Beach Bum
Member
Pretty much done with Mac's new home. Just have to add a little bit of greenery. Have some seeds planted in a couple pots and a potted Cranesbill in there right now. The table is 4'x3'. I used pine for the side boards, Doug Fir 4"x4" for the legs, 5/8" plywood for the floor with some 2"x4" cross bracing for support. I laid 1/2" exterior sheet insulation on the floor and covered with 30 mil shower pan liner which I left a few inches above the substrate. I made a grid out of drilled PVC pipe with 4 risers in each corner so I can add water to wet the bottom of the substrate. The grid basically follws the edges and crosses the center of the table twice. This made it so much easier for me to have the entire bottom substrate nice and moist so the heat lamps can draw the moisture up and keep up my humidity. For substrate I used coco fiber, cypress mulch and organic garden soil. I used galvanized pipe to hang my lamps and hide the wires which are all on timers. Daytime I have a ZooMed Powersun UV 100 watt 12" above the substrate for basking 95 degrees and an additional ZooMed Powersun UV 160 watt 18" above that maintains 85 degrees. The cool side stays around 75-80 degrees. For night time Powersuns turn off and a ZooMed CHE 160 watt comes on to maintain a comfy 75-80 degrees where he sleeps. The humidity holds 55%-70% throughout the enclosure. I've got 1/4" plexiglass that covers the majority of the table which helps maintain the humidity. I made a matching box on wheels my daughter can roll out from under and it has all of his supplies in it. The wife wasn't thrilled about a tortoise table in the house but she's happy with the result and is enjoying Mac as much as the rest of the family. Mac is sure enjoying his new area much more than the Rubbermaid he was in for a week when he first got here. He's really active and is always climbing his logs and motoring over the mounds. He's even letting us scratch under his chin now. 
