New Build RF Enclosure

[Arkangel]

Good afternoon all,
new to the forum and to keeping tortoise's, been doing lots of reading on this forum which I have found extremely useful and an excellent place of referance.Shortly I will start to make my own Red Foot Enclosure for the tort's that I intend to buy.The space that I have availble will be 7ft x 3ft for when they are small /juv / sub adult and then I also have the ability to also add a further 7ft x 3ft enclosure which will join the previous table @ 90 deg.I intend to keep them indoors nearly all the time as the climate here in South Wales, UK does not lend it self to the Red Foots ideal climate apart from all of the warmest of summer days.
For the first table / enclosure that I am going to build in am thinking of lining it with a water proof type screen, then a simply plastic tube frame work with the uprights showing above the media /sub strat to allow me to water the top soil which would be on top of the platic screen and tube frame work, hopefully with the use of some heat ropes and thermostat in the soil this will ensure that I would be able to retain the correct hummidity level in this size of enclosure.Tropical bark and moss will make up the top layers of sub strat along with some more soily / gravely area's with a shallow pool for soaking thereselves in will and various hides and plants make up the rest of the enclosure floor. With the use of soil I am hoping to plant the enclosure as natural possible for decorative effect and also for the benifit of the tort's so they able to use it as a walking lardor so to speak if they ever wanted a snack at any time.With it being 7ft long a good quality UVB strip light will be added to the top of the cabinet / enclosure frame work and low level L.E.D lighting should take care of the lighting requirements and ceramic heaters to keep the temps up.Hopefully the ability to water the soil via the frame work of tubes and the use of heat ropes in the soil should help to keep the hummidity levels where they should be, a misting system like the exo terra rs 400 will also be installed to keep the moss / bark / sub strat moist and stop it drying out totally .The enclosure front will be totally sealed with sheets of plexi glass hinged at the top of the enclosure for viewing and to allow access for feeding etc.
I am in no rush to go out and buy the tort's I would much prefer to completely set up the enclosure and let it run for a few weeks to ensure the temps and hummiditiy levels can be stabilised and the plants can also settle in so it look as natural as possible before introducing the Tort's.
Thank's for taking the time to read this and I will keep all up dated during the progress of the project.I would greatly appericate an and all info / advise / hints or tips any of you can give me for this project.

Reards Jamie

 

[FLINTUS]

Sounds like you've thought it out well. Plants are lovely, but get big ones as anything small will be destroyed. You should aim for ambient temps of 27 or 28, cool spots of 24/25 and hot spot(s) of 32 or 33. Humidity needs to be 70% min, ideal 85-90%. For lighting, I would recommend the Arcadia T5 6% tubes. I am a little concerned about the heat ropes, be very careful with burns. I am in Wilts, so slightly warmer than south Wales, and get my reds out for at least 75 days a year. As long as it is above 15, it will be fine.

 

[Arkangel]

Morning Flintus,
thanks very much for the reply, I have put a little thought in to it and I am open to ideas / changes etc.Your concern about the heat ropes was something that I have thought about this morning and I think the best way around the burning possibility is to enclose the ropes / cables underneath a stainless steel grid of sorts so the soil could fall thought the cage / mesh and allow contact with the cables / ropes to allow it to be warmed, but this should stop the tort's from comming into direct contact with the heat source.Do you think that the size ( 7ftx3ft ) of the enclosure will be OK for them when they are juv / sub adult as I am looking at getting 2 or possibly 3 as I have read that they dont always get on well in pairs.When they grow I can add another 7x3 table @ 90 deg to the original. Thanks Jamie

 

[FLINTUS]

Yep, 7 by 3 sounds fine.

 

[Arkangel]

Thanks Flintus, I have spoken to one of my mates who I work with and he is willing to undertake the constrcution of the enclosure, the dimensions that I will be giving him will be 7ft (L) x 3ft (W) x 4ft (H) and I have arranged with one of my fishing mates to tile the enclosure with ceramic tiles to ensure it does not wrap / bow with the humidity .I have started enquire about Red's at some reptiles centre's only to get an average price which is currently averaging around the £150 mark per Tort, one or two centre's have offered deals for 2 tort's @ £250 but Im not to fussed about buying them from reptile centre as the few that I have seen do have signs of pyrmiding already, so my next course of action is to try and locate a Red footed breeder who's stock would be in a better condition then the ones I have seen previously.I have located a few breeder's who have resonable price's compared to the reptiles centre's but most of these are located in the north west ( Yorkshire area ) which will mean a road trip of about 8 to 10 Hrs dependent on traffic, are there any Red foot breeder's that you could recommend in your area that I could contact and hopefully vist prior to buying as Wiltshire is only over the Bridge and not to far to travel.Thanks in advance, Jamie

 

[FLINTUS]

I know a breeder I can recommend but it will be most likely around a year of age max-PM me if you want details, they are North Dorset. If you don't mind mild pyramiding, preloved has plenty in need of homes at a cheap price-I wouldn't personally pay over 120 for a pyramided 5-6 inch red foot. Smooth and you are in a different league altogether. A smooth pair of large breeding adults(12 inch+) will probably cost £400+. Are you bothered about the sexes? Do you plan to breed eventually? BTW, I would also start thinking about constructing an outside enclosure for them.

 

[Arkangel]

I would like the option to breed in the feature Flintus so I would be looking for males x1 and females x 2, and I would prefer to not have the pryamiding present, £400 for an adult breeding pair is not to bad and not out of the price range I was thinking.My only concern if Iwas to purchase a breeding pair would be the other female, would she be "left out in the cold" or picked on by the female of the breeding pair? Will defo be getting those details from you a little closer to the time when the enclosure is finished mate, and Im not to bother if the Tort's are at that age, at least that way I wouldnt have to worry about the infancy stages of their life.Summer frame / encloser can and will be made at the start of the spring ready for their visits to the garden.
Thanks again mate and I will be in touch closer to the date with reagards to the breeder. Jamie

 

[FLINTUS]

Breeding would be fine, these guys are much more social than most species. Check out a few I've found:
http://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/108950521/15-year-red-foot-tortoise-female-for-sale.html
This one looks a better bet though:
http://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/108959886/breeding-adult-red-foot-tortoises.html Goes to SWARE too. That is a great price for those two but they will get snapped up quickly.