upgrade. This gives me many new ideas! Great job!


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## Alex Z (Jun 1, 2017)

Looking forward to the finish table


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## Oxalis (Jun 5, 2017)

The Pond Armor should be coming in the mail tomorrow!  Walls are up now, yippee! Stevie is quite patient with all the drill noises...


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## Alex Z (Jun 7, 2017)

Oxalis said:


> The Pond Armor should be coming in the mail tomorrow!  Walls are up now, yippee! Stevie is quite patient with all the drill noises...
> 
> View attachment 209595




Looking fantastic!!


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## Dinosaur_Owner (Jun 14, 2017)

Wow that's looking really good! I can't wait to see it finished!


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## daniellenc (Jun 14, 2017)

That is gorgeous!!!! I am good at putting things together with instructions but yeah that's about it. Hubby makes me do the assembling here so he's no help either, lol. However, pretty soon I'll have to learn so I've been searching all enclosure threads for ideas hehe. Can't wait to see it finished.


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## Gary Gerrard (Jun 15, 2017)

Thats a realy good size what wood are use using? Iam going to be making my 1st one very soon i have purchased a smallish one for now to get me through the next few weeks dnt get my 1st tortoise for another week or two so just wana get started before making a new tabke looking at doing a 4ft by 3ft but just need a little advice on the wood i would use and do i need to water proof it or could i just put pond tarp all the way around? Realy appreciate any suggestions


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## Oxalis (Jun 15, 2017)

Many thanks for all the wonderful replies!  We used just pine plywood, 1/2'' thickness, for the walls and floors of the enclosure. I will have to post some actual measurements of the table soon too...

Hubby used Titebond III Ultimate—a VOC-free, non-toxic, and waterproof wood glue—to seal the cracks between the boards. He then put on the first layer of Pond Armor but felt like more was needed, so he bought a second kit and will probably apply it sometime this weekend. Amazon actually had the same price as Home Depot. It didn't smell too horrific or anything; I was surprised. Unlike my husband, I've never worked with epoxy before, so this was a new experience to me.




The slick, smooth surface reminds me of an air hockey table.


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## bandibh (Jun 16, 2017)

Gary Gerrard said:


> Thats a realy good size what wood are use using? Iam going to be making my 1st one very soon i have purchased a smallish one for now to get me through the next few weeks dnt get my 1st tortoise for another week or two so just wana get started before making a new tabke looking at doing a 4ft by 3ft but just need a little advice on the wood i would use and do i need to water proof it or could i just put pond tarp all the way around? Realy appreciate any suggestions



If you look at our previous table in one of the first posts you can see what we did which was to put a plastic liner all the way around, our only problem is in the corners little Steve gets his claws into it and tries to climb out and over the top. Sometimes he tries to sleep back there to if he can find a way in.


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## Oxalis (Jun 18, 2017)

bandibh said:


> If you look at our previous table in one of the first posts you can see what we did which was to put a plastic liner all the way around, our only problem is in the corners little Steve gets his claws into it and tries to climb out and over the top. Sometimes he tries to sleep back there to if he can find a way in.


Thank you, hubby! 

Epoxy is finished now. The next steps are getting the lighting worked out, capping off the corners, and designing the inside of the enclosure; that sort of thing. Then we'll add some cabinets underneath somewhere. Steve should be moving in very soon!


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## Gary Gerrard (Jun 18, 2017)

Oxalis said:


> Thank you, hubby!
> 
> Epoxy is finished now. The next steps are getting the lighting worked out, capping off the corners, and designing the inside of the enclosure; that sort of thing. Then we'll add some cabinets underneath somewhere. Steve should be moving in very soon!
> 
> View attachment 210635



This looks realy good may have to use this for my first table i build got a 48 by 19 for a temp one so dnt wana keep that too long want to make a good size one so last a few years rather than making a small then having to remake ecer year or so


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## xirxes (Jun 18, 2017)

I'm in the Pond industry, and Pond shield Pond armor is one of the most durable finishes around. Outside under full submersion and the elements that stuff has 20 year guarantee.

You will reap the rewards of not sparing the expense here, NOTHING will get through that! 

Well done.


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## leigti (Jun 18, 2017)

xirxes said:


> I'm in the Pond industry, and Pond shield Pond armor is one of the most durable finishes around. Outside under full submersion and the elements that stuff has 20 year guarantee.
> 
> You will reap the rewards of not sparing the expense here, NOTHING will get through that!
> 
> Well done.


I thought about possibly using this in my tortoise enclosure. And also in my chicken coop. But I am worried that my Russian tortoise would scratch it off. They dig like crazy. Have you had this problem? Do you have Russians?


