Tortoise Table for Redfoots good? Or bad?

[Mightymcknighty]

So I literally just went out to walmart and bought a bookcase the length of it is
4ft and the width is 3ft it is a pretty nice considering I have a baby redfoot that is 4" in size and I'm looking to house a total of three of them in here all babies 4" in size. Is this a suitable size table for these little ones? How will I keep the humidity in there and what should I put in the bottom to prevent wood rot by the moisture. I'm going to put 2 pictures frames with plexiglass screwed into them that will then be on hinges that will have cut out openings for the basking light to shine down and not bending and melt then plexiglass.

I also have a heat mat but I don't know if I should put it on the bottom under neath the plantation soil or put it on the side of the cage.

And should I use heat cables on the bottom of the tank covered in soil to make the bottom hot and moist? All feedback is greatly appreciated and I would love to be able to house them correctly in this

 

[wellington]

Not a bad size for one, but not a good size for three. I don't use heat cables or the kind of heat mat your talking about so I can't help you there. They do need high humidity with out being on top of wet soil.

 

[kathyth]

This was a bookcase.
My husband built it up with wood, installed lights and heat, as directed by Chris. " Redstrike". He will almost certainly reply to you.
I lined it with a shower curtain.
The heat and humidity are maintaided.
We also used plexiglass.

Your size sounds fine for now.

 

[Redstrike]

I responded to your PM but I'll answer some of your questions here as well.

I use pond liner to prevent rot. It's expensive but I'm a firm advocate of doing things the best possible way I can the first time even if it costs more $$$. As a wildlife biologist, I don't make squat so this is saying something.

If you use heat cables, get waterproof ones. Hydrokable and/or Big Apple Herp have good quality cables.

TerryO on the forum creates some incredible habitats in terrariums, see her peice on Madkins007's website (tortoiselibrary.com). My old enclosure is in my signature, here's a link to the new one. Compare and contrast the two and see what attributes will work for you. There's lots of great ideas on here, you should poke around in the enclosure forum for more ideas and insight.

New enclosure: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-79728.html

I like the new sliding glass, it's warmer, I can interact with the torts easier, and it just looks better than my old plexiglass top. It also won't warp and crack like plexi will.

 

[Mightymcknighty]

Thanks for all the replies I really like bookshelf idea from cathyth it is great for a guideline on how to build mine up I'm getting some supplies today (wood+plexi) building some of it tomorrow. Chris thanks for the awesome feedback and pm I love your ideas on the enclosure they look superb I will pick up some pond linear forsure I like your thinking about purchasing high quality materials so it will last and do its job correctly I'm only willing to buy the top of line products as I don't want any early malfunctions when everything is set up thanks so much ps buying that book tomorrow

 

[Redstrike]

Glad we could provide some helpful feedback.

Like I said, there's a lot of very creative people on here and I wouldn't hesitate to poke around the "enclosures" forum for a while before you start building. Many of my ideas are thieved from others or are iterations and, in my personal opinion, improvements of others. Maybe 35% is original...

Also, CHE's get HOT! That's why I love the things but if you use them be sure to utilize a thermostat and keep them a comfortable distance from substrate and plants that could act as a fuel if they get too dried out.

 

[Madkins007]

Just some thoughts.

Make sure the structure will tolerate the weight of the soil, water, and everything else. You may want to add some internal braces to be sure, and make sure the whole thing is resting on a strong supportive surface.

A liner is a lot easier and safer than any kind of coating. Shower curtains are a common suggestion. I had great luck with a blue tarp.

Heating depends on the room. If the room is already warm and humid, then you won't need much in the table. However, for most of us, this is not the case. I would strongly suggest building a tent or something over the whole table to keep in as much heat and humidity as you can.

If the soil is usually cool and clammy, you should consider waterproof heat cables to warm it. They help with humidity as well.

Aim for good quality but low wattage lighting that covers the entire space as evenly as you can- with lots of shadows and hiding places. The Library has articles on this (and most of this other stuff.)

If you have not chosen a substrate yet, I would recommend something light- like cypress or other good hardwood mulch.

 

[Mightymcknighty]

View attachment 57846
Here is some of the substrate there is a bag of plantation soil with a small bag of spaghum moss with a big bag of organic soil that will be for the bottom I'm adding coco husk to the top of all that so it will be kept dry and the underneath soil will be moist.

I'm going to be using waterproof heat cables for sure but I don't want them to melt the shower curtain so is it fine if I put it some soil under neath it to prevent burning plastic?. Or will that not happen.

 

[Madkins007]

The Big Apple cables get to about 90 degrees, and when I had them on ABS plastic panels, the panels warped but did not melt at all. Part of that is because I mounted the cables on some hardware cloth to help it hold its shape and hold it a bit off the bottom. If I did it again, I would lay a thin layer of sand on the bottom and put the mesh/cable on it.

I personally stopped using soil mixes for tables because it was muddy and did not move water the way I wanted. Hardware mulches let the water pool in the bottom, then wick up without getting the top layer soggy- as long as you use a thick layer of mulch and a thin layer of water. Mixes with finer material and soil tend to hold the water in all layers, so the top is wetter, and the whole thing weighs a lot more. The wetter soil is then also cooler/clammier and can chill the torts belly.