What color for the inside of my habitat?

[Kupcake]

So we are more than half way through our build!! We finally found something big enough that it will last a while and got to work!

Here is the habitat so far, it is a 6’x3’ bookshelf. I haven’t finished installing the lights, all I have up now is the 4’ tube basic lighting up on the top. I am also going to cover the opening with vinyl or acrylic, we haven’t decided. Probably start with vinyl and move to acrylic if we don’t like it.

We have painted the outside blue to match our living room. I was going to do the whole thing one color but realized that it might look more striking if I did the inside a different color. Any ideas or thoughts? I am using indoor paint and plan to seal it with kennel-seal just on the inside where the humidity will be.

Top on with the lights:



Top on with lights off:


Top off:


And with my 3# chi-poo for size

 

[Tom]

I like sky blue for the inside of a tortoise enclosure. I've only tried it once, but I really liked it.

 

[mark1]

I would go with white to reflect as much light as possible ...... I've also used those mirror squares before ...........

 

[Sterant]

Ive always used white inside my enclosures to keep it as bright as possible - which I like. The last one I built I painted the inside a light tan color - like sand....that also looks really nice if you are doing a natural-type enclosure with rocks and plantings and the such. Blends in and looks a little more natural than white.

 

[leigti]

I made the inside of mine light blue.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

I give all my terrariums black inside walls. I think it looks clean. Plus, the natural wood and live plant decor really pops... So as you can see there is no right answer. It is totally up to you!

 

[MountainFox]

Wow! I’ve been following your build, and you guys are moving so quickly! I’m not sure what type of tortoise will be living in this luxury condo, but that could be a consideration for interior color selection. I have a redfoot, and their natural habitat isn’t bright and airy, so I’d go with a darker color. No experience with other species, but I imagine there are some that thrive in brighter environments. I’m no expert, that’s just my opinion.

Once you’re done, it would be great if you could share the entire build process in one thread. I am seriously considering replicating it! Thank you for sharing!

 

[mark1]

The habitat I’ve seen pictures of and described for redfoot tortoises have always consistently reminded me of the type of environment you find eastern box turtles …… when kept outside in a yard It appears to me they act similar , they absolutely bask in the sun ……. I’m told turtles and tortoises have as many as 2 or 3 more types of receptors in their eyes for color vision as dogs or people , they possibly have the best color vision of any animal , i have to believe there is a reason for it …… imo light is one of the most important factors in keeping reptiles long term healthy …….. i doubt anyone has to worry about too much light indoors , I doubt most folks , from what I see described , come even close to the intensity of their natural daylight outside , let alone the intensities near the equator … i think many folks provide inadequate lighting , and do have problems related to it ….. I’ve even heard of and seen pictures of yellow footed tortoises in the sun on river banks , and from what i understand those truly are a forest floor species … never kept any , but I would have a hard time believing they do not seek out the sun when available , and probably know when and where to find it …….

 

[MountainFox]

The habitat I’ve seen pictures of and described for redfoot tortoises have always consistently reminded me of the type of environment you find eastern box turtles …… when kept outside in a yard It appears to me they act similar , they absolutely bask in the sun ……. I’m told turtles and tortoises have as many as 2 or 3 more types of receptors in their eyes for color vision as dogs or people , they possibly have the best color vision of any animal , i have to believe there is a reason for it …… imo light is one of the most important factors in keeping reptiles long term healthy …….. i doubt anyone has to worry about too much light indoors , I doubt most folks , from what I see described , come even close to the intensity of their natural daylight outside , let alone the intensities near the equator … i think many folks provide inadequate lighting , and do have problems related to it ….. I’ve even heard of and seen pictures of yellow footed tortoises in the sun on river banks , and from what i understand those truly are a forest floor species … never kept any , but I would have a hard time believing they do not seek out the sun when available , and probably know when and where to find it …….

