Help with enclosure door (closed chamber)

[grandlinegirl]

I'm currently in the process of building a closed chamber enclosure but I'm stuck on the doors. Originally I was going to go with 2 pieces of glass in a track but I'm having trouble finding affordable glass. I looked into acrylic but the only sheets available locally are very thin and flimsy and I'm not sure they would work since I want a really tight seal.

If you guys have any suggestions I would be really appreciative! Pictures would be helpful since I'm horrible at building things and I'm sort of fumbling my way through this. Keep in mind that I'm in Canada so a lot of American products aren't available here and prices are much higher!

This is the enclosure. Originally I was going to get 2 pieces of 30x36 glass. How would you do the doors?

 

[wellington]

For what kind of tort, and how big? I ask, because 2 feet wide is pretty narrow. If it's not built yet, you might go at least 3 feet, 4 if possible and save yourself from doing this again in a couple years or so.
As for doors, how about on hinges that swing out. Plexi even thin will be okay if you add additional support. Sorry, I don't have pics. you could also go with one door glass or plexi and the other side stationary plexi or glass.

 

[grandlinegirl]

For what kind of tort, and how big? I ask, because 2 feet wide is pretty narrow. If it's not built yet, you might go at least 3 feet, 4 if possible and save yourself from doing this again in a couple years or so.
As for doors, how about on hinges that swing out. Plexi even thin will be okay if you add additional support. Sorry, I don't have pics. you could also go with one door glass or plexi and the other side stationary plexi or glass.

It's for a hatchling Hermann's. Unfortunately I can't go any wider than 2 feet. My room is tiny. The size of that tank takes up almost all of it. The only other things that will fit in my room are my bed and dresser! But, as the tortoise gets older and bigger I can add a second level to increase space. I've decided to make the tank higher to accommodate that

Those are good ideas. Thank you!

 

[lismar79]

Add doors to the ends and not the front would be my suggestion. My husband did that with mine and used thin wood and a track he made from pieces of metal. Worked great. We used a window we got from a resale shop for the front so I could see in.

 

[Sandy Martinez]

My closed chamber has 2 hinged doors in the front that swing out from the top. My enclosure is 8x4 but if you wanted to go smaller possibly 4x4 with only one door in front.

 

[grandlinegirl]

My closed chamber has 2 hinged doors in the front that swing out from the top. My enclosure is 8x4 but if you wanted to go smaller possibly 4x4 with only one door in front.
View attachment 158050

I like that, but is it hard to get in there for maintenance with the doors open like that?

 

[Sandy Martinez]

The doors actually swing all the way down. I just had it down half way to show how they swing open from the top.

 

[chaseswife]

The whole top of my enclosure is made of shower curtains. The door opens and closes with zippers that I attached with duct tape. It holds humidity really well with out being a really tight seal.

 

[mike taylor]

Get used glass out of old windows . Then buy a glass cutter and cut it to size . Look on YouTube to see how easy it is to cut . You can go to a junk yard and find flat car windows and cut them to size also . Plus car windows are made out if safety glass .

 

[Tom]

I used lattice cap for the track and thicker plexi for the doors. Plexi flexes when the inside of the enclosure is warmer than the outside air. I will be using glass next time.

You can see it here: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/2015-growth-experiment.119874/

 

[grandlinegirl]

I used lattice cap for the track and thicker plexi for the doors. Plexi flexes when the inside of the enclosure is warmer than the outside air. I will be using glass next time.

You can see it here: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/2015-growth-experiment.119874/

I thought that would happen. The acrylic was so thin that I could see it flexing a lot. I found a glass place that will cut me two pieces for $130

 

[mike taylor]

Holy crap ! 130 bucks that's crazy talk . Is glass rare in Canada ? Do they make it from something other than sand there like gold ?

 

[grandlinegirl]

Holy crap ! 130 bucks that's crazy talk . Is glass rare in Canada ? Do they make it from something other than sand there like gold ?

Everything is much more expensive in Canada! lol. There is a hardware store that quoted me $50 per piece so I'm going to check them out tomorrow.

 

[mike taylor]

Its crazy how much things cost .

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

If you're not opposed to buying things from China, try aliexpress or dhgate. If you limit your search to only those that offer free shipping to your location, you can get great deals (that's how I got all my acrylic for my enclosure shipped to Toronto). Searching can be tedious on those sights though.

For building materials, I actually don't think Canada is any more expensive than the USA (unless you're buying in American prices right now... Sigh, our dollar), but it really depends on what city you're in and if you know where to look. Our big box hardware stores have ridiculous prices for some things.

 

[grandlinegirl]

I live in a small town. I called the local glass companies and that's where I got quoted $130. Another local company wanted $86 per piece. It's just crazy. I'm going to splurge and spend the $130 I guess, lol. Someone's going without a Christmas present! [emoji14]

 

[Anyfoot]

I live in a small town. I called the local glass companies and that's where I got quoted $130. Another local company wanted $86 per piece. It's just crazy. I'm going to splurge and spend the $130 I guess, lol. Someone's going without a Christmas present! [emoji14]

Have you looked on eBay at 'glass sheets'. ?

 

[grandlinegirl]

I just looked at the Canadian site. Not one thing popped up in the size I need and the rest were coloured mosaic glass.

But! I found someone who will do them for $38 a piece so I'm going to go with them

 

[Anyfoot]

I just looked at the Canadian site. Not one thing popped up in the size I need and the rest were coloured mosaic glass.

But! I found someone who will do them for $38 a piece so I'm going to go with them

Yeah I looked on uk site out of curiosity. There is loads of toughened glsss for £5 each, but would have to cut to size.