Stacking enclosures

[laney]

My most recent tort is in a large viv at the moment until her worm problem clears up, in the mean time I need to figure out how to give her a big enclosure. I don't have a huge amount of space and my spare room is freezing so I prefer to keep my torts in my living room where it's warm and I can keep an eye on them.
Problem is I already have two enclosures in here so I think in order to give them all space I'm gona have to build up!
I've made my own enclosures until now but my worry with building up is the weight of all the substrate, I'd worry about my DIY skills not being up to the job.
Do people find that they have enough room to access their torts when enclosures are stacked?
And does anyone have any advice on the best way to do it?

 

[wellington]

Do you have the room to put the third one, so it sits half on each of the other ones? That way you really just have to arrange the enclosures so the third one fits half on each of the bottom ones. Bottom ones still half open, for lights, heat and to be able to get into them without moving the top one. If its just a temp situation because of worms, that would be a cheap easy way.

 

[Lasciels Toy]

Morning Laney,
The options are pretty limitless but as always, dependent upon a few things. Is it possible that you could get me some specs so I could offer some possibilities? I would need the following:

All enclosure dimensions: width, length, and height
The maximum size footprint (floor space) you can use up

Just get back to me when you can and I'll be able to work up a few options for you, as well as materials/tools needed. Have a great day!

 

[laney]

Do you have the room to put the third one, so it sits half on each of the other ones? That way you really just have to arrange the enclosures so the third one fits half on each of the bottom ones. Bottom ones still half open, for lights, heat and to be able to get into them without moving the top one. If its just a temp situation because of worms, that would be a cheap easy way.

I think having one ontop in a kind of brick stack is definitely an option. The two enclosures I have are really just knocked up so I was thinking about building something totally new for all 3 of them as the current two are different heights and probably not that strong. I would love to have one big enclosure for them all but when I previously had my hatchling in with my two year old the hatchling was harassing the big one so I separated them. The new tort is a 5" female, she seems very gentle but I think until I move house and have more space with an outdoor enclosure I will just keep them in their own space. So maybe a high legged table with an enclosure ontop of the current two? Or 3 new enclosures designed to give them as much space as possible but save floor space, maybe 3 high?
Lol I have a masters degree in design so it shouldn't really be a problem...but it's been a while!!hehe

---

Morning Laney,
The options are pretty limitless but as always, dependent upon a few things. Is it possible that you could get me some specs so I could offer some possibilities? I would need the following:

All enclosure dimensions: width, length, and height
The maximum size footprint (floor space) you can use up

Just get back to me when you can and I'll be able to work up a few options for you, as well as materials/tools needed. Have a great day!

Hi
Ok so the two I have set up already are approx 4x3ft each, they are side by side so I have 8x3ft I can play with in this room, I could possibly add 1ft in either direction but any more might make manoeuvring around them difficult. The heights of the current two are not even so I think designing something new might be the way forward hmmm

 

[Lasciels Toy]

Initially I was working on a 3 stacked enclosure based off another one I saw here, to support 4 RT's but I switched to a single to start off with. The specs had it at 2' wide, 4' long, by 5' tall. Allowing for 1' walls, 1' open space above each cage for lighting and such. The fronts would be hinged about 8 inches down for ease of cleaning but would retain a 4" solid lip to hold in substrate. The hinged portion could also include plexi windows so you could easily see inside. Basically it was alot of bang in a very small profile. I had also intended to work in a ramp system on each level, as I intended to house 1 male and 3 females. It'll be a future build as I get used to RT care.

 

[laney]

Initially I was working on a 3 stacked enclosure based off another one I saw here, to support 4 RT's but I switched to a single to start off with. The specs had it at 2' wide, 4' long, by 5' tall. Allowing for 1' walls, 1' open space above each cage for lighting and such. The fronts would be hinged about 8 inches down for ease of cleaning but would retain a 4" solid lip to hold in substrate. The hinged portion could also include plexi windows so you could easily see inside. Basically it was alot of bang in a very small profile. I had also intended to work in a ramp system on each level, as I intended to house 1 male and 3 females. It'll be a future build as I get used to RT care.

That sound pretty cool, do you have a link to the sketches or photos? I need some inspiration lol, something like that but made a little larger and higher as I have problems with my spine would be great for me and the torts

 

[Lasciels Toy]

Ya, I would suggest remaking them to make it easier and make it more visually pleasing. So based on the idea above, along with space availible, I would just bump it up to 6ft or 8ft wide, 2.5ft or 3ft(helps to picture streching inside that far to reach the back when cleaning) deep, and 5 ft tall. 2 hinged doors on each level. Plexi windows, and should escaping be an issue, mesh is easily applied between levels, and a ledge on top. Wouldn't be to pricey and considering the basic design, fairly quick to put together. I'll make a basic sketch tonight to give you a visual idea of what I mean.

