Pine For a Russian

Is Pine Safe for a Russian's Tortoise Table? (disregarding any rotting/ moisture issues, speaking st

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  • No

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mira_kaylee

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Okay, so I'm building a new enclosure for my Russian Tortoises and have been having some dilemmas trying to decide which material to use to build the enclosure. We finally decided upon pine, but then I got home and googled it and now it's saying that pine isn't okay either. We'd planned on using stick-on-floor-tiles to waterproof it instead of sealant, but if pine is toxic then we may just end up having to seal it anyways....we don't have another $70 to spend on buying decent wood to build it out of and have it cut to the right size and buy the tiles and everything, so here are my questions (bearing in mind that unless it is absolutely necessary then I would rather not use sealant as it takes so long to dry and air out and such)......

1.) Is it safe to build my enclosure out of pine? It was labeled 'white wood' at the store, and the associate at Lowes told us that that meant pine. If I put the stick-on tiles on the floor and attach plastic (aka stapled tarp or hard plastic lining the inside) to the sides of the enclosure, is that going to be safe for my Russians?

2.) What exactly does the wood do to the tortoises? The 'toxic' properties of the wood....what are they and what do they do?

3.) If the answer to question number 1 is no, it is not safe, then would the pine become safe upon using sealant?

4.) If I absolutely must use sealant, then how much would I need? How much does that cost? Which brand would I need? If I can't find that brand, then what should I look for when I go to get the sealant?

Thank you in advance guys! :D
 

wellington

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I am no wood expert. However, I do think if you cover all of it, where none of the pine gets wet and can seep into the enclosure, I would think it would be safe. See what others say.
 

mira_kaylee

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Thank you Wellington, that is a small comfort at least to know that if nothing else sealing it would make it safe (which is certainly cheaper than buying all new wood).
 

cemmons12

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Just speaking for myself here, I only use coco coir for both my Russian Ophelia, and for my Sulcata Cooper. Thats just my opinion tho. Good luck!
 

tortadise

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Your fine to use pine as a structure for an enclosure. Just keep in mind wood is porous and will absorb water, dust and fecal matter. I would suggest putting a liner in it or sealing it really well with polyurethane or lacquer finish.
 

Edna

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tortadise said:
Your fine to use pine as a structure for an enclosure. Just keep in mind wood is porous and will absorb water, dust and fecal matter. I would suggest putting a liner in it or sealing it really well with polyurethane or lacquer finish.

Not lacquer. It is soft and not very water resistant. Think of old furniture, where a sweating or damp glass would leave a white ring. That is a lacquer finish, suitable for fine furniture but not for a tortoise enclosure.
 

mira_kaylee

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Thank you both very much ^-^ So....do you think that if the sides are lined with plastic and the bottom is completely covered in stick-on-bathroom-tiles (aka water resistant) then the pen will be alright?
 

tortadise

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Edna said:
tortadise said:
Your fine to use pine as a structure for an enclosure. Just keep in mind wood is porous and will absorb water, dust and fecal matter. I would suggest putting a liner in it or sealing it really well with polyurethane or lacquer finish.

Not lacquer. It is soft and not very water resistant. Think of old furniture, where a sweating or damp glass would leave a white ring. That is a lacquer finish, suitable for fine furniture but not for a tortoise enclosure.

You know that is very true. I use lacquer finish on my furniture or cabintry work. It does seem a bit thin. Your right edna.

SCRATCH the lacquer finish. I would just get some 10mil plastic or even pond liner or even a shower curtain and just line the entire bottom and walls. If you went plastic on the walls, and tiles on the bottom its going to not uphold after a while. It will also be much cheaper to use polyurethane or thick plastic in the entire bottom and sides.
 

mira_kaylee

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My worry is that it will tear though....my Russians have dug through rubbermaid tubs before. Like literally made holes in them. Plastic will be nothing to them.
 

tortadise

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Wow really? I would go with a polyurethane. A quart should do. And is going to run around 6 bucks and few bucks for a brush if you dont have one.
 

lynnedit

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Pine should be A OK. The stick on tiles should work as an extra precaution. To be really overly careful, you could silicone between the tiles, and the corners/edges of the enclosure.
To line the enclosure, use Pond liner or shower pan liner. I got the latter at Lowe's; prepackaged or by the foot 4' and 5'(I think) wide.

My Russians have not made a dent in it. Make it big enough to fold up the sides 10" or so. Fold the corners like you would wrapping a present. Then you can use a staple gun or gorilla duct tape to hold it in place.
 

mira_kaylee

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Yah, really.....I was very very sick a few months ago....as such, I was late feeding Ayden and Azura. I hadn't been in their room all day, their lights had kicked on but that was it. I usually feed them at about noon and it was about 4pm....Azura went into her hide, pushed her hide over, dug underneath that then through the bottom part of the side of her 50 gallon Rubbermaid. Shocked me when i seen that.....had to replace the tub, and double-tub it lmfao. Also, how long does it take for it to be safe for my tortoise to live in, from application to actual placement of the tortoise within the enclosure? And how many coats should I make? Will one do?


Lol I'm kind of happy to say that 4x5 would not be big enough. I'd need to buy 2. My pen is going to be 7x2 :D


(While 4x5 is bigger, I don't quite have the space for that lol. Just now did the math and figured that out, my bad :p )
 

lynnedit

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Glad to hear it is that big! What I meant was the shower pan liners comes in 4' OR 5' (?) widths. So you can buy as many feet of that as you want.
So get 9 feet of the 4 foot wide shower pan liner, and you will have enough to fold up the sides.
That stuff is very strong.
 
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