Enclosure

[irishshake]

I'm finally done my tortoises home.
Thank you for everyone's help and patience with my many questions.

Hope you like what I built. Still open to suggestions. For those of you that don't know I will be getting a western hermann's tortoise at the end of August.

Hope this list helps others on: How to build an indoor tortoise enclosure.


List of equipment: ( all temps and humidity are correct)
-1 ikea table/ laminate/ safe aquarium adhesive/ carpet cornering.
- 2 homedepot fixtures
-2 Exoterra fixtures
- 1 reptiglo 5.0 tube
-1 reptiglo 10.0 tube
-1 Exoterra 100w heat emitter
-1 Exoterra intense basking light
- black earth soil and coco coir(enough to burrow)
- shelter/ water-food dish half and half/ rocks/ slab rock and obstacles/ basking and rock for beak and claws.
- thermometer and humidity meter.
- light and heat timers
- thermostat for heating element
- stand for basking light at right height and temp.

Enjoy

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Pictures: ( plants are in growing process)( as I am a terrible plant/flower grower)

 

[wellington]

I'm not up on their care so I will leave that to those who know. However, the dome light, if it is a MVB, it needs to point straight down, not on an angle. Otherwise looks pretty good. But could use some plants, real or fake.

 

[jaizei]

How high are the fluorescent tubes from the substrate?

 

[irishshake]

I'm not up on their care so I will leave that to those who know. However, the dome light, if it is a MVB, it needs to point straight down, not on an angle. Otherwise looks pretty good. But could use some plants, real or fake.

I'm trying to grow plants not going so well... lol. No MVB, just a regular heat emitter .

How high are the fluorescent tubes from the substrate?

6"

 

[lynnedit]

Fluorescent tubes don't give off heat, so that height is fine, I believe.
And the domed fixtures just have heat bulb and a non UVB basking bulb, correct? so angle may not be as important.
Looks like you are measuring temps to get the basking area right.

I agree, add a couple of plants. Silk plants from craft stores work very well, with perhaps a spider plant in a pot submerged in the substrate.You might add, say, two more hides; one in the middle, one at the opposite end. An opaque plastic container with a door cut, or an overturned pot (bury it in the substrate so the tort can burrow).

Looks nice!

 

[irishshake]

Fluorescent tubes don't give off heat, so that height is fine, I believe.
And the domed fixtures just have heat bulb and a non UVB basking bulb, correct? so angle may not be as important.
Looks like you are measuring temps to get the basking area right.

I agree, add a couple of plants. Silk plants from craft stores work very well, with perhaps a spider plant in a pot submerged in the substrate.You might add, say, two more hides; one in the middle, one at the opposite end. An opaque plastic container with a door cut, or an overturned pot (bury it in the substrate so the tort can burrow).

Looks nice!

Excellent advice ,Correct on everything!, I will had more hides. I like that idea!!
I am still "studying" plants and trying to keep them alive. It will be easy when I have my tortoise I think .

 

[lynnedit]

check out this site:

http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plants_19.asp

 

[irishshake]

Thank you

 

[cljohnson]

That looks very nice.
I think you will have one happy Hermi.
I hope you also have a safe place outside for him.
The UV bulbs you have are a great supplement but you can never replace the benefits of real sunshine.

 

[irishshake]

That looks very nice.
I think you will have one happy Hermi.
I hope you also have a safe place outside for him.
The UV bulbs you have are a great supplement but you can never replace the benefits of real sunshine.

I will do the best I can to take him out side everyday. I spend a lot of time out there anyway!

 

[Tom]

Looks great over all. I think you need a second lamp stand for the CHE. Those clamps always fail.

He could drown in that water bowl. They are great for lizards and snakes, not so good for tortoises. A cheap terra cotta plant saucer sunk into the substrate will work much better and be safer.

Lastly, don't just take him outside, build a secure enclosure out there for him.

Click the links in my signature for some ideas.

 

[irishshake]

Looks great over all. I think you need a second lamp stand for the CHE. Those clamps always fail.

He could drown in that water bowl. They are great for lizards and snakes, not so good for tortoises. A cheap terra cotta plant saucer sunk into the substrate will work much better and be safer.

Lastly, don't just take him outside, build a secure enclosure out there for him.

Click the links in my signature for some ideas.

Yea was thinking of another stand too, those clamps are garbage. Im hopefully getting a tortoise under 1 year old. I hear they cannot be left outside until at least 5 ? Is this true?

 

[cljohnson]

Yea was thinking of another stand too, those clamps are garbage. Im hopefully getting a tortoise under 1 year old. I hear they cannot be left outside until at least 5 ? Is this true?

You don't want them to live outside at that age but, they should certainly go outside.
You need to make or buy some kind of a box. A concrete mixing tub or a kitty pool work well and are cheap and easy to find. The bigger the better. They like room to roam when they go outside and the exercise is good for them.
Fill it with a damp substrate. It's going to take a lot of water to keep it damp.
Make a wide screen or chicken wire top to keep out predators.
IMPORTANT. Provide them some shade. Little ones can easily overheat and become dehydrated.
Either cover part of the box or be creative and use plants and hides. They will know if they are too hot and seek shelter.
I would start out with a half an hour a day and work your way up to 1 to 2 hours a day.
When you bring them in give them a nice soak and then put them into that beautiful indoor enclosure you have built.
If you can do this consistently at least three days a week the indoor UV bulbs are actually not necessary.

 

[cljohnson]

One more thing.
You should really invest in an infrared temperature gun.
The thermometers you are using are not all that accurate and are very slow.
With the gun you can literally point it anywhere in your closure and check temps instantly.
You can find one online for as little as $25 or go to your local Radio Shack and pick one up for about 40 bucks.
No reptile keeper should be without one.

 

[irishshake]

Excellent. That means I'm almost ready to have a new friend.