I have been constructing a russian tort outdoor enclosure. I used some cedar, yes, but it has been outside for 10 years in its previous life as a raised garden bed, and I also lined the inside with plastic and sealed everything with waterbased Behr stain. So I think they will be quite safe.
Since I live in the NW and am concerned about drainage with this kind of tort, I used www.shelledwarriors.co.uk/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=16 for a lot of the ideas as their climate is similar.
It is 12' by 2.5' with 4' at one end sort of a greenhouse to keep one area dryer. It is 18" high.
I dug down 6-8" below the base, lined with heavy duty plastic fencing (galvanized fencing simply disintegrates in the NW), then bricks, then gravel. Then a layer of weed block fabric. The base substrate is peat moss + play sand, with topsoil over the top, and goes up another 8-12 inches. I assume the components will all eventually blend together. It is 'furnished' with cast offs from craigslist (lady thought I was crazy for taking broken up concrete, slate and stones...).
The little pool is from Home Depot as a waterfall accessory and is hooked up to the drip system I had in there previously to flush it a couple of times per week.
(I will add a solid top to the cinderblocks, for basking).
They are bulldozers, so I am sure they will rearrange things, although the basic structures are pretty stable. Plants are not in yet, but it is seeded with weed seeds in some areas.
Enough, here are the pics:
W/o screen:
W/ screen:
Since I live in the NW and am concerned about drainage with this kind of tort, I used www.shelledwarriors.co.uk/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=16 for a lot of the ideas as their climate is similar.
It is 12' by 2.5' with 4' at one end sort of a greenhouse to keep one area dryer. It is 18" high.
I dug down 6-8" below the base, lined with heavy duty plastic fencing (galvanized fencing simply disintegrates in the NW), then bricks, then gravel. Then a layer of weed block fabric. The base substrate is peat moss + play sand, with topsoil over the top, and goes up another 8-12 inches. I assume the components will all eventually blend together. It is 'furnished' with cast offs from craigslist (lady thought I was crazy for taking broken up concrete, slate and stones...).
The little pool is from Home Depot as a waterfall accessory and is hooked up to the drip system I had in there previously to flush it a couple of times per week.
(I will add a solid top to the cinderblocks, for basking).
They are bulldozers, so I am sure they will rearrange things, although the basic structures are pretty stable. Plants are not in yet, but it is seeded with weed seeds in some areas.
Enough, here are the pics:
W/o screen:
W/ screen:
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