Tips for building Night Time lock boxes

[lynnedit]

Wow you are industrious! Good idea to have it more flush with the ground except a lip. That way you can build your frame entrance as you like. I am glad that I made a slanted roof, off to one side away from the door, but not sure if you will need that or not.
Digging is back braking, nothing like it. But you are DONE.
Exciting!

 

[Levi the Leopard]

ok i dug in the tote. its 14"x22" and 14"deep. I have about 2" of gravel underneath it.

made the frame. it's 8" high.

made a lid. it over hangs on all sides

and will be on a hinge

I have to pull the frame back out because I plan to paint the wood, still need to make the tortoise door and will shingle the roof. The roof will slope backwards for rain run off. Also, I chose the location next to my husbands tool shed so in the future if I decide to make a heated box, I have easy access to do so.

Well here is my progress so far..

Thanks for the ideas!

 

[lynnedit]

Wonderful job. You should be proud of yourself. Good thought about locating close to electricity if needed. With that set up you could always create a higher wood frame for a heat source (like a radiant heat panel). As I mentioned, though, my torts like them with a nice low clearance.
It should stay nice and dry. I actually added some water to mine and mixed it in last summer, lol.

I think your tort will really like it.

 

[Tom]

I've gotten some more great ideas from this thread. Thank you all.

My main concern is not the cold, but the summer heat. My plan is to build 24" cubes with a hinged lid and insulated sides and top. Then I want to sink these mostly in the ground with just the lid above ground and a tunnel to get into it. This will keep the temps down in the low 80s even during those 110+ summer days. I wanted them to have a dirt floor for the ability to burrow and get the humidity, but my experience with other burrowing species (not Russians) is that they will just continue digging down. I was going to have a solid plywood floor because of this, but now I think I will use a welded wire floor and back fill it with several inches of dirt.

Now I have to calculate what height to build the door at. Can't put it at the bottom if I'm going to have several inches of dirt for a floor.

 

[janevicki]

I love the creativity of all the boxes shown here.

I will be needing to make a locking outside box also because we have possums and raccoons in our back yard.

Thanks so much for sharing these great outside night time lock boxes!

 

[Zamric]

Very Nicely Done! I can't wait to see the finished product!

 

[lynnedit]

Tom, during the warm months, your torts may use your underground hides (why wouldn't they?). But they also might create their own burrows in summer, under shrubs or tree roots. Some of the woody shrubs like Rosemary work very well, also clumping grasses.
You won't mind the built hides being in the sun over winter as much, because that will protect somewhat from below freezing temps (do you get those?).
In any case, I love your idea of the tunnel to the hide. Someone else made one of those for a tort, can't remember name right now.
Will look forward to pics.

Heather, a couple of other ideas. If you want your frame to be even more secure, you can drive a stake in on the outside of each side, touching the side. Then screw this into the frame.
Also, you might consider an inch or two of gravel flush with the soil around the 3 sides of your tub, for the frame to rest on (rather than straight dirt, better for drainage and protecting the wood a bit).

 

[N2TORTS]

Here’s a neat one …..this is for a DT ..Imagine the largest Dog-Loo out there , well I took that and buried it 3’ down below grade level. It’s at a small incline and dirt ramp provided. Then on top of that I stacked “feather weight” lava rock in large boulders amongst smaller ones so everything was stable . The Outcome ……was a nice dry enclosure, buried down below grade which keeps temps more steady and an over-all natural appearance ….there is even power run down there with small light down inside when needed.

And now a side by side shot ….. A mid size loo’ above ground and to the left….the
“ buried man cave”

JD~

 

[Levi the Leopard]

JD, can you share a picture of inside the DT igloo? Id love to see if you are able!

 

[N2TORTS]

JD, can you share a picture of inside the DT igloo? Id love to see if you are able!

Well .... we would have to wait a bit .. this is at my Ex's home (but can be arranged,I'm sure) . Plus I'm sure someone is sleeping down there ....

 

[MasterOogway]

I am enjoying this thread. Thanks for sharing the great ideas! I hope more keep coming.

 

[Tom]

You won't mind the built hides being in the sun over winter as much, because that will protect somewhat from below freezing temps (do you get those?).

