Hello -
This is (hopefully) my final time making a tortoise enclosure, so I want to try and do it the best I possibly can.
My plan is to construct an 8x4x2 (LWH) indoor closed chamber enclosure for my lad. He is a Russian Tortoise. I plan to use plywood for the base chassis. Trust the process on this, please!
After the plywood, I want to do GREAT STUFF Expanding Foam, as I've heard nothing but good reviews on that. I also planned on using Silicone Caulking to further waterproof and have another layer between the shell of the enclosure and the atmosphere and ecosystem. The foam will be between the plywood shell and the silicone, a video on what I mean. I intend to have plywood (or whatever else is recommended if the load strength is a concern) as the chassis for everything but the top and the front. The top will be totally Plexiglas or acrylic for viewing. The front will be a hollow rectangle to allow for front side viewing, likely just a single sheet of bolted plexiglass (with pre-drilled holes for the actual bolts, same as the top!) The back will have a large hatch to allow for whatever slight maintenance is needed. I plan to have small air vents on the sides to allow for air flow, too. The oxygen content is not really a concern for me. All wooden surfaces will be waterproofed with expanding foam to give shape and texture to the sides and back (and the bit of front that isn't viewing window), and then caulking to be able to add coco coir or bark or small bits of carved foam or whatever I want to add, which I believe would be enough to have any of the dirt or moisture or humidity not touch the wood surfaces, or if it does, touch it very, very little.
Once the base structure is finished, I will be elevating it off the floor, to fit a few things. One, is any supplies I need, like replacement substrate, dry food stuffs (he currently eats an assortment of fresh vegetables). Two is a water reservoir (trust the process). The water reservoir would be to supply two things. The first would be a built in slow flowing river-ette (think of a tiny, tiny stream) which feeds from a spigot on the enclosure wall to a smaller lightly heated 'vernal' pond (this part is objectively over-engineered but if the over engineered-ness is the only part that is bad, I want to pursue it) that would allow him to soak whenever he'd like to. The 'pond' would slowly feed into a drainage pipe which would have a filtration system that would clean any and all fecal matter from the pond, which the water would then flow to the reservoir I mentioned earlier, just to be pumped back to the spigot topside. There would be a small offshoot from the reservoir (think like the size of a 2.5 gallon water jug) to feed into a misting system that will be activated once the humidity drops below 35-40% and shuts off around 50-55% or so, so after the initial humidity spray, shouldn't activate much. I plan to have isopods and maybe the odd spring tail or two in there to help with fecal matter and uneaten plant matter. I also want to do a raised food platform anyway so that the lad does not track his food all over like he does currently. I have confirmed he'll climb any type of ramp, his last enclosure had a ramp separating two different stories and that was built and in operation for a while, it worked pretty well for the time it was in effect.
He will have two heat/uvb lamps in his enclosure, also allowing for a hot and cold side, as well as multiple hides and different landmarks, but I'm more worried about the chassis, protection and life support before I worry about the decoration of the enclosure. There will be adequate heat protection for the Plexiglas wherever the bulbs or light hoods touch.
I'll attach two photos of the plans I have. Everything is proportional to my measurements I've mentioned, I just forgot to put visual measurements in. The 'closed' box is with the viewing windows added, the 'opened' one is the purely wooden bits.
Please let me know what anyone who sees this thinks, I'm open to criticism but I think I've covered all my bases. I do know some of these things aren't totally necessary, like the water bits, but if they'll work, I wanna build them, because they're cool and all. I do have access to all materials required, or can get the things I do not currently have. Thanks for reading!
-Pietro
This is (hopefully) my final time making a tortoise enclosure, so I want to try and do it the best I possibly can.
My plan is to construct an 8x4x2 (LWH) indoor closed chamber enclosure for my lad. He is a Russian Tortoise. I plan to use plywood for the base chassis. Trust the process on this, please!
After the plywood, I want to do GREAT STUFF Expanding Foam, as I've heard nothing but good reviews on that. I also planned on using Silicone Caulking to further waterproof and have another layer between the shell of the enclosure and the atmosphere and ecosystem. The foam will be between the plywood shell and the silicone, a video on what I mean. I intend to have plywood (or whatever else is recommended if the load strength is a concern) as the chassis for everything but the top and the front. The top will be totally Plexiglas or acrylic for viewing. The front will be a hollow rectangle to allow for front side viewing, likely just a single sheet of bolted plexiglass (with pre-drilled holes for the actual bolts, same as the top!) The back will have a large hatch to allow for whatever slight maintenance is needed. I plan to have small air vents on the sides to allow for air flow, too. The oxygen content is not really a concern for me. All wooden surfaces will be waterproofed with expanding foam to give shape and texture to the sides and back (and the bit of front that isn't viewing window), and then caulking to be able to add coco coir or bark or small bits of carved foam or whatever I want to add, which I believe would be enough to have any of the dirt or moisture or humidity not touch the wood surfaces, or if it does, touch it very, very little.
Once the base structure is finished, I will be elevating it off the floor, to fit a few things. One, is any supplies I need, like replacement substrate, dry food stuffs (he currently eats an assortment of fresh vegetables). Two is a water reservoir (trust the process). The water reservoir would be to supply two things. The first would be a built in slow flowing river-ette (think of a tiny, tiny stream) which feeds from a spigot on the enclosure wall to a smaller lightly heated 'vernal' pond (this part is objectively over-engineered but if the over engineered-ness is the only part that is bad, I want to pursue it) that would allow him to soak whenever he'd like to. The 'pond' would slowly feed into a drainage pipe which would have a filtration system that would clean any and all fecal matter from the pond, which the water would then flow to the reservoir I mentioned earlier, just to be pumped back to the spigot topside. There would be a small offshoot from the reservoir (think like the size of a 2.5 gallon water jug) to feed into a misting system that will be activated once the humidity drops below 35-40% and shuts off around 50-55% or so, so after the initial humidity spray, shouldn't activate much. I plan to have isopods and maybe the odd spring tail or two in there to help with fecal matter and uneaten plant matter. I also want to do a raised food platform anyway so that the lad does not track his food all over like he does currently. I have confirmed he'll climb any type of ramp, his last enclosure had a ramp separating two different stories and that was built and in operation for a while, it worked pretty well for the time it was in effect.
He will have two heat/uvb lamps in his enclosure, also allowing for a hot and cold side, as well as multiple hides and different landmarks, but I'm more worried about the chassis, protection and life support before I worry about the decoration of the enclosure. There will be adequate heat protection for the Plexiglas wherever the bulbs or light hoods touch.
I'll attach two photos of the plans I have. Everything is proportional to my measurements I've mentioned, I just forgot to put visual measurements in. The 'closed' box is with the viewing windows added, the 'opened' one is the purely wooden bits.
Please let me know what anyone who sees this thinks, I'm open to criticism but I think I've covered all my bases. I do know some of these things aren't totally necessary, like the water bits, but if they'll work, I wanna build them, because they're cool and all. I do have access to all materials required, or can get the things I do not currently have. Thanks for reading!
-Pietro
