New Home Ideas And A Guess Of Cost Anyone ?

[Jc918]

Ok I think my Russian tortoise is NOT happy with his new home.I just got him only had him 6 days. I paid over $115.00 for his glass 40 gallon Aquarium.

Any ideas on building something that will be good for him even when he is adult ?? I need something nice that will look good in our living room and something to protect him from our cat. I am trying to keep the cost about the same.

 

[khanvict]

Ok I think my Russian tortoise is NOT happy with his new home.I just got him only had him 6 days. I paid over $115.00 for his glass 40 gallon Aquarium.

Any ideas on building something that will be good for him even when he is adult ?? I need something nice that will look good in our living room and something to protect him from our cat. I am trying to keep the cost about the same.

If you're handy, building a tortoise table with dimensions that will fit in your living room will probably be a good option. you can then paint it and jazz it up to match your decor. get creative and add a sliding plexiglass top to make sure your cat doesn't jump in. you should be able to get all the building materials at home depot for a lot less than you paid for the aquarium.

 

[Jc918]

About how much you think this will cost to make ????

 

[khanvict]

About how much you think this will cost to make ????

a 4'x8' piece of plywood is about $10-20. if you bought two, one could be your base and the other you could cut for the walls. so you're looking at probably $20-40 for the enclosure. then buy one really long piece of lumber and have home depot cut all your legs with that for the table. maybe $20 for the lumber to make the legs of the table? probably will be cheaper to go with some kind of mesh wire, cage top cover you could place over the top (maybe a lid that folds open) for ventilation as opposed to some sort of plexiglass top.

just a guess on my part but i would estimate around $75 if you're gonna paint it and pretty it up and everything.

if you're gonna follow that tortoise table then i'd recommend going to home depot with the dimensions they used:

This tort table has a 3'x8' floor and 18" high walls before instillation, actual wall height after assembly is 14".

Using 1/2" thick plywood, cut:
1 - 3'x8' (floor)
2 - 1'-6"x8' (side walls)
2 - 1'-6"x3'-1" (end walls)

Using 2x4 lumber cut:
4 - 8' long (frame)
8 - 2'-9" long (frame)
4 - 1'-2" long (corner nailer's) I used 2x2s on my table
4 - legs (mine are 18" tall, plus I have wheels attached which makes a finished leg length of 21"). I'm short, you may want your table higher.

and ask them roughly how much it'll cost. you can always modify that design to your liking of course so maybe you do or don't need that much lumber. sometimes home depot will also randomly have various discounted pieces of lumber they try to get rid of and you would drastically cut the overall cost if you got lucky and they had some on-hand that will work in your tortoise table. if you don't see any, ask them.

 

[terryo]

You could even go to a thrift shop and get an old book case and just take out the shelves...paint it or finish it any way you like and there it is.

 

[-ryan-]

I just built a 6'x30" enclosure for my female russians using a bookcase that I bought for $25 at wally world. I'm going to take some pics and post them up soon, because it came out very nice, but essentially I left out all but one shelf (a necessary shelf that serves to connect the 3.5' section with the 2.5' section), which I cut a large hole in (so there's a 3.5'x30" section and a 30"x30" section that they can utilize). I put an 8" tall base under it and cut a hole in the 3.5' section to set in a 36"x24"x8" cement mixing bin that holds dirt for nesting purposes (if you're not breeding them it's not necessary). The rest of the enclosure has hay for substrate. It's nice having the two 'rooms' because their food tray is separated form their nesting dirt. Then I built a top using some of the left over shelves and and framed screen spots for heat lamps.

You still need to paint any exposed wood and seal all of the corners with silicone, but for an enclosure for a single russian, you could probably even use the smaller shelf (it's like 36"x30"x12" when laid on it's back) which is only like $15-18, get a scrap of plywood for probably under $10 to use as a floor, find some primer and enamel, some silicone, and materials for a top, and you are done. Very cheap, very effective. If you can't return the tank you bought, you may be able to sell it, or save it for another animal (you could retrofit it for a snake or lizard).

For the record, I have and do use glass enclosures with tortoises, but I only have good luck using them with tortoises that I have bred and raised. WC don't recognize glass because they are not raised with it.

I'll try to take some pictures so you can see what I built. You could probably even find a free shelf to convert and it will be cheaper and easier than building from scratch (which I have also done).