Winter night temps occasionally drop below freezing here, but 2' underground, it will stay right around 50 all the time. We might have a few days that only get up to around 50 during winter, but its usually in the 60 or 70's every day, occasionally climbing into the 80s. Night temps above ground are usually 35-45 all winter long here. It was only 52 last night with the cloud cover holding the heat in.

My fear is that our winter temps will not be consistently cold enough, and I'll have to give them a short fridge hibernation from Dec to Feb. Outside of those three months, I think conditions here will be quite suitable for an outdoor group of russians.

 

[lynnedit]

Now I have to calculate what height to build the door at. Can't put it at the bottom if I'm going to have several inches of dirt for a floor.

D'oh, I was going to measure the door to my hides today and forgot. I have one female who is 7" and domed, she fits in amazingly small openings. Will try to measure them tomorrow!

My fear is that our winter temps will not be consistently cold enough, and I'll have to give them a short fridge hibernation from Dec to Feb. Outside of those three months, I think conditions here will be quite suitable for an outdoor group of russians.

Oh, I see. True, 50 and above are not really hibernation temps. Still, Russians are amazingly adaptable; they may slow down over winter but not necessarily hibernate. If there are weeds to nibble on, and water, they will 'go down' and then bask and nibble when needed.

 

[DesertGrandma]

This is a great thread y'all. Will definitely will go into my "favs."

 

[lynnedit]

Me too.

BTW, the opening to my 'sunken Rubbermaid container with frame' is 4.5" high. Even my 7" female gets through. Just. Another one is 5" high. The smaller the opening, the harder for a predator to get through (extra precaution even with a hinged door).

 

[Levi the Leopard]

5" high huh...that's good to know. I'll be cutting the door this next week. What is your door width? I'm thinking 6" is enough.

I bought the paint today and the singles for the roof.

I just need to finish battling off the flu then i can resume the project.

Ok, I'm off to suck down some more nyquil.

 

[Tom]

Oh, I see. True, 50 and above are not really hibernation temps. Still, Russians are amazingly adaptable; they may slow down over winter but not necessarily hibernate. If there are weeds to nibble on, and water, they will 'go down' and then bask and nibble when needed.

In your discussion here you made me consider something that has escaped me to this point. If days are in the 60s or 70s and sunny most of the time, and the night temps don't drop below 50 due to my underground boxes, they might just NOT hibernate at all. They will have the seasonal benefits of cooler and shorter days in winter, but temps would still be on the lower edge of functional for them since they will be able to warm up each day. Well most days anyway. They'd still have to hide out on the occasional cold rainy days, but we don't have a lot of those anyway. We have more 80 degree winter days than rainy ones.

Hmmm... So now I'm wondering what the result will be if they have NO hibernation ever. They will have a significant cooling period, but not so cold that they'd hibernate or have to quit eating. I know some people keep,them inside all year with a perpetual summer, and that doesn't seem to bother them, so I would speculate that a cooling period with shorter winter days would be more beneficial than a perpetual summer.

 

[lynnedit]

Sorry to hear that, Heather! I will measure the width this week. The opening is a bit wider than high.

Hmmm... So now I'm wondering what the result will be if they have NO hibernation ever. They will have a significant cooling period, but not so cold that they'd hibernate or have to quit eating. I know some people keep,them inside all year with a perpetual summer, and that doesn't seem to bother them, so I would speculate that a cooling period with shorter winter days would be more beneficial than a perpetual summer.

That's what I am kind of wondering, Tom. Perhaps they will just slow down. We already know from the hibernation thread that hibernation/no hibernation doesn't seem to connect to success in getting fertile eggs that hatch. Sometimes I think success may lie in giving them a good enough enclosure, adapting it to the climate and their patterns, and otherwise leaving them alone...

 

[N2TORTS]

Heather for all this hard work I'm going to have to toss ya one of my work shirts!

 

[Levi the Leopard]

Heather for all this hard work I'm going to have to toss ya one of my work shirts!

woo hoo! thanks

(i think this explains why all your enclosures are so super, well done, fantastic and beautiful)