New Tort Table

[tortoisefanatic]

Just a few pics of my new table for my juvenile leos. The table is made of 3" and 4" poplar with a 3/4" maple floor and back. It is 34" deep by 68" long by 14" tall. The outer two lights are 18" ReptiSun tubes, one a 5.0 and the other a 10.0. The center one is simply a warm white tube. There are 6, 100 watt CHEs surrounding the perimeter, and the cypress mulch substrate on the left side has a heat cable routed underneath it, connected to a thermostat. The right side two CHEs are on a thermostat together. The other four CHEs are all fed off another thermostat. The right side substrate is EcoEarth. Plenty of room, lots of different areas to explore, and several hides.

Previous to constructing this table I had been using a 40 gallon breeder tank. I'd say this is a step up! The room it sits in gets a little cool in winter, but I've got plenty of heat for it and can maintain temps from ambient (~65 degrees F in winter) all the way up to 110 degrees F at my desire. Of course, I don't keep it that warm, the warmest area is about 96 degrees F directly underneath the warmer CHEs on the right side, while the left side sits at about 80 degrees F. This next spring I'm going to build something similar for my pancakes! Why the plexiglass top? Three reasons. First to keep my cats from grabbing and killing the torts. Secondly, to keep said felines from using the table as a litter box. Lastly, to help keep the humidity up.

Alan

 

[CtTortoiseMom]

It is so perfect, you have really thought of everything. Ii love it!

 

[lynnedit]

Hard to get the whole thing in one picture frame! Very well thought out.

 

[Millerlite]

Very nice. I like how it's set up. What type of tort-toss?

 

[kathyth]

Just beautiful!
Good job!

 

[mainey34]

Very nice setup...

 

[tortoisefanatic]

Very nice. I like how it's set up. What type of tort-toss?

This is for my juvenile leopards. You can see one in a couple of the pics. I've been looking over everyone's ideas and pictures posted here for the past year, and kept making notes to myself on ideas I wanted to use. What you see is the result of not just my original ideas, but those of the people here at the forum!

Alan

 

[Irwin4530]

Beautiful! how about some blue prints??

 

[Yvonne G]

You've really done a nice job on the table. With the lids closed do you really need all those CHE's?

 

[tortoisefanatic]

You've really done a nice job on the table. With the lids closed do you really need all those CHE's?

The answer is no. However, the table is in the coolest room in my house, on the north side, and I wanted to take absolutely no chances. The CHEs are 100 watts each, and that is too much heat to run without either a rheostat of some sort or a thermostat. However, all are controlled via two separate thermostats, so the table stays nice and toasty, but not too hot. I considered using 60 watt CHEs, and will use this size when I build a table for my pancakes. I may also only use four instead of six.

 

[TortoiseWorld]

Really nice job with the wood work, are you a carpenter?
My only criticize is you have too much stuff in it. The tortoises like to walk around for exercise so I wouldn't crowed it up so much.

I can tell your very concerned about the correct temperature needed for your tortoises and that's great that you care about what they really need but you have so many heaters you will have a high electric bill and lose humidity. All that heat and humidity is loss and wasted in the room so you need many heaters to get the temp right?

I have an Idea how about build a glass or a clear plastic top with folding doors but not just flat across the top like you have but like a small green house.
Below I attached pics of the plant inn that I bought for my 3 baby tortoise, just got it 2 days ago, also below is some pics of one that you could build on top of your nice enclosure for example.
This keeps in the heat and humidity, better for the tortoises and your wallet.

I am a licensed plumber and a licensed electrician in Chicago, be careful with so many wires and heaters so close around combustible materials like wood, if your out and a fire starts it would be disaster.

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[Vegasarah]

I thought my cat was the only one to use an enclosure as a littler box! You have no idea how mad I was when happily cleaning the cage of one of my lizards and grabbing a handful of fresh cat poop that was covered with the aspen shavings I was wondering why the substrate was all piled up in one place....!

I don't think you'll have too many issues with humidity as long as you keep the top closed more often than not, honestly. I would watch the temps like a hawk (I'm sure you already are!) and be aware of how the sunlight changes throughout the year as it comes in that window.

This table is beautiful, I hope I can build something like this if I ever take on a smaller tort. This wouldn't last a sulcata long enough for it to be worth it lol. Thanks for sharing the pictures with us

 

[tortoisefanatic]

Really nice job with the wood work, are you a carpenter?
My only criticize is you have too much stuff in it. The tortoises like to walk around for exercise so I wouldn't crowed it up so much.

I can tell your very concerned about the correct temperature needed for your tortoises and that's great that you care about what they really need but you have so many heaters you will have a high electric bill and lose humidity. All that heat and humidity is loss and wasted in the room so you need many heaters to get the temp right?

