Darn, so close!

[-ryan-]

I was certain I had found the find of a century when I found out someone about an hour away from me has a tortoise enclosure for sale (made of glass and a wrought iron frame), with a sunken nesting box and everything. It looked like it met all of my criteria for my breeding group of russians, and I even contacted the person and was going to go check it out tomorrow with money in hand, but then I took a closer look at the dimensions. The enclosure is 72" long, but only 19" deep. The enclosure the quartet is in right now is 72"x30", and I am hoping to go larger than that when I move in a couple of months (which was what I was going to buy the new tank for). I don't think it makes sense to lay out cash for a down grade, even if it is fancy. My torts would never be able to get past one another with only 19" of width.

Guess I'm back to the drawing board, but I've got at least another month or so to figure it out before my fiancee and I will be (hopefully) moving into our own house. I'd like to go at least 6'x3', with the 2'x3' nest box sunken into the ground, but if I went out to 8'x3' I could probably turn the quartet into a quintet as I was hoping to do.

Bummer. Oh well though, at least I don't have to worry about going for a long drive tomorrow.

 

[moswen]

wow, how sad to think you have your work finished, only to find out you dont! well, i agree, no sense in downgrading. i hope you get your new one done soon! it sounds awesome, i'll be looking forward to the pictures!

woo hoo on breeding russians! i absolutely hate the words "wild caught" right next to each other....

 

[[email protected]]

have you thought about building your own? the raw material would be cheaper then buying the complete prouduct. you could use plexy glass and ply wood with a water resitent liner. i did it but i went the evean cheaper route by using an old book shelf. mine is just temporary until summer when i can work outside to build my good one. the one that i have now only cost me $50 to build and that is including the lights. the one i am going to build, 3x6 is only gunna cost $100 to build as is going to be incredibale. just a thought that i thought i should share with you. take a look at my pics i have a new post called "enclosure remodled" you should check out. take into mind that this one is just a temp that i made out off stuff i had at home . the reall one will be better but almost justy as cheap(but sturdy and top quality).

 

[-ryan-]

Yeah. Actually I have built a lot of enclosures over the years including the one they are in right now (which is also created from a bookshelf). The reason I was looking into something pre-made this time was that I figured I will not have much down time over the winter to put a new enclosure together. I am still trying to figure out what I want to do. Here are the three options I'm currently mulling over:

-Buy a boamaster 6'x3'x18" enclosure and cut a 2'x3' hole out of the floor panel to sink in a nesting box (like the one they use right now). Pluses are that it looks nice, is relatively easy to service, would be easy to heat, and would require only a minimum of time investment. Estimated cost for the enclosure delivered here would probably be around $450 though, if not more.

-Build an enclosure, either 6'x3'x18" or 8'x3'x18" with a hole in the floor for a nesting box. This is a nice option because I could build exactly what I want without making compromises, however there is going to be a much larger time commitment, and that may be difficult since I'll be working 60+ hour weeks for a while. Price would be nicer. I imagine I would spend somewhere between $100 and $150.

-Utilize the stock tanks that I already have (rubbermaid 150 gallon and black plastic 110 gallon) with custom tops and heavy duty castors. These are smaller than the other options, but if I went this route I would split the group into two smaller groups. I could put two females in one and two in the other, and rotate the male back and forth. I Have a sixth russian whose sex is undetermined as of yet, but he/she could also rotate through the groups when he/she is old enough. This is by far the cheapest option because I already have both tanks. I would even consider getting another black plastic 110 gallon stock tank, because I can get those for a little over $60, and it would be nice to have two identical setups. That and the fact that I would like to eventually use the rubbermaid one to create a pond. The tough part about this idea (the two bin idea) is that I would need to get my hands on a few hundred pounds more dirt in the middle of winter, which could be a challenge.

Lots of ideas. I have time to think about it, but not a whole lot.