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[tortoisenerd]

If your tort is a hatchling and you only want to build something once, build a very large table and block off half of it with a vertical board so you can increase the size as the tort grows. If you give them all the space at once, the enclosure is essentially getting smaller as they grow.

Although tanks aren't ideal, there are ways to make the tort happier. What is the tort doing? If it is walking into the glass, block it off with paper. Make sure you have the correct temperature gradient and air circulation. You need an accurate thermometer like a temp gun (PE1, $25). You need to have hiding spots in different temperatures and substrate deep enough for the tort to dig. If the tort is pacing, maybe it doesn't have enough space or it is too warm in there. If it is hiding all the time, then maybe too cold (you need a hide in the warm area or else it won't want to go bask and warm up). Most important are temperature and space.

You can make a wood tort table with a screened hinged top. If you went to Home Depot and got all the supplies I'd guess $150 depending on size. If cost is an issue, sorry to say torts are expensive. You need to have a few hundred at a minimum put aside for emergency vet bills, and I spent many hundreds getting the enclosure done up right. Food and recurring supplies are probably $40 a month...

Make sure you have the sides high enough for the tort table--account for substrate and the tort climbing on the furnishings while on their hind legs. I have my tort table on a buffet in the dining room, custom to the size, and it looks great. I didn't even stain it but just used a sealant. If you have moist substrate, use a shower pan or pond liner, or a thick shower curtain.

Can you return the tank or re-sell it on Ebay? Sorry the pet store gave bad advice as usual.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

After checking him out your cat won't mess with the tort. He may want to sleep under the basking light, but I am experienced with cats and they are too uppity to mess with torts. My cats love to sleep under the basking lights, but if the small torts start moving around the cats leave...

 

[Jc918]

Ok I went to lowell's tonight and got a a bunch of wood to make a 4 foot box WAY bigger and deeper then my 40 gallon tank. I got everything I need for under $70.00 : ) Shower liner , plexy glass , screen , wood for the lid , wood for the box , Going to paint the outside of the box. I hope this will be big enough for a long time. I am going to take the tank back and get my $115 back : )

I will post some pictures when I am done. Not too good at this stuff so I hope it turns out good.

 

[-ryan-]

I will post some pictures when I am done. Not too good at this stuff so I hope it turns out good.

Very few people are good at amateur carpentry when they first start. It takes some research and a lot of trial and error, but be patient and careful and over time you will get better at it. It's always more fun when you are building something for the tortoises, as opposed to building a deck or something (have to build one of those sometime in the next month or so... built one last year that was much larger, but they are still kind of a pain in the butt to rough in).

Good luck

 

[Jc918]

Ok so we got the box put together. We are painting the OUTSIDE of the box. I am not too sure about painting the inside if it would be safe or not ? can anyone shed some light on possible painting the inside or sealing it. I don't want to harm my tortoise.
I am going to put a clear shower liner in it also.

The box is very nice it's 4 feet long and 1 foot 6 inch's deep it has a uper level I think it will be plenty big enough for him for awhile. I will post some photo's on here soon.

Mr.Turtle has NOT eating and is still NOT moving out from under the heat lamp. I AM VERY WORRIED should I return him to the pet store ???

 

[khanvict]

Ok so we got the box put together. We are painting the OUTSIDE of the box. I am not too sure about painting the inside if it would be safe or not ? can anyone shed some light on possible painting the inside or sealing it. I don't want to harm my tortoise.
I am going to put a clear shower liner in it also.

The box is very nice it's 4 feet long and 1 foot 6 inch's deep it has a uper level I think it will be plenty big enough for him for awhile. I will post some photo's on here soon.

Mr.Turtle has NOT eating and is still NOT moving out from under the heat lamp. I AM VERY WORRIED should I return him to the pet store ???

Possible problem could be the temperature:

"Temperature is critical for a healthy tortoise. The pen should have a cool end with the temps in the low 70's and a basking spot at 90-95°F. Night time temperature drops are needed. Mine do well with temps that drop down into the 60's at night. If they are kept too cool they can't digest their food. Too warm and they stop eating and aestivate (sort of like suspended animation)."

- http://www.russiantortoise.org/care_sheet.htm

Check your thermometer or use one if you're not currently.