Russian tortoise enclosure inspiration

[speedyTortoise]

Hey guys, I am making a new enclosure for my Russian tortoise, and I would appreciate some inspiration. Especially for how the lighting is set up and if anyone has fluorescent tubes for UV lights I would really like to see how you hung up the light. Thank you everyone!

 

[Krista S]

Hey guys, I am making a new enclosure for my Russian tortoise, and I would appreciate some inspiration. Especially for how the lighting is set up and if anyone has fluorescent tubes for UV lights I would really like to see how you hung up the light. Thank you everyone!

Hi there. How to hand the UV fixtures really depends on what type of enclosure you’re making. Is it a closed chamber or open top? My enclosure is an open top for the spring and summer and I cover it in the cold winter months. This is how I hang my lighting and UV fixtures so it’s good either way. I use the ZooMed metal lamp holder and I have a brick on top of the base plate to hold it in place. The UV fixtures I have having a couple different ways.

In the picture below, I have used an over the cupboard door trash bag holder with S hooks.


The other I use is over the door clothes hangers. Again with S hooks and this one I needed a bit of chain to get the proper height I needed.



The 2 T5HO fixtures I have set up with the over the door clothes hangers have worked great. No issues at all. The one with the over the cupboard door trash bag holder has worked well too. That is a whole new set up I just put in a couple weeks ago, so that’s why it’s different than the others. Either way, you can use just S hooks or the hooks and a light gauge chain to get the exact UV reading your tortoise needs. As the UV reading weakens, I can lower the fixture so my tortoise still gets the proper UV exposure. If you have a closed chamber, then most people use the hardware that comes with the fixtures to attach to the ceiling of the enclosure.

Hopefully this helps give you some ideas.

 

[wellington]

You can also attach the clips that come with some lights onto a 2x2 at whatever length of 2x2 you want. Then put a screw or hook on each end of the 2x2 and attach rope, chain, of bungee cords to those hooks/screws and hang from above. Or tie a rope from one end of the 2x2 to the other end and then that rope can attach to a hook.
You can also lay the light across the enclosure as long as its long enough too and the right height. There are endless ways.

 

[Yvonne G]

Zoo Med sells two sizes of light stands. You can buy two, either small or large, and set one at each end of the enclosure, then run a rope, chain or wire between the two to hang the light from. The stands have a foot that you tuck under the outside edge of the enclosure, making them very stable.

 

[speedyTortoise]

Hi there. How to hand the UV fixtures really depends on what type of enclosure you’re making. Is it a closed chamber or open top? My enclosure is an open top for the spring and summer and I cover it in the cold winter months. This is how I hang my lighting and UV fixtures so it’s good either way. I use the ZooMed metal lamp holder and I have a brick on top of the base plate to hold it in place. The UV fixtures I have having a couple different ways.

In the picture below, I have used an over the cupboard door trash bag holder with S hooks.

View attachment 361526
The other I use is over the door clothes hangers. Again with S hooks and this one I needed a bit of chain to get the proper height I needed.

View attachment 361527

The 2 T5HO fixtures I have set up with the over the door clothes hangers have worked great. No issues at all. The one with the over the cupboard door trash bag holder has worked well too. That is a whole new set up I just put in a couple weeks ago, so that’s why it’s different than the others. Either way, you can use just S hooks or the hooks and a light gauge chain to get the exact UV reading your tortoise needs. As the UV reading weakens, I can lower the fixture so my tortoise still gets the proper UV exposure. If you have a closed chamber, then most people use the hardware that comes with the fixtures to attach to the ceiling of the enclosure.

Hopefully this helps give you some ideas.

Yeah, this definitely helped. Nice enclosure! For me I am doing an open top enclosure and am also using T5 HO tube uv lights. By the way, do you guys know any websites that sell the T5 HO tubes for less money?

 

[speedyTortoise]

Zoo Med sells two sizes of light stands. You can buy two, either small or large, and set one at each end of the enclosure, then run a rope, chain or wire between the two to hang the light from. The stands have a foot that you tuck under the outside edge of the enclosure, making them very stable.

Ok, thanks!

You can also attach the clips that come with some lights onto a 2x2 at whatever length of 2x2 you want. Then put a screw or hook on each end of the 2x2 and attach rope, chain, of bungee cords to those hooks/screws and hang from above. Or tie a rope from one end of the 2x2 to the other end and then that rope can attach to a hook.
You can also lay the light across the enclosure as long as its long enough too and the right height. There are endless ways.

Thanks! What is a 2x2?

 

[wellington]

Ok, thanks!

Thanks! What is a 2x2?

A piece of wood that is 2 inch square and comes in lengths of like 6,8,10,12 etc long.

 

[speedyTortoise]

A piece of wood that is 2 inch square and comes in lengths of like 6,8,10,12 etc long.

Oh ok. Thanks!