 

[laney]

Ya, I would suggest remaking them to make it easier and make it more visually pleasing. So based on the idea above, along with space availible, I would just bump it up to 6ft or 8ft wide, 2.5ft or 3ft(helps to picture streching inside that far to reach the back when cleaning) deep, and 5 ft tall. 2 hinged doors on each level. Plexi windows, and should escaping be an issue, mesh is easily applied between levels, and a ledge on top. Wouldn't be to pricey and considering the basic design, fairly quick to put together. I'll make a basic sketch tonight to give you a visual idea of what I mean.

Cool thanks

 

[Tom]

I had a three high stack of tubs for a while. It worked well, but I needed a step stool to see into the top one. There is a thread showing it somewhere, but I can't find it now.

 

[laney]

I had a three high stack of tubs for a while. It worked well, but I needed a step stool to see into the top one. There is a thread showing it somewhere, but I can't find it now.

How did you stack them Tom? Was it a separate frame or unit that they slotted into? Or attached?

 

[jaizei]

I had a three high stack of tubs for a while. It worked well, but I needed a step stool to see into the top one. There is a thread showing it somewhere, but I can't find it now.

How did you stack them Tom? Was it a separate frame or unit that they slotted into? Or attached?

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-12973.html

 

[laney]

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-12973.html

Thanks, that's really helpful, it seems history is repeating itself lol

 

[Lasciels Toy]

okie doke, here ya go. Some details:

This accounts for 3 8ft x 3ft x 1ft tables supported on 2x4 legs. The legs are bolted to the boxes with lags and wingnuts so that it can be early broken down and moved. Extra holes can be drill down the supports for more options of heights. Each table has a 2 doors with plexi centers that are secured with bolt latches at the top. Hinges are placed at the bottom so the door swings down flat and out of the way allowing easy access. The doors are cut so that they stop 3-4 inches from the bottom so you won't have to worry about substrate spilling out and it can be waterproofed. a 2 inch strip overhangs the top all the way around each table to prevent escape.

This is a real rough sketch and not quite to scale so. I ran the numbers and realized that if you made 2x4 corners like the drawing, you wouldn't have enough space the run the lag through into the table. So you would either have to make the corners out of 1 2x4 and 1 2x6 or just use a single 2x4. I just pictured using a corner for greater strength and to keep it level. There's alot of moddin that could be done to this but sticking to plan, you would need:

5 sheets 3/4" unsanded pine plywood $20 ea
6 2x4 KDHT $3 ea
12 furniture hinges $3 a pair
12 bolt latches $2 ea
Enough 1/8" plexi $50 or under
36 3" 3/8" lags and 3/8"wingnuts $10 or around there

the plexi can be inset withj a router or held on with mirror clips, dealers choice. Anyways, hope this helps or gives you some ideas. Let me know if you have any questions

 

[laney]

okie doke, here ya go. Some details:

This accounts for 3 8ft x 3ft x 1ft tables supported on 2x4 legs. The legs are bolted to the boxes with lags and wingnuts so that it can be early broken down and moved. Extra holes can be drill down the supports for more options of heights. Each table has a 2 doors with plexi centers that are secured with bolt latches at the top. Hinges are placed at the bottom so the door swings down flat and out of the way allowing easy access. The doors are cut so that they stop 3-4 inches from the bottom so you won't have to worry about substrate spilling out and it can be waterproofed. a 2 inch strip overhangs the top all the way around each table to prevent escape.

This is a real rough sketch and not quite to scale so. I ran the numbers and realized that if you made 2x4 corners like the drawing, you wouldn't have enough space the run the lag through into the table. So you would either have to make the corners out of 1 2x4 and 1 2x6 or just use a single 2x4. I just pictured using a corner for greater strength and to keep it level. There's alot of moddin that could be done to this but sticking to plan, you would need:

5 sheets 3/4" unsanded pine plywood $20 ea
6 2x4 KDHT $3 ea
12 furniture hinges $3 a pair
12 bolt latches $2 ea
Enough 1/8" plexi $50 or under
36 3" 3/8" lags and 3/8"wingnuts $10 or around there

the plexi can be inset withj a router or held on with mirror clips, dealers choice. Anyways, hope this helps or gives you some ideas. Let me know if you have any questions

Your a gem! Thanks that's really kind of you! I like the twin hinged door idea, I would need to have the enclosures starting at ground level I think to get into the top one but you have definitely given me a good start!
Thanks for taking the time to do that! X

 

[Lasciels Toy]

No problem at all. You said you had back issues, so I just drew that as having the bottom enclosure a foot of the ground and the top of the top enclosure at six feet. If you really wanted to, you could drill a hole every 2 inches or so, all the way up the 2x4's and give yourself all kinds of height options for each level. Good lucky and glad I could help