bigger enclosure?

Status
Not open for further replies.

jobeanator

Active Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Jul 12, 2008
Messages
488
Location (City and/or State)
northern new york
i recently posted a thread in the sulcata section showing my enclosure, and i think its time for them to get upgraded into something bigger. this is where im stuck, i dont know what i could use for them to upgrade into. anyone have any suggestions and or pics ? let me know, thanks
 

Laura

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
5 Year Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2007
Messages
7,502
Location (City and/or State)
Foothills above Sacramento CA
Hard to tell the sizes of your torts.. try a kiddie pool?
Or best yet.. move them outside. Cinder blocks can be used to make all sorts of enclosures. Easy to use, change, add too etc..
Your one has pretty severe pyrimiding. Outdoors is best for them. Natural sunshine, lots of grasses.
My first rescue looks like that but even worse. There are pics of her on here somewhere.. its a link to shutterfly..it shows her and my pasture enclosures.
 

Laura

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
5 Year Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2007
Messages
7,502
Location (City and/or State)
Foothills above Sacramento CA
Here is the post and link...

There are also a few pics of the new tort I just got from a rescue. Severe Pyramiding... but so far she is adjusting well.
In the stall area, we used the bottom half of a dog house turned upside down with a stanfield heat pad under it. There is a heat lamp that I might use when it gets colder so they can venture out of the heated house and still not be too chilled.
We used 2x4 greenboard for the bottom board slightly buried and two levels of 1x12 boards for the walls. Its an outdoor area of about 100x60, with a covered area near the barn and the stall where the heat is. Im sure we will be making adjustments along the way and possibly even expanding!
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welco...HLFw5YsXyQ
 

jobeanator

Active Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Jul 12, 2008
Messages
488
Location (City and/or State)
northern new york
yeah i have a kiddy pool for them, but i wanted to try to rig something up for him inside my house since where i live i get winter. my tortoises arent big at all, i have 2 hatchlings and one thats like 4-5 inches top. i thought about just using a book case on its back or something. my kiddy pool is for them to lay and bask outside and then at night i bring them in from anything happening. i just need something a little bigger and wider and im still somewhat stumped
 

Laura

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
5 Year Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2007
Messages
7,502
Location (City and/or State)
Foothills above Sacramento CA
The bookcase idea would work.. or just build what you can make fit your space. Sheet of plywood 4x8 with sides tall enough they cant climb out. remember what ever substrate you ad will ad height and the walls may have to be taller then you thought.
 

turtles1957

New Member
10 Year Member!
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2008
Messages
22
Have you found anything yet that you think would work for indoors?
 

jobeanator

Active Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Jul 12, 2008
Messages
488
Location (City and/or State)
northern new york
no, i yet to have found anything. ive been looking around for anything possibly big enough for them but im not finding it or im not looking in the right places. anyone got anything big i can buy off them? let me know, thanks!
 

turtles1957

New Member
10 Year Member!
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2008
Messages
22
I had the same issue with finding an indoor enclosure that I could take out of our home if we move that was still large enough for our 11" boy to live in. We live in Indiana and we have at least 6 months of time our torts can't be out...thus began constuction of Tortoisetown! My husband thought I was nuts...but, it came out to be a two story enclosure with around 18 square feet of room including a personal lagoon! Sounds nice, for torts! It took around $60, a bunch of time and loads of creativity. The bottom story roughly measures 4' x 3' and the second story 3' x 2'. There is a ramp (with a 12" fall guard...like a guard rail) to the second floor, this prohibits excerise in the winter months, it's at about a 45 degree angle with "steps" or ridges for our torts to be able to "grab" on when they climb. (plus the food and heat lamp are on the 2nd floor...now they want to be there) As for the floor, it's boat carpeting, so it's waterproof!, well nearly. We can take it out and clean it, let the sun dry it and have it back in at night. I painted the outside of the enclosure with exterior paint and let it dry about a week (for odor) plus this added strength of the exteiror of the structure. The first floor has the ceremic heat element and the shade/hide spots under the 2nd story...PLUS, the lagoon. It's really just a tub of water 18" by 12"...but I'd like to think it's a lagoon. Anyway, I would be glad to email or post some pics but I'm not sure the best way to do this. Please email me for these, I have pics of it and video of our boy using the stairs! It's really interesting, he's adapted rather well to it. Good luck with starting your project!
 