@mark1, I think you may be misinterpreting my post. I’m referring to wall color, not the lighting within the enclosure (I believe this is what the OP was asking about). Lighting and habitat wall color are two different issues entirely, and the species of tortoise most certainly dictates the appropriate lighting conditions. I won’t break down all of your statements as they mostly apply to lighting rather than interior color, but I do think you actually hit on my point about redfoots when you said that they are a forest floor species. There is significant shade, ground cover, and multiple layers of foliage cover. If I imagine their little heads being a few inches above ground in a lush rainforest, they’re not seeing bright blue sky and wide open spaces to the left and right; it’s going to be mostly green and brown. For a species that naturally lives in a more open environment, what they see would be different than a redfoot.

@Kupcake, this is probably as much about your personal preference as it is about any “need” for the tortoise. I just wanted to mention variation by species as a potential consideration in your selection. I think a blue-grey would be really pretty with the exterior color. Of course, I am the person who bought 8 paint samples, picked one and painted the walls, hated it, and then bought another 8 samples and repainted with a new color. It’s safe to say I’m not good at color selection!

 

[mark1]

Not something I’d have firsthand knowledge of , but from what I’ve read from folks that do is , refooted tortoises mostly occupy the transitional areas between forest and grasslands , like eastern box turtles …….. yellowfoots are a forest species and I believe they are most commonly found near waterways which create openings in the canopy and transitional areas …….. imo , wall color , ceiling color does have to do with light/lighting , just as the rocks in my ponds may be aesthetic , but they are for thermal stability and filtration …….. jmo …….


Here’s a description of a study site for c. denticulata


This study was conducted in the southern state of Para´, in the territory of the Kayapo´ village of A’Ukre (7410 1500S, 51520 2500W), which is located in the Kayapo´ Indigenous Land (KIL) along the Riozinho river, a second-order tributary of the Xingu river. The KIL region is an area of transition between the Amazon forests and the cerrado of central Brazil, and in spite of the dominance of semideciduous forests, patches of cerrado and of more open and deciduous vegetation associated with granitic rock outcrops are common in the area (Hecht and Posey 1989; Zimmerman et al. 2001). The altitude varies from 200 to 500 m above sea level. The weather is hot and humid and mean annual rainfall is around 2,100 mm, with a marked dry season beginning at the end of May and extending till the end of August, during which the mean monthly rainfall is under 70 mm. Nine field trips were conducted from December 1998 to December 2001, totaling 426 days of field work. Most data were obtained in the 8,000-ha Pinkaiti wildlife reserve (7460 1400S, 51570 4300W; Zimmerman et al. 2001), which is located 12 km southwest of the village of A’Ukre and has a history of little anthropogenic disturbance and no commercial logging. Although the dominant vegetation in the reserve is mixed and open semi-deciduous forest, with mean canopy height around 18 m (Baider 2000), it is characterized by a mosaic of different forest types, including areas of vine forest with very low and discontinuous canopy (approximately 7 m high) and forests with continuous canopy over 35 m high, such as in Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa) groves (Lambert et al. 2005). Im

 

[Kupcake]

So we went with a very light green. It compliments the outside color and I think will add to the brightness inside since 75% of the box is closed. I am going to try to plant the enclosure and add plenty of visual breaks for the tort so I’m sure from his level he will have much to look at other than just bare walls

And though I tried to follow some of this recent conversation...I’m getting a leopard...not a red foot, or yellow foot. Thanks for all the input

 

[mark1]

i always wanted a leopard tortoise , at the time i kept tortoises the prevailing thought was the humidity where i live would lead to respiratory disease , so i never had them ........ seeing how folks are successfully raising them now , i absolutely would have had no problem , they raise them the same as i would an eastern box turtle or a red foot ....... given the information i see now , aside from diet , i don't see any difference in raising a leopard or a redfoot or an eastern box turtle , it seems they live in different climates , but are successfully raised the same , warm with a hot spot and high humidity .......... it seems optimal body temp of practically every turtle or tortoise is 80-85 degrees fahrenheit , some can tolerate heat better , some cold , but optimal seems to always be about the same .......... it's possible a leopard tortoise may be in need of the sun more so than a redfoot because of the difference in their diets .......

 

[MountainFox]

Can’t wait to see your next steps!