My RF hatchling indoor enclosure build.

[Perenz]

My wife and I have decided to get a hatchling redfoot. This will be our first tortoise, although we have kept reptiles before this will be our first tropical animal. Initially, before stumbling upon this forum, we had planned to do an open enclosure. We have since modified the enclosure to accommodate a closed top.

The enclosure is 2'x4' and 16.5" tall.

Started by picking up the lumber for the enclosure. The legs and some exterior is cedar. Everything else is pine.

Built a base with 4x4 legs, a plywood top, and some 2x2 for trim. The Kreg pockethole jig is a lifesaver for making aesthetically pleasing joints.

Our toddler and her stuffed turtle have been a great source of critique and feedback.

The walls are starting to come up.

I decided to add two viewing windows on the front. I started with plexiglass but scratched it during assembly. I had glass cut later and replaced it for a more permanent solution.

Finally all the woodwork is complete. We coated it inside and out with three coats of helmsman spar urethane. It then sat outside with a fan blowing in it for a week until the odor dissipated.

The bottom and 4" of the walls were lined with linoleum tiles. The seams were sealed with aquarium sealant.

Plexiglass covers were mounted to the top. Also pictured is the temperature controller.

The uvb t8 fixture was mounted 10" from the bottom.

We are slowly getting there. I plan to install the che, humidity controller, and fogger this week.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

With such a well built and designed enclosure, you may find as many....most? of us have that a fogger may not be needed.
That is one well executed box!
Are the lights strip florescent? I use the 5.0 and it seems about right for a Redfoot.
You don't need a lot of heat or a lot of light with Redfoot, just high humidity.

 

[Perenz]

With such a well built and designed enclosure, you may find as many....most? of us have that a fogger may not be needed.
That is one well executed box!
Are the lights strip florescent? I use the 5.0 and it seems about right for a Redfoot.
You don't need a lot of heat or a lot of light with Redfoot, just high humidity.

It is the uvb 5.0 18" bulb.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

It is the uvb 5.0 18" bulb.

Great. A lot of us bought very expensive and unusable bulbs!
I have mine mounted just 7 inches above the top of the substrate. also, you've got to remove the clear plastic lens that covers the tube. U.V. can't pass through it.
Where are you located? I'm in Florida and i don't require any other lights or sources of heat. 77 at night and around 85,86 during the day.

 

[Perenz]

We are in Missouri. In the summer the climate permits it will live outside. The winter will be inside. Our house is not humid at all when the heat runs. Currently it is 47% humidity in the house and it only gets lower as the heat runs more.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

We are in Missouri. In the summer the climate permits it will live outside. The winter will be inside. Our house is not humid at all when the heat runs. Currently it is 47% humidity in the house and it only gets lower as the heat runs more.

With a nice closed chamber box like that, you should be good.
I use a layer of orchid bark about 4" thick covered by a layer of potting soil about 3".
I pour some water into the corners and the bark absorbs the water giving off high humidity but leaving the top layer pretty dry. A wet tortoise that can't dry off will be a tortoise with shell fungus.
You can place some live plants in this type of substrate. Things like spider plants that are not poisonous and require little light.

 

[saginawhxc]

I understand that traditional joints are stronger than pocket holes, and pocket hole construction rarely allows for wood movement, but despite knowing that I really LOVE my Kreg. If I want to build something fast I always reach for it.

 

[saginawhxc]

I built a new 6'x3' table for a russian the other day out of scrap wood from a work site. Finished it in about two hours, and half that time was spent telling my two year old not to eat the screws.

Your table looks fantastic by the way. I really like the design.

 

[Gillian M]

A very warm welcome to the forum, @Perenz !

That enclosure is going to turn out like a "palace." Your tort is definitely lucky.

 

[Alex Z]

Stunning build!! We started off with the tort house bought from the reptile expo in yonkers...it was great...now our Rosey lives in a 5x2...in jan. Building her a new 6x3...