Closed chamber needs guidance

[Siren Nora]

I have my 1 yr old leopard growing fast and with everything I have taken in I decided to build a closed chamber to help keep the humidity(I live in az) and heat just right. Theres a whole drilled out of the bottom left side for the humidifier hose above that on top will be the UV lamp. I'm building one side with wood and the other side with plexiglass so Nommie can see out easier. I'm attaching my UV light inside, but I'm not sure about my heat lamp. Help! Updated pics to come..... Walking Dead was on.

 

[kjr153]

Can you cut a hole on the top that is a little smaller than the heat lamp? That way, the heat can go through that hole but it won't fall through.

 

[wellington]

I would attach the heat lamp inside also, but out it on a thermostat so there is no over heating. If you are in AZ, you should be getting him outside everyday for sunlight and you would only need a regular house light bulb for added heat and light. They do t need UVB inside if they can get outside approx. 3-4 times a week for sun.

 

[Zamric]

Make sure to use a good waterproofing on all inside wood...use more than 1 coat if nessasary. High Heat/ High Humidity is a very harsh enviroment for wood! (Great for younge torts!)

 

[Tom]

First of all, I commend you for going this way. Your tortoise will reward you with good health and smooth growth and your electric company will reward you with a smaller bill.

Here are my initial thoughts:
1. It looks too small. You need enough volume to fit your heating and lighting elements inside without over heating. Plus your little baby needs more room to roam in there. I like 4x8x2', but I realize that is not practical for everybody. I'd go at least 4x2.5x2.5'. More if you have the space. Your baby is only going to get bigger. If you build it big the first time, you won't have to build another one in a year.

2. Having your lights on top and outside defeats the purpose of the closed chamber in my opinion. Most of your heat will rise up and into the room and it will create a chimney effect, pulling the warm humid air with it. Its better than the top being completely open, but still not optimal.

3. In something that small you will need to use very small heat lamps. Probably a 35-50 watt flood. I like to run my basking bulb and a florescent tube on a 12 hour timer. Then run a 60 watt CHE on a thermostat to maintain an ambient of 80, day and night. During the day, your ambient temp might creep up into the low 90s. This is okay and simulates what really happens in the wild. It will slowly drop back down to 80 each night when the heat lamps kick off. Your CHE will then take over and prevent it from dropping any lower than 80.

4. As long as your babies get some real direct sunshine in a safe outdoor enclosure a couple of times a week or more, you will not need any artificial UV bulbs indoors.

5. In our super dry climates, I don't treat the interior of the enclosures with anything. I have bare wood closed chambers that I have been using continuously with humid wet loving species for more than a decade. I just don't trust the fumes, chemicals and smells, and it just isn't needed here. Can't speak for the rest of the country. I leave the insides of my enclosures totally untreated with anything and have no problem with damp substrate, dumping water bowls, spraying the whole enclosure and the tortoises shells with handheld sprayers, etc.

Good luck on the rest of the build.

 

[Siren Nora]

Final day of our build.
I have a CHE on order and coming to me this week. The size of our turtle table turned out to be 37x16x17. It looks huge compared to my tortoise and it trumps the size of her enclosure now. I'm chalking this up as an experience. Holy crap! Nommie goes outside a few hours a day roaming my front yard, her out door enclosure is next. I don't like leaving her totally alone for fear she will get eaten- she is still only the size of my palm.

 

[Siren Nora]

All done