Heating for New redfoot enclosure

[Murran]

Im just about to start a build on a new enclose for our two redfoots.

The dimensions will be 8ftx4ft I am wondering how many ceramic heaters I will need of what wattage for the space.

I live in the UK and the house can get quite cold at certain times of the day in the winter.

It will be a covered structure made from ply.

I would be most grateful for any help

Murran

 

[Yvonne G]

You'll have to play it by ear. I'd start out with one at either end and add more as needed.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

@Anyfoot is in the U.K.
And he does very, very well.
Let's ask how he hears his zoo quality enclosure.

 

[Anyfoot]

I would put 2 x 200watt CHE’s in.

This one has got 2 x 150watt.

https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/setting-up-my-vivarium.170090/

 

[Murran]

@Anyfoot Thanks for the reply Can I ask where you got the rubber paint from, off the net? I was going to use yacht varnish for the walls would rubber paint serve me better?
I'll go with the two 200'S .
After seeing that thread I will pretty much follow what you have done there but with larger heaters.

 

[Anyfoot]

@Anyfoot Thanks for the reply Can I ask where you got the rubber paint from, off the net? I was going to use yacht varnish for the walls would rubber paint serve me better?
I'll go with the two 200'S .
After seeing that thread I will pretty much follow what you have done there but with larger heaters.

I got it off eBay. It’s very expensive. A 1ltr tin should do you 2 coats. Make sure the room is well ventilated and you wear a mask. It’s very toxic and makes you see pink elephants. Leave 2 wks to air out.
I used it in my tort house and 4 yrs on it’s still good. I literally blast the wall with hose pipe in there and humidity is very high.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Chlorina...hash=item4af8116762:m:ms-qGANGAA4yHdFh_ZZjlAA

 

[Anyfoot]

Have you already got an enclosure?

 

[Murran]

No I am going to build the enclosure, I've been wondering what to paint the walls with.
I am planning on using plywood to build it out of.

 

[Anyfoot]

https://provivs.co.uk/ Do them. But I just looked at 8ft vivs and they carry a hefty price compared to the 6ft I bought.

 

[Anyfoot]

No I am going to build the enclosure, I've been wondering what to paint the walls with.
I am planning on using plywood to build it out of.

Use the rubber paint it’s good stuff. Seal alljoints with caulk first.

 

[Murran]

Yeah I have looked at divs but like you say the are quite expensive.
In quite happy to build something that way I can build it to our needs.

 

[Murran]

Thanks for the advice, after seeing the condensation on the roof of your Viv I may pitch it so the moisture runs down back into the substrate

 

[Anyfoot]

Thanks for the advice, after seeing the condensation on the roof of your Viv I may pitch it so the moisture runs down back into the substrate

Yeah. I had an extreme after thought of making the roof have upside down pyramids all over it so the condensation drips back in all over the viv.

 

[Murran]

A cleaved thought, would make it difficult for attaching light and cleaning but I see where you are coming from. Our redfoots are currently in the biggest really useful box they make until I get this built, the roof always has condensation on it so I think a pitched roof is the way to go.
Thank you for your input, we are new to keeping tortoises so advice from experienced people helps stop me making loads of mistakes and potentially saves time and money awell.
One question, do you think I should go with a 30" 10.0 uvb ? It's quite a large area.

 

[Anyfoot]

A cleaved thought, would make it difficult for attaching light and cleaning but I see where you are coming from. Our redfoots are currently in the biggest really useful box they make until I get this built, the roof always has condensation on it so I think a pitched roof is the way to go.
Thank you for your input, we are new to keeping tortoises so advice from experienced people helps stop me making loads of mistakes and potentially saves time and money awell.
One question, do you think I should go with a 30" 10.0 uvb ? It's quite a large area.

Yes. I did that so I could hang it high out of the way. Mine has a deflector around it. And at 20”ish high it gives a reading of 1.4 on the Ferguson scale. For redfoots we need minimum 1.

How big are your torts, any photos. If you want more torts I’m always looking for good homes for juveniles.

 

[Murran]

@Anyfoot
Moss and Bailey
Moss has a strange crease on his shell, he had it when we got him from the pet shop.
They are growing quickly, hence the need to get the new enclosure built.
As for more redfoots, let's see how we get on with these two first.

 

[Anyfoot]

Forgot to mention. Make sure you use ceramic holders for che. Not plastic.
I used a proportional thermostat to maintain a more constant temperature too.

 

[Murran]

We have ceramic holders, I need to get the cages and brackets to attach to the roof..
We have a themostat it's a Kosovo one, will it be ok?

 

[Anyfoot]

We have ceramic holders, I need to get the cages and brackets to attach to the roof..
We have a themostat it's a Kosovo one, will it be ok?View attachment 256027

Yeah. That will work. It’s rated over 400watt that you will be using.

 

[Murran]

Yeah it's rated a 600 watts so should be ample for the job.
I wondered if you had any thoughts on the crease on boss's shell, Have you see anything like this before?