I use one inch roofing screws. They have a hex head and come with a little rubber washer already on them. I tighten them down so there is light tension, but not so tight that they break the corrugated plastic.
Double Door Night Box
- Thread starter Tom
- Start date
Do you paint the bottom? Seems like the bottom should be painted. I guess set the box on its side? Boy that'll be a pain!
Yes. I hit the bottoms extra heavy since that what will be exposed to the most moisture in our rainy season here. I set the boxes on saw horses when I am building its really easy to tip the box up onto its back wall to paint the bottom.
To be clear, I'm talking about the outside bottom of the box. I don't paint the inside where the tortoise will be. They would just rub the paint away in short order.
rjk
New Member
I have a question about the bottom of the night boxes I don't think I've seen a picture of since the boards are oriented up the plywood on the bottom can me attached to the studs but the plywood on top of the foam has nothing to screw into is there a framing structure on the bottom that I've just not seen a picture of?
rjk
New Member
Ahh I thought that was the roof that you for clarifiying
You can tell it is the floor because of the door cut outs.
For the roof I use 2x2s all the way around to save weight.
On the one in the picture, I can't tell if those were 2x3s or 2x4s, and I honestly don't remember. I've tried different things and evolved over the years. I usually put more "crossbeams" on the floor for heavier tortoises. I think this picture was from an earlier build many years ago, and I noticed sagging in the middle under the weight of heavy tortoises. After this build, I started making more supports across the middle to distribute the tortoise weight better. Here is another pic of that same build from 2015 without the insulation. You can see the roof in the back ground:
Here is one I built for a friend with more supports. I used 2x4s on this one, and just one door:
Almost finished here. This box was taller than what I usually do for a friend's Aldabra:
I love the placement of that heater, off the ground. I may try that in my sulcata house.
@Tom Could I trouble you for some details on how the shelf is attached? And a link for the heater and fan (again)?
@Tom Could I trouble you for some details on how the shelf is attached? And a link for the heater and fan (again)?
Off the ground only works inhaler boxes. This one was three feet tall. I made it that tall to accommodate an adult Aldabra. My normal boxes are 24 inches tall, which works out to around 21 inches inside with the insulation and layers of plywood. The mini oil heaters are about 16 inches tall, so there isn't room to put them on a shelf. I don't like taller boxes because heat rises and it's less efficient to heat a taller air space. 21inches is plenty of room for an adult male sulcata, but not tall enough for an adult Aldabra or a Galapagos tortoise.
I attach the shelf supports to the walls by screwing in through the back side of the inner walls and using fender washers, before I attach and seal the inner walls in place. I can literally stand on them and jump up and down and they don't move. Then I simply attach the actual shelf once the walls are installed. I tend to over engineer things. This is probably more than what needs to be done, but I sleep better at night knowing that you could park a car on my boxes. We joke that if there is ever a nuclear war, I'm just going to get inside one of my tortoise boxes and I'll be safe.
I get the heaters and fans from amazon. I just shop around. The type and brands change through the years. Some of the heaters are identical and sold under several different names. Also, I like the fan speed to be controllable, so I buy the type that come with the little adjustment knob. Here's an example of the heaters I would use, and I always keep a spare on hand:
And a fan:
I use them for framing wherever I can. Usually all around the top and for one of the uprights in each corner. Some areas require a 2x4. Other areas are fine with a 2x3.
Thanks @SinLA
Thank you
Fire_bug80
Active Member
Tom, I’m confused about the lid. Does it set flush on top of the box? Or the box inside of the lid?
Box sits inside the lid. This gives about an inch and half of overlap to keep wind and rain out. So if the lid is a 4x8 sheet of plywood with 2x4s around the edges, you'll need to make the box three inches smaller, plus another inch for lid clearance(half inch of clearance on each side). This means that you lose four inches plus two two inch walls for a total of 8 inches less of interior space. So the inside of a 48x96 inch box is around 88x40 inches.
Fire_bug80
Active Member
I’m stumped on the doors. What hindges and how to put them on
Fire_bug80
Active Member
Attachments
Fire_bug80
Active Member
Guess the gap when closed is normal? I’m assuming the plastic slats will keep heat in?
Fire_bug80
Active Member
