Need help with new tortoise enclosure

[Yus]

Planning to build an 8x4 enclosure for my redfoot, need some advice on insulation, mounting tube lights and how many I should get? Substrate?
Right now she’s in a temporary house (kiddie pool) with cypress mulch and coco coir, has CHE for her heat and 2 uvb bulbs, with some tinfoil around the heat lamp and window insulator plastic around the rest of the tank to keep heat + humidity in

 

[wellington]

How big is she? A 4x8 is too small for an adult RF, it's the minimum for an adult Russian which is much smaller

 

[Yus]

How big is she? A 4x8 is too small for an adult RF, it's the minimum for an adult Russian which is much smaller

She’s like 7 inches long, almost 3 years old

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Am I right, that you are in Canada and outdoor time for her is at best limited, if at all possible?

For a 7-inch Redfoot 8x4 ft. well-thought enclosure will work for a while. But as she grows you will need a lot of room space - perhaps 100 to 200 sq.ft.

For substrate plain cypress mulch or orchid (fir) bark are fine.

For UVB - T5 HO long tubes are the best. With 4x8 one will be enough hanged over 1/3 of the enclosure.
You will also need ambient lightning (LED strips are fine for that). If you plan to use live plants in the enclosure (and I think you should) - LEDs should be bright and "full spectrum". I use Arcadia Jungle Dawn LED bars, which are expensive but worth their price.

Heating gets tricky in the large enclosures. Radiant heat panels are good for enclosures 2-2.5 ft. high, but you may use ceramic heat emitters too (I would go with more low-wattage heaters, than 1-2 high-wattage).

What materials do you plan to use to build an enclosure? Expanded PVC sheets likely won't need an additional insulation. I use cheap 1.5" polystyrene sheets mounted from outside of my enclosure and they work fine in room temperatures in 60s.

 

[Yus]

Am I right, that you are in Canada and outdoor time for her is at best limited, if at all possible?

For a 7-inch Redfoot 8x4 ft. well-thought enclosure will work for a while. But as she grows you will need a lot of room space - perhaps 100 to 200 sq.ft.

For substrate plain cypress mulch or orchid (fir) bark are fine.

For UVB - T5 HO long tubes are the best. With 4x8 one will be enough hanged over 1/3 of the enclosure.
You will also need ambient lightning (LED strips are fine for that). If you plan to use live plants in the enclosure (and I think you should) - LEDs should be bright and "full spectrum". I use Arcadia Jungle Dawn LED bars, which are expensive but worth their price.

Heating gets tricky in the large enclosures. Radiant heat panels are good for enclosures 2-2.5 ft. high, but you may use ceramic heat emitters too (I would go with more low-wattage heaters, than 1-2 high-wattage).

What materials do you plan to use to build an enclosure? Expanded PVC sheets likely won't need an additional insulation. I use cheap 1.5" polystyrene sheets mounted from outside of my enclosure and they work fine in room temperatures in 60s.

Thank you lots of good advice not sure what I want to build the enclosure out of yet I’ve been seeing galvanized steel flower beds or things like that on Amazon, my main concern is a good way to make a tent because since I started using a tent style setup the heat and humidity has been perfect for her, how would making an enclosure from expanded pvc work?? Thanks again

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Thank you lots of good advice not sure what I want to build the enclosure out of yet I’ve been seeing galvanized steel flower beds or things like that on Amazon, my main concern is a good way to make a tent because since I started using a tent style setup the heat and humidity has been perfect for her, how would making an enclosure from expanded pvc work?? Thanks again

Here is an example of PVC enclosure: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/b...-pvc-enclosed-chamber-–-for-beginners.159220/
If you are on DIY side and can find cheap PVC panels - that's definitely a way to go. There are some brands in US who make such enclosures (like Kages, Animal Plastics), maybe you can find one in Canada (I'm afraid postal expenses will be too high, when ordering from US).

I've seen plastic garden bed kits made by Lifetime (set of two 4x4 ft. with a tent) priced around 100USD.

Great tents are "portable greenhouse top". They aren't perfect at holding heat but way better than "open tables".

Some keepers build a frame out of PVC pipes and cover it with plastic sheets or films. That's another good option as such frame can be made with custom size and is rigid enough to hold some insulation as well.

And another option are hydroponic grow tents (like AC Infinity) - they are rather large ones (like 8x8) if you want to build a room-sized enclosure.

 

[Yus]

Here is an example of PVC enclosure: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/building-your-own-expanded-pvc-enclosed-chamber-–-for-beginners.159220/
If you are on DIY side and can find cheap PVC panels - that's definitely a way to go. There are some brands in US who make such enclosures (like Kages, Animal Plastics), maybe you can find one in Canada (I'm afraid postal expenses will be too high, when ordering from US).

