Need Some Advice From Construction Pros

[SunnySideUp]

Hello there! My name is Julie, and I'm currently in the process of building an enclosure for my to-be-tortoise, which I shall hopefully be getting from a breeder in the early spring of next year. However, as I am about to start nailing together the frame of my 2.5' x 6' enclosure, I've begun to wonder if I should also make plans to attach a lid to the box. I wanted to make a wood frame and have the inside be made out of wire mesh (something like this perhaps?).

Having a lid would also make it easier to attach a plastic tarp of some sort over the wire mesh to create a more humid environment. However, because I have very little carpentry experience, I'm a bit hesitant to try and build something like this. Therefore I have come searching for advice.

First off, does this sound like a good idea? Secondly, do you have any tips about how I should go about building this? I'm not entirely sure how I would be able to attach a sheet of wire mesh to the wooden frame of the lid. Should I just tack it onto the bottom, or make two wood frames out of thin wood and just screw them together to "smush" the wire mesh between them? Any suggestions/advice about lid making is greatly appreciated.

 

[Redfoot NERD]

Julie a lid for humidity retention is vital for redfoot tortoises.

And an enclosure that big is not needed for a hatchling. This is how/the model we've "started" literally hundreds of hatchlings in. http://www.redfoots.com/emitter/color.htm

Going this way will give you ease of maintenance and space for next summer.. and lots of time to determine exactly how and where to have his "table".

If you're interested in redfoot info go here - http://www.turtletary.com/redfootcare.htm - and note pic results after 4 years! A lot to read.. but you are smart to prepare early!

Hope this helps...

 

[SunnySideUp]

Thank you for your response, but I'm actually looking into purchasing a Hermann's tortoise. From what I've read, I don't think they require as much humidity as redfoots. I still want to have at the very least a partially closed enclosure, however.

I should have been more specific, my apologies. I'm not getting an incredibly young hatching. I'd call him/her more of a juvenile. By the time I purchase mine, it will probably be around 3 inches long. If the enclosure proves to be too large, I'm prepared to section a part of it off.

 

[joncro55]

Hello there! My name is Julie, and I'm currently in the process of building an enclosure for my to-be-tortoise, which I shall hopefully be getting from a breeder in the early spring of next year. However, as I am about to start nailing together the frame of my 2.5' x 6' enclosure, I've begun to wonder if I should also make plans to attach a lid to the box. I wanted to make a wood frame and have the inside be made out of wire mesh (something like this perhaps?).



I would use a finer wire mesh than that - the mesh you are looking at there, has very large openings, which is something that you probably don't want when building your enclosure. Try maybe a 20 x 20 wire mesh ? http://www.bwire.com/index.html

Try to collect some samples of wire cloth and wire mesh from different sources before placing your order - this way you have an idea of exactly what you are looking for before you spend a boat load of $.