I have an Idea how about build a glass or a clear plastic top with folding doors but not just flat across the top like you have but like a small green house.
Below I attached pics of the plant inn that I bought for my 3 baby tortoise, just got it 2 days ago, also below is some pics of one that you could build on top of your nice enclosure for example.
This keeps in the heat and humidity, better for the tortoises and your wallet.

I am a licensed plumber and a licensed electrician in Chicago, be careful with so many wires and heaters so close around combustible materials like wood, if your out and a fire starts it would be disaster.

No, I'm not a carpenter, but am pretty handy around the house. While it may seem like there is a lot of "stuff" in the table, there really isn't that much. There is plenty of room for a tort to walk around to his heart's content, believe me!

As for losing heat and humidity, that is not a big problem. Remember that there are two lids that cover this thing, so I'm not losing hardly any heat or humidity. I've got the lids locked in their upright position in the photos. The lids are covered with 0.22" plexiglass, and that keeps the heat and humidity in quite well. The thick plexiglass is to hold the weight of my cats. The front and side plexiglass is much thinner. There is a small gap where the lids rest on the main frame (~1/16"), but there isn't enough to lose that much heat. With the CHEs on thermostats, they really don't come on too often, and don't stay on too long. As time goes on I'm likely to switch them out for 60 watt units. I may also remove the center two heaters and see what that does for temps. The table plugs into a dedicated circuit, so I'm not overloading anything in that room. And yes, I'm monitoring the temps and checking the wiring quite often. This is my first tort table, and I'm still learning as I go. I'm considering using a rheostat in line with the CHEs so that if the thermostats do fail the CHEs won't heat up to their full potential. I certainly appreciate the comments.

One thing I didn't mention, because you can't see it, is that the whole table sits on a 30" by 72" plastic folding table. I installed casters on all four legs, and can roll the table around quite easily on the vinyl tile flooring in that room. Helps when I need to clean under the table.

Alan

 

[luke]

Alan, its beautiful. I love what I'm seeing here!

I wish I could see some pictures of your building process. Its nice that you've given yourself so many options buy using all those CHE's. Now you can experiment with your settings, and find what works best for you, by simply unplugging some cables.

My only concern is that your tort will be so healthy and happy that he'll out grow it and you'll have to make some more tweeks.

Thanks for posting. You got my gears turning now.

 

[tortoisefanatic]

Alan, its beautiful. I love what I'm seeing here!

I wish I could see some pictures of your building process. Its nice that you've given yourself so many options buy using all those CHE's. Now you can experiment with your settings, and find what works best for you, by simply unplugging some cables.

My only concern is that your tort will be so healthy and happy that he'll out grow it and you'll have to make some more tweeks.

Thanks for posting. You got my gears turning now.

I'm hoping this table will last between 3 and 5 years. After that, I'm building an outdoor enclosure that the leopards can live in even during the winter months.

As for plans, if you look closely you can figure out how I built it. Besides the 3/4 maple floor and back, the rest is just 1x3 and 1x4 poplar sticks 6' long. Everything is held together with wood glue and screws. I bought a 1/8" bit that is about 6" long to drill through the 3" pieces so the wood would not split. Holes are countersunk with wood putty to hide the screws. Three coats of a stain/stain clear finish (four on the floor and back) cover everything. I then sprayed two heavy coats of "Plasti Dip" on the floor up to about 2" up each side for additional waterproofing. Let it sit for about two weeks before installing the lights and heaters so the finish can dry. For those that want to see, I'll post up some more pics of the construction and the wiring in the back, along with the table it sits on. That would probably be easier than trying to draw up decent plans.

 

[luke]

Thanks for sharing your process. Pics would certainly be appreciated whenever you can find the time to get them up. I'm sure I'm not the only one interested in this set-up.

 

[tortoisefanatic]

Ok. Here are a few more pictures and discussion:



Here is a shot of the left side. Right side is identical. 1x4 poplar across the bottom with 1x3s on both sides and across the top. All joined with wood glue and screws. I used 1.5" screws (#10s I think?) when drilling through the 3/4" side of a 1x3 or 1x4 and 3.5" screws when drilling through an entire 1x3 (2.5" actual). The bottom 1x4 is glued and screwed about every 6" to the 3/4" maple plywood bottom.



Here is a shot of the rear of the table. The back is attached to the table floor every 6" with countersunk screws (1.5" long). I cut 1.5" diameter holes just under the upper braces for the wiring and cabling to route through. I have four hooks screwed into the back near the top to hold the thermostats (three currently installed). I bought a six outlet wireway that was already wired and mounted it to the bottom of the back for power. That way, I only have a single plug into a dedicated wall outlet. There are two timers. One controls the center 18" light fixture while the other controls the outer two fixtures. The center one comes on first thing, and is the last to turn off. It simulates dawn/dusk, and is on about 12 hours a day. The outer two UV tubes are on about 10 hours a day.



Another picture of the rear of the table.



Another picture of the left side but showing the casters on the folding table legs.



