Best Budget Enclosure Option

[Alecjb12]

Hello All,

I’m back after 12 years and it feels great to be apart of the community again! I’m here to share what I feel is the best option for those looking to provide a spacious, closed chamber enclosure for the best price possible.

After looking searching far and wide for an enclosure that could keep a large tortoise species indoors until ready for the outdoors, I came across grow tents. Grow tents are designed to be closed chamber to simulate whatever environment a botanist chooses, including temperature gradients, airflow, and humidity.

Realistically, from what I’ve read on the forum, you can house nearly any large species tortoise in an 8’x4’ enclosure until they’re big enough for an outdoor enclosure. I’ve also ready that an 8’x4’ enclosure can house smaller species of tortoise, like Russians, somewhat comfortably for their entire lifespan (although not optimal).

I was able to secure an 8’x4’ grow tent composed of quality material for $110 on Amazon, making it exponentially cheaper than most, if not all, conventional enclosure offerings on the market. A similar enclosure made of PVC or wood, though it may be more visually appealing, would cost in the several hundreds to thousands depending on the complexity and maker.

Here are some pictures of the enclosure. I’ve read from Tom that decorations are more for the owner than the tortoise, so I’ve kept the enclosure very simple with a humid hide, basking rock, and water dish for now. I plan to add some additional hide spots this weekend. Please feel free to make recommendations on what I should do to it!

(Note: You’ll notice I do not offer a source of UV yet, but plan to before winter. Right now, Binkie is getting 5+ hours of natural UV from the sun weekly.)

Current Enclosure Conditions (as of today)
Day Ambient: 83f-88f gradient
Night Ambient: 85f-80f as night progresses
Basking: 95f-102f gradient
Humidity: 80%-90%
Substrate: Cypress mulch topped with coco coir

 

[KarenSoCal]

Hi! It's great that you discovered grow tents! And thank you for posting about them.

While you've been gone, the forum has also discovered grow tents! We've had several members use them for hatchlings and juveniles just as you are. It's interesting that you are using yours upright. Our members have turned them onto their sides to get the larger floor space with a smaller tent.

Here are 2 of them. The third is an adaptation of the grow tent idea. Yours looks good! (but I do like a little more "furniture", like plants, for cool hiding places. A personal preference thing.)

 

[Alecjb12]

Hi! It's great that you discovered grow tents! And thank you for posting about them.

While you've been gone, the forum has also discovered grow tents! We've had several members use them for hatchlings and juveniles just as you are. It's interesting that you are using yours upright. Our members have turned them onto their sides to get the larger floor space with a smaller tent.

Here are 2 of them. The third is an adaptation of the grow tent idea. Yours looks good! (but I do like a little more "furniture", like plants, for cool hiding places. A personal preference thing.)

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Those are all fantastic! It’s amazing how quick the community picks up new ways to properly care for their torts!

To answer your question as to why I didn’t lay it on its side: I didn’t have enough floor space for an 8’x7’ enclosure and 8’x4’ seemed to be a decent enough size to raise the tort until its move outside.

I’m definitely looking into adding some more hiding spots without removing too much roaming space. Plants seem to do the trick, but I’m afraid Binkie will just tear them apart / eat them.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

We have been recommending growth tents, especially when people have bought an open top enclosure for their hatchling that needs to be converted to a closed chamber. @Littleredfootbigredheart has some great photos.

 

[wellington]

Yes, we recommend them a lot on this forum, we call them portable greenhouses. They have been used and recommended for years.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Yes grow tents work SO well as starer enclosures! I was skeptical about them when I had one first suggested to me! After more research though I realised how effective they are! These are my photo examples I pass onto new members, some are better visual examples than others so I’m always looking for more to add to update my advice

 

[KarenSoCal]

Those are all fantastic! It’s amazing how quick the community picks up new ways to properly care for their torts!

To answer your question as to why I didn’t lay it on its side: I didn’t have enough floor space for an 8’x7’ enclosure and 8’x4’ seemed to be a decent enough size to raise the tort until its move outside.

I’m definitely looking into adding some more hiding spots without removing too much roaming space. Plants seem to do the trick, but I’m afraid Binkie will just tear them apart / eat them.

Binkie will probably eat them. You have to be sure to use safe plants. A few that lots of us use are pothos, spider plant, Boston fern, prayer plant, and African violets. Also any kind of bromeliad is safe.

If you buy commercial plants, they are loaded with chemicals. There is a long process that must be followed to make them safe. The best way to get safe plants is to take cuttings from friends and family...just make sure they have only used plain fertilizer without additives.

 

[Alecjb12]

Binkie will probably eat them. You have to be sure to use safe plants. A few that lots of us use are pothos, spider plant, Boston fern, prayer plant, and African violets. Also any kind of bromeliad is safe.

If you buy commercial plants, they are loaded with chemicals. There is a long process that must be followed to make them safe. The best way to get safe plants is to take cuttings from friends and family...just make sure they have only used plain fertilizer without additives.

I don’t have any friends or family with plants unfortunately! What’s the process of making plants from stores safe for Binkie?

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

I don’t have any friends or family with plants unfortunately! What’s the process of making plants from stores safe for Binkie?

Hi!
You get the plant out of old soil, rinse with water (including roots). Then plant it in a fresh clean soil and wait several months. For decorative plants you can cut the new growth (vines, plantlets) and use it in the enclosure - works with pothos, tradescantia zebrina, spider plants. Some ferns, when given enough space propagate undetground and you can dig out fresh clumps.

Some plants grow fast enough from seeds - like coleus and chia. Chia seeds you can get from a grocery store, soak them for 2-4 hours in water and then plant them. Also, there seed mixes for tortoises (but it's for feeding them, not for decorations).

 

[Nrc470]

What did you use for a floor on the inside of the grow tent? i was gonna set mine up this weekend

 

[Tom]

Three problems with this system:

1. Its too tall inside. You are heating and 8 foot air column when the tortoise is only occupying an inch and a half.
2. They don't insulate as well as expanded PVC sheets.
3. They leak on the bottom, so you have to have some sort of liner in them.

Using a grow tent is better than having an open top, but its not as good as a closed chamber.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

1. Its too tall inside. You are heating and 8 foot air column when the tortoise is only occupying an inch and a half

This depends on the tent, but I agree that the tent in OPs post is quite tall.