I've seen plastic garden bed kits made by Lifetime (set of two 4x4 ft. with a tent) priced around 100USD.

Great tents are "portable greenhouse top". They aren't perfect at holding heat but way better than "open tables".

Some keepers build a frame out of PVC pipes and cover it with plastic sheets or films. That's another good option as such frame can be made with custom size and is rigid enough to hold some insulation as well.

And another option are hydroponic grow tents (like AC Infinity) - they are rather large ones (like 8x8) if you want to build a room-sized enclosure.

hey alex! so we ended up going with a wood enclosure as it fit our design plans better, any advice on heating? right now the plan is 2 che bulbs (i'll update on the wattage later) and a 2foot long t5 uvb (i have the led strips ready) going to use pond liner on the bottom and seal all the wood

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

hey alex! so we ended up going with a wood enclosure as it fit our design plans better, any advice on heating? right now the plan is 2 che bulbs (i'll update on the wattage later) and a 2foot long t5 uvb (i have the led strips ready) going to use pond liner on the bottom and seal all the wood

Hi!
It's hard to seal wood properly for a redfoot's enclosure - humidity between 75-100% results in water gathering everywhere. You may opt to using melamine board and good sealing all the seams. I'm not knowledgeable about wood treating, just read some posts where all efforts failed Just in case - optimum height for the enclosure is 2-2.5 feet. And you may add polystyrene/foam board insulation on the outer walls - it's cheap, saves some electricity and helps to prevent condensate building on the walls. Also, pay attention that glass doors/walls (unless you use double-glazing) will be covered in condensate as well and it will drip down.

As for the heating and UVB tube length - it's hard to tell without knowing enclosure size. Just in case I would prefer using more less powerfull CHEs than 1-2 "supercharged".

An alternative to CHEs (more expensive, though) are radiant heat panels. They provide more even heat distribution without "hot spots". I use "infrared leg heater" panels now, it's cheaper than "terrarium-grade" RHPs, however can not swear on their reliability (they are in use for less than a year now).

 

[Yus]

Hi!
It's hard to seal wood properly for a redfoot's enclosure - humidity between 75-100% results in water gathering everywhere. You may opt to using melamine board and good sealing all the seams. I'm not knowledgeable about wood treating, just read some posts where all efforts failed Just in case - optimum height for the enclosure is 2-2.5 feet. And you may add polystyrene/foam board insulation on the outer walls - it's cheap, saves some electricity and helps to prevent condensate building on the walls. Also, pay attention that glass doors/walls (unless you use double-glazing) will be covered in condensate as well and it will drip down.

As for the heating and UVB tube length - it's hard to tell without knowing enclosure size. Just in case I would prefer using more less powerfull CHEs than 1-2 "supercharged".

An alternative to CHEs (more expensive, though) are radiant heat panels. They provide more even heat distribution without "hot spots". I use "infrared leg heater" panels now, it's cheaper than "terrarium-grade" RHPs, however can not swear on their reliability (they are in use for less than a year now).

4x8x2' for enclosure size, the che's are both mid wattage and thank you for the shout on the insulation i'll get some for the enclosure today. ill look into proper sealing of the wood, as for the bottom the pondliner will be both covering the wood and nailed in

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

4x8x2' for enclosure size, the che's are both mid wattage and thank you for the shout on the insulation i'll get some for the enclosure today. ill look into proper sealing of the wood, as for the bottom the pondliner will be both covering the wood and nailed in

For the 8x4 you may use 3 or 4 as you need more or less consistent temperatures around the enclosure. A thermostat will keep things under control.

When nailing a pond liner cover wall bottom as well (6-8 inches) or moisture from substrate will destroy the wood despite all treating. You need to avoid water getting under the liner or it will be trapped there forever.

 

[Tom]

hey alex! so we ended up going with a wood enclosure as it fit our design plans better, any advice on heating? right now the plan is 2 che bulbs (i'll update on the wattage later) and a 2foot long t5 uvb (i have the led strips ready) going to use pond liner on the bottom and seal all the wood

There is no good way to seal wood. That is why no one recommended it. There is nothing you an buy at the store that will work. Water will find a way to get in and it will rot. You'll be lucky if you get a year or two out of it. When you build the next one, it is best to use materials that are impervious to water, like the expanded PVC sheet material that was mentioned.

I used non-toxic boat paint for one build years ago, and that worked temporarily, but it cost $90 for the primer and $130 for the paint. Its probably double that cost now. The problem was that the tortoises shells rubbing on it, wore it away in high traffic areas in short order. Water got in at those weak points and the wood rotted.

I currently use Pond Shield to seal some of my night boxes. That stuff works, but its expensive, you need a lot of it to make a thick coat, and its very difficult and tricky to work with. It also wears away over time, even with smaller tortoises like stars.