So I had been here on this forum around July of this year with a Leopard tortoise we had found at my work. Originally, I had been looking for someone to rehome him to but in the end my now 4 year old son really wanted to keep his ninja turtle he named Leonardo. I had planned on building a night box for the colder days and nights. However, my youngest son had come down with Hand, Foot and Mouth disease along with a MRSA staph infection on top of that in late August. Of course he passed it on to me and apparently the strain of Coxsackie virus we had is a newer strain being seen from other countries and is very harsh on adults when they get it. So it wasn’t until early October that I started gathering the supplies and began on my night box. I intended on taking pics along the way but it never really worked out like that. Part of the deal my son and I made is that he would actively help me with the construction of the box since it was his idea that we keep Leonardo and he did – at least as much as a 4 year old can help when building something like this. It was fun and for the first time doing it not as difficult as I had imagined it would be.
Here is the finished product. I mainly tried to make a 4x2 box similar to the one in a thread created by Team Gomberg. I already have a Hydrofarm thermostat and am waiting for a 700W oil filled heater I ordered from Amazon to arrive in a day or two since I could not find a small one or any oil filled heater locally that was less than 1500W. I’m also waiting for 8” wide x 1/8” thick vinyl door strips to arrive since those could not be found locally either. I added vinyl tiles to the bottom of the floor hoping it would make cleaning it out a little bit easier. Right now the top just lifts off but I intend on putting on hinges so I don’t have to always lift the entire top off of it. The box is built using 2x2’s as the frame and 3/8” plywood for all walls except one 4’ side of an interior wall. For that one I just used 3/8” OSB since the Home Depot was out of everything except 2’x 4’ long pieces of OSB, particle board or MDF. Hopefully, moisture won’t be an issue but if it becomes an issue I’ll just switch out that one sheet. Between each interior and exterior wall is 1” foam sheets. I tried to find 1.5” but once again no one around here seems to carry that thick of foam sheeting. So I also added some spray foam insulation as well. I’ll probably add some paint to the exterior walls and maybe some waterproofing or a sealant to the OSB board on the interior. Once the heater arrives I’ve already got a way to separate the heater from the rest of the compartment and I’ll install everything. I also plan on putting a shelf with water to help raise the humidity. If there’s anything else I should add just let me know this is my first time and doing this and any help is appreciated.
Here is the finished product. I mainly tried to make a 4x2 box similar to the one in a thread created by Team Gomberg. I already have a Hydrofarm thermostat and am waiting for a 700W oil filled heater I ordered from Amazon to arrive in a day or two since I could not find a small one or any oil filled heater locally that was less than 1500W. I’m also waiting for 8” wide x 1/8” thick vinyl door strips to arrive since those could not be found locally either. I added vinyl tiles to the bottom of the floor hoping it would make cleaning it out a little bit easier. Right now the top just lifts off but I intend on putting on hinges so I don’t have to always lift the entire top off of it. The box is built using 2x2’s as the frame and 3/8” plywood for all walls except one 4’ side of an interior wall. For that one I just used 3/8” OSB since the Home Depot was out of everything except 2’x 4’ long pieces of OSB, particle board or MDF. Hopefully, moisture won’t be an issue but if it becomes an issue I’ll just switch out that one sheet. Between each interior and exterior wall is 1” foam sheets. I tried to find 1.5” but once again no one around here seems to carry that thick of foam sheeting. So I also added some spray foam insulation as well. I’ll probably add some paint to the exterior walls and maybe some waterproofing or a sealant to the OSB board on the interior. Once the heater arrives I’ve already got a way to separate the heater from the rest of the compartment and I’ll install everything. I also plan on putting a shelf with water to help raise the humidity. If there’s anything else I should add just let me know this is my first time and doing this and any help is appreciated.