jlyoncc1

Active Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Oct 3, 2007
Messages
2,038
Location (City and/or State)
NJ
I purchased a very long galvanized tub at a Tractor Supply store. It makes a great indoor enclosure for my torts. I am sure you could find them at any feed store.
DSC07938.jpg

It is easy to clip or hang lights from. Good luck.
 

K9KidsLove

New Member
10 Year Member!
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2008
Messages
586
I made tortoise tables for my guys when they have to be inside. I used a piece of 4' x 6' x 3/4" plywood. (I'd have used the full 8' length if I had room to put it). I covered it with linoleum to make it easier to clean. I made a frame for this plywood to set down into, with 2" x 2" x 2' legs on each corner & in the middle. I put wheels on the bottom of the legs so I can wheel it in & out as needed to clean or to let them out on the warmer days in spring & fall.
Good luck
Pasy
 

mtdavis817254

Member
10 Year Member!
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2008
Messages
78
Location (City and/or State)
waco tx
use a big tuffawear tub. you can rig it up with lights and the biggest on i found would be big enough for them to roam around in..
 

Jacqui

Wanna be raiser of Lemon Drop tortoises
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 28, 2007
Messages
39,941
Location (City and/or State)
A Land Far Away...
I too love the Rubbermaid sheep waterers from the farm supply stores. They are very sturdy, easy to clean and disinfect.

You mentioned a bookcase, have you thought about an old waterbed frame? I believe it was Ilovemytorts who used one.
 

turtles1957

New Member
10 Year Member!
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2008
Messages
22
That's what I used before constucting TORTOISEVILLE...Our rubbermaid tub was a christmas tree storage container we converted. It measured about 18" by 54". For those of you who might want to see tortoiseville, check out the pics at www.freewebs.com/tortoiseville and look under the Photo Gallery.
 

jobeanator

Active Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Jul 12, 2008
Messages
488
Location (City and/or State)
northern new york
hey just to give a update on my new enclosure... im planning on buying a bookcase from walmart for $30.. it looks pretty big and its gonna be good for my sulcatas. ill take new pics when i get it all setup for you guys
 

purpod

New Member
10 Year Member!
5 Year Member
Today is my birthday!
Joined
May 12, 2008
Messages
651
Location (City and/or State)
Ventura County, CA
jobeanator said:
yeah i have a kiddy pool for them, but i wanted to try to rig something up for him inside my house since where i live i get winter. my tortoises arent big at all, i have 2 hatchlings and one thats like 4-5 inches top. i thought about just using a book case on its back or something. my kiddy pool is for them to lay and bask outside and then at night i bring them in from anything happening. i just need something a little bigger and wider and im still somewhat stumped

Hiya Job ~

What about getting a used sofa table {or coffee table for something shorter} and creating an enclosure by placing a square {made of screwed together shelving} on it for the walls? Then just screw the square onto the table top & you could have a furniture type enclosure for them. It could be a fun weekend project..

As T1957 mentioned, you could even get creative, and make a second story minus the stairs: the bottom level for the larger tort & the upstairs bedroom for the babes... The carpeting is a nice added touch for ease of cleaning & feeding, imho, altho the flooring could be split to have a bedding/substrate side too.

Adding wheels as Pasy did is another xllnt idea.

Lots of xllnt ideas here, hmmm, I may just take a bit of this idea, a bit of that idea, and make a very cool area for my leopards!
~ Good luck with your creation!
Purpod

 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top