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## xirxes (Jun 18, 2017)

I do not have Russians, but you cannot get through this stuff even with a knife. You would need hammer and chisel.


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## Gary Gerrard (Jun 19, 2017)

xirxes said:


> I do not have Russians, but you cannot get through this stuff even with a knife. You would need hammer and chisel.



Think this will be getting used for my table oncethis has been put down how long would you leaveit to air out? And do you need anything special to apply it?


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## Oxalis (Jun 20, 2017)

xirxes said:


> I do not have Russians, but you cannot get through this stuff even with a knife. You would need hammer and chisel.


Glad to hear my Russian won't be able to scratch it off so quickly. I'm always wondering how to compete with his "active" behavior. 


Gary Gerrard said:


> Think this will be getting used for my table once this has been put down how long would you leaveit to air out? And do you need anything special to apply it?


We left it for a few hours in the room, with the fan going and the windows open (on a warm day) to help it dry faster and air out. It's at least tacky a half hour after application, but hubby says it's dry to the touch within about 1 to 2 hours, and fully cures by about 24 hours, minimum. This is all dependent upon your humidity and other factors. Steve was outside in his outdoor enclosure so it worked out well.


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## xirxes (Jun 20, 2017)

you can apply with short nap roller, or if surface is super slick, a squeegee. make sure to press it in well to any gaps and as directed, two caots to get a 10 mil finish for full warrantee.


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## Oxalis (Jul 3, 2017)

I think we finally figured out our lighting for the enclosure!  We've been busy lately but Steve's almost ready to move in. We found a 48-inch LED light with a color temperature of 4000 K (which is a white, neutral light) and outputs 4800 lumens. Here's the room without the light on:




Here's the light on, which will add significantly more light to the room for Steve. For heat, I have one heat lamp and the 100-Watt Zoo Med PowerSun UV mercury vapor lamp.


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## Oxalis (Jul 10, 2017)

*We are just about finished!!! *

I have been super excited to finish up our project (OK, mostly my husband's awesome project) so Steve can explore his new home. We recently had a wedding to attend and had to put off the table for a few days and neither one of us enjoyed that. Steve has much more space in his new home, and we will be better utilizing the space in this extra bedroom. Now that the table is under the window ledge, his enclosure will catch more sunlight, although he pretty much has a sun shining above him with his new LED light! The corners have wide caps, which he has already taken a liking to because it provides him with another hiding spot. And best of all, he has plants growing inside his enclosure now. There are currently 3 spineless _Opuntia_ (courtesy of @Turtulas-Len) and a _Campanula_ from Steve's outdoor garden/enclosure (the first flower on it this season just bloomed today). The two wider pots have Testudo Mix seed and the other pot some _Calendula_ seeds I thought I'd try. The _Campanula_ is already growing over the edge of the pot where Steve can reach up and eat it himself. Even if he can't reach a plant, this will still make feeding him quicker since I won't have to go outside to his garden (or the supermarket in the winter). The white on the inside walls is the Pond Armor. We bought bricks of the Eco Earth Coconut Fiber Substrate, which soaked inside the enclosure, so everything's definitely waterproof!




Here is the longer edge of the table, the warm side with a heat lamp and a 100W PowerSun UV bulb:




Here's the shorter edge, the cooler side with a water dish:




After his Mazuri treat, Steve sets off to explore his new territory!




I love that we could make the enclosure L-shaped, so Steve could not view the entire enclosure from one end. We're hoping this (and his new LED light) keep him more active while inside. Of course, we can always move around the pots and start growing other plants for him to add enrichment.


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## Turtulas-Len (Jul 10, 2017)

That setup should keep Steve from getting bored while inside.


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## daniellenc (Jul 10, 2017)

Definitely amazing!! I can't wait for Skurt to get big enough for a large space like that.


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## Oxalis (Jul 10, 2017)

Turtulas-Len said:


> That setup should keep Steve from getting bored while inside.


He visited each rock (in the corners) and sat on it for a second, looking around. Then he walked back to the heat lamp, his safe place.  I think he'll grow to like it better than the old house in the next few days!

Here's hubby having fun destroying the old tort table. We'll probably use the wood for another project.


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## Oxalis (Jul 17, 2017)

In case anyone is interested in building their own table, here are the measurements for our tortie table (and yes, I know my math isn't perfect).


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## Oxalis (Nov 28, 2017)

The burrow king is inside for the winter and no longer taking calls.  I soaked another brick of substrate for Steve for greater burrow depth.


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