Its a bit late but here's my new build from this winter (pic heavy)

[ShadowRancher]

I haven't been super active on the forum in about a year (graduation, new job, new relationship, new apartment) but I've still been loving on my torts that whole time so I just thought I'd share the new indoor house I made this fall when it looked like winter was going to be a doozy.

I modified an outdoor garden bed with a green house cover from Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0055FSKPW/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20).

It has two 4'x4' square barriers that can be stacked and a greenhouse lid that fits on top. The biggest obstacle was the open bottom since its supposed to be a garden bed, I found a small, waterproof, durable tarp at my local backpacking store that I lined the first barrier with (there is also MDF under there as another barrier between torts and carpet).

Then I put the next level of raised bed on top and smoothed the tarp out on the edges for a solid fit.

Next I started building a raised food/water station that doubles as a huge hide (I had a little help).

It fits!

Next I threaded my lights around the tent poles that support the greenhouse cover.

There were a few gaps around the edge of the cover that I ended up closing with packaging tape from teh inside (yes I crawled inside...and I forgot to turn of the CHE the first time too ).

happy torts!

At the food and water station.

And now that its getting hot here's a bonus pic of the outdoor pen.

What do you guys think.

 

[tortadise]

Very nice. Especially for apartment living. I know it can be tough with the big guys in an apartment. What are you going to do in another year or two when they really start getting bigger?

 

[ShadowRancher]

Very nice. Especially for apartment living. I know it can be tough with the big guys in an apartment. What are you going to do in another year or two when they really start getting bigger?

Thanks! I've got a couple contingencies incubating for what to do. First our apartment is really a triplex where we have the bottom floor and two other people live upstairs. We share a fairly large (for the city) fenced backyard with one guy, he's fallen in love with them already and has given his blessing for us to expand. We also have been talking about buying or renting a house in the next couple years or if all of that doesn't work my parent live an hour away in the country with land and heated outbuildings...so I think I'm pretty safe in being able to expand to fit their needs.

 

[tortadise]

Good deal. It's always good knowing you have a plan.

 

[lynnedit]

You've done a great job, and it is exciting that you have been able to do all of this given how busy you are. I am glad you will have more room for them down the road.

 

[Mercy FBR]

Thanks for posting this link in the other thread - this is definitely doable for me. We're looking for more of a night-time/winter box. Originally we were going to put the night box outside, but maintaining electricity and temperature would be difficult, so we're moving to a closed chamber idea for him.

I've been debating about how I'd approach this (wood box, plastic box - would it release chemicals from the heat, etc), but I think this would work perfectly. I'm not much of a handyman, so this would be a perfect solution for my problem - with some modifications..

 

[ShadowRancher]

Thanks for posting this link in the other thread - this is definitely doable for me. We're looking for more of a night-time/winter box. Originally we were going to put the night box outside, but maintaining electricity and temperature would be difficult, so we're moving to a closed chamber idea for him.

I've been debating about how I'd approach this (wood box, plastic box - would it release chemicals from the heat, etc), but I think this would work perfectly. I'm not much of a handyman, so this would be a perfect solution for my problem - with some modifications..

You're welcome! yeah my problem is that I don't have access to my dads tools anymore (he lives 2 hours away) so I'll start planning something and then remember that anything I want to build I have to do at my parents and then fit it in my Camry. But really this has been a great solution, I'm thinking once the sullies are done with it (ie next year when they are too big ) it would be a great indoor home for a smaller species.

 

[ShadowRancher]

You've done a great job, and it is exciting that you have been able to do all of this given how busy you are. I am glad you will have more room for them down the road.

Thanks! I probably should have been a little bit more responsible and waited until I actually had a house to accommodate them but I just couldnt resist anymore (I've been dreaming of sullies since I was a little kid). I did at least discuss getting them with my parents and made sure they would be ok with keeping them for awhile if I couldn't. They actually kept them for a month this winter while I was moving and didn't want to give them back

 

[Elohi]

I haven't been super active on the forum in about a year (graduation, new job, new relationship, new apartment) but I've still been loving on my torts that whole time so I just thought I'd share the new indoor house I made this fall when it looked like winter was going to be a doozy.

I modified an outdoor garden bed with a green house cover from Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0055FSKPW/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20).

It has two 4'x4' square barriers that can be stacked and a greenhouse lid that fits on top. The biggest obstacle was the open bottom since its supposed to be a garden bed, I found a small, waterproof, durable tarp at my local backpacking store that I lined the first barrier with (there is also MDF under there as another barrier between torts and carpet).

Then I put the next level of raised bed on top and smoothed the tarp out on the edges for a solid fit.

Next I started building a raised food/water station that doubles as a huge hide (I had a little help).

It fits!

Next I threaded my lights around the tent poles that support the greenhouse cover.

There were a few gaps around the edge of the cover that I ended up closing with packaging tape from teh inside (yes I crawled inside...and I forgot to turn of the CHE the first time too ).

happy torts!

At the food and water station.

And now that its getting hot here's a bonus pic of the outdoor pen.

What do you guys think.

How well is this set up holding humidity? I'm thinning about buying it very soon, possibly today.


Elohi(Earth)

 

[ShadowRancher]

How well is this set up holding humidity? I'm thinning about buying it very soon, possibly today.


Elohi(Earth)

Out of the box not very well, It has a couple inch gap between the vinyl tent and the plastic sides. But I went inside and went nuts with duct tape on the gap (one piece that touches both the tent and the sides and then a piece above and below that to secure it) and now its pretty much perfect. I get a little condensation on the clear part but the lights are high enough that the heat from them usually burns it off. All in all I'm pretty pleased. its a super simple closed chamber for those of us without a shop.

 

[Elohi]

I'm considering this for my Leo's so I'm hoping with modifications to deal it up, that it will hold humidity above 80%. If it doesn't with the tent top, I'll have to modify it with a lid, but I hope I don't have to do that.


Elohi(Earth)

 

[Elohi]

**seal it up** not deal lol.


Elohi(Earth)

 

[Elohi]

Just ordered it. It will be here Tuesday.


Elohi(Earth)

 

[ShadowRancher]

Just ordered it. It will be here Tuesday.


Elohi(Earth)

Yay! the tort level humidity was definitely around 80% I had to open it a few times when it got a little too high actually (it has a mesh inner door so this works out fine). I don't have a current hygrometer reading because my guys have been out enjoying the Carolina sun for a couple weeks so I let it dry out for cleaning (well I do have a reading, its 60% without the tape and with the font zipper open).