Looking at the front showing the folding table that supports the tort table. I could have built a wooden support structure, but this was too easy, and adds little weight! I replaced the rubber feet with casters so I can move the table whenever.

To size the table I made two cuts in the 4'x8' piece of 3/4" maple plywood. The first was for the length. I cut it at 68" to fit the location where we put the table. Next, I cut a 14" strip out for the back piece. Why 14" in height? Well, we set up the folding table and then experimented with different heights to see how tall a table my wife could reach into. We settled on 14". Right now there is about 4" of clear space between the bottom of the CHEs and the leopards. That left us with the main piece at 34" depth. So the table floor dimensions are 34" deep by 68" long.



Another picture taken this evening, when the glare from the windows is not as bad. You can see the two lids clearly here. They are also made from 1x3 poplar. The 0.22" plexiglass is attached at each corner with a screw.



The left side again.



A closeup of a caster. I found a wooden dowel that just fits inside the table leg, and cut off 2" long pieces. I then drilled a hole into the dowel just far enough for the caster to fit into. I then glued the caster into place, and slid the assembly into each leg. Works like a charm!



Another shot of the front. The plexiglass I used for the actual table is pretty thin, but you don't need much to stop a small tort. The pieces are mounted to the inside of the table with small brass screws. All the fasteners inside the table are either brass or stainless steel to minimize corrosion.



The left side lid. There is a 1x3 poplar brace midway in each lid that lines up exactly with the table upper brace underneath it (that the heaters and lights mount to). This provides more than ample support for cats!



Finally, the right hand side. With the plexiglass top, the table holds the heat and humidity in quite well. I'm probably going to do away with the center two CHEs, and replace the rest with 60 watt units. I haven't heard much in the way of how good the 60 watt or lower units are in terms of reliability. That was the main driver for ordering 100 watt units. I'm finding out though, that there is more than ample heat in the table. Hope these pictures help.

Alan

 

[luke]

Thanks for the specifics and the pictures. These are helpful.

In what order did you build your frames and floor? Did you, for example, glue, clamp, drill, then screw?

How deep is your substrate?

Do your Torts ever dig to the heating cables?

I really like that power strip you have. Where did you get it? Reminds me of my old office job.

Its a very clever and flexible set up. Thanks for posting this

 

[jtrux]

Looks good, I like it.

 

[tortoisefanatic]

Thanks for the specifics and the pictures. These are helpful.

In what order did you build your frames and floor? Did you, for example, glue, clamp, drill, then screw?

How deep is your substrate?

Do your Torts ever dig to the heating cables?

I really like that power strip you have. Where did you get it? Reminds me of my old office job.

Its a very clever and flexible set up. Thanks for posting this.


I built the table in this order:
1. Applied wood glue along the bottom edge and then screwed the back to the floor. I pre-drilled all the screw holes in the entire table to keep the wood from splitting. Holes through the 1x3s were made with a 1/8" bit about 6 or 8 inches long. The back was braced on each end to ensure it was "square", or perpendicular to the floor while the glue dried for a couple of days.

2. Next, I built the left side. The bottom and top pieces were cut on a miter saw and sanded down to the EXACT width necessary, taking into consideration the thickness of the back board, the two 1X3 vertical pieces, and front boards (1X3 upper and 1X4 lower). The two vertical pieces at the front and rear of the left side, were also sanded down (using a table sander) to the EXACT height of the back board. Once I had the pieced mocked up dry using clamps, I assembled them together with wood glue and screws.

3. Next, I built the right side, exactly as I did the left side.

4. Then, I cut out and assembled the pieces for the front. Again, I used a compound miter saw and table sander to get the pieces the EXACT length. This whole process is made much easier when your miter saw makes VERY ACCURATE 90 degree cuts. Again, once I mocked everything up with clamps to ensure a good fit, I assembled the pieces, using generous amount of glue and wood screws to attach the bottom 1X4 to the floor and using wood screws and glue to attach the vertical pieces to the horizontal pieces. Everything was clamped and allowed to dry for several days.

5. With the table assembled, I cut out the 1X3s for the two lids. Same process, just taking my time to be sure the pieces are the correct length to ensure the lids are square. I'm very picky about that. Almost to be point of being a perfectionist! Again, glue and screws hold the two lids together.

6. Then, the whole table/lids were sanded with an orbital sander using 150 then 220 grit sandpaper. Next came three coats of an oak stain/satin clear sealer. The inside of the floor and the back received an additional coat (four coats total). I let that all dry for about two weeks after applying the last coat (of course, using 0000 steel wool between coats!).

7. I then applied two heavy coats of "Plasti-Dip" coating to the inside floor for additional waterproofing. Never can be too safe!. Everything dried for another two weeks before moving into my house and putting in the substrate.

The substrate is only about 1 to 2 inches deep. My leopards are not big diggers, so I didn't feel the need for two much. So far, they have left the cables alone.

The power strip I bought at a local home improvement store, same place I get the timers and light fixtures and plexiglass.

Alan