perfect tortoise table...NOT so perfect!

[Camdens tortoise]

So Im heartbroken because after spending weeks working on the "perfect" tort tabel and getting it exactly how we wanted it...it doesnt work! No matter what we do we just cant get the heat and humidity right for our little guy. SO...tonight he goes into a 55 gallon aquarium and hopefull that will do the trick! I REALLY do not want a pyramided tortoise...I will feel just awful! My question is...does anyone have any idea on how to maybe modify the lid in some way to inset the lights? We have the UVB bulb, the basking bulb and the CHE bulb. I feel like putting these fixtures above or clamping them to the side is going to give us the same results we are getting now. I know it needs to be mostly closed in but how do you do the effectively with all the lighting fixtures??? Maybe someone has already done something similiar and can post pics for me to see?

 

[Lasciels Toy]

Could you please post pictures of your enclosure for reference? And current temps and humidity if it's not to much trouble

 

[Kathy Coles]

I haven'y got my "perfect table" made yet but when it is it will be TALL. Those lights and heat fixtures have to go inside. I am considering a heating pad underneath with a thermometer to regulate it also. I think the one mentioned here sometime ago was a Kane.

 

[Camdens tortoise]

Yes I agree I need the lights inside I'm just not sure how to do it on an aquarium. I'm thinking I'm just going to make a plywood lid. this is going to be a pain to take on an off with the lights in it but I just don't know another way.

 

[MasterOogway]

Another option is plexi glass with wholes cut out the size of your lights you can also have it cut in half using a hinge so you can open half the tank to get your tort bowls etc. and the light side stay fixed. You can also screw a handle on the side use to open .

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I feel so bad for you I know how frustrating it can be getting everything right but once you get your system and set up going it gets easie.

 

[Zamric]

heres what I did for a 40 gal, breeder

and if you want to make it bigger, you just have to change up the design a little...

 

[Yvonne G]

Wait. Let's go back to your perfect tort table. You can also do what Zamric illustrates and make it for your perfect tort table. Tables are great for little sulcatas because they offer so much room for the tortoise to roam, however, as you have discovered, they are hard to heat and make humid. But a lid made out of plexi would solve the problem.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

Zamric, great examples!!

 

[Levi the Leopard]

..what is the silver reflective sheet you used for the inside?

 

[Camdens tortoise]

thanks for the ideas! Now to brainstorm and see what I can come up with. Yvonne...I would LOVE to keep our table. Its not huge but its way bigger than the 55 gallon tank. We have plexiglass on one side and even on that side its staying at ike 75 degrees. I just dont understand!?! I think we are going to try to build something else but its time consuming and I dont want him to suffer in the meantime. I LOVE Toms closed chamber maybe in a smaller scale but Im not sure its safe to put the lights inside. he said a 55 gallon would be too smalll to put the lights inside so now were rethinking the whole thing! I dont have room inside for anything quite that large. Feeling very overwhelmed!

 

[Zamric]

..what is the silver reflective sheet you used for the inside?

I used a spray adhesive and heavy duty aluminum foil....2 layers

 

[kjr153]

I did the same thing. We built a pretty big table that we were so proud of. Then Tom comes along and says that babies need a closed chamber. I'm sure my Tort is thankful that Tom told me because I would have let him live in that for a long time. Back in the 40gal the Tort went. Good luck!!

 

[Tom]

Putting the lights INSIDE is a critical step in my opinion. Even in Zamric's examples you are going to lose a large percentage of your heat up and into the room.

Fitting the fixtures inside is purely a function of height. I'm able to do just fine with hanging fixtures in my closed chambers at 24" tall. If you made it 30" tall you'd have a very large margin of error. In something shorter you could mount plain ceramic fixtures directly to the ceiling with a heat shield. This would save a lot of height without the cord and dome. Keeping the fixtures inside the enclosure also allows you to use MUCH lower wattage bulbs. I use 65 watt flood bulbs for basking in 4x8' enclosures and 60 watt CHEs on a thermostat to maintain my ambient of 80. The CHE does not usually come on during the day when the basking bulb is on. Think about that. Day or night I'm only using 60-65 watts to heat a giant 4x8x2' enclosure, and the CHE is not on all the time either. It only comes on when the temp drops below 80. In a 55 gallon open topped enclosure you will need a 100 watt basking bulb and likely a 100 watt CHE that will come on and off all day and night. My big enclosure is the equivalent of a 479 gallon tank.

I swear. It makes everything so much easier. If you can build a table, you can build a closed chamber. If you built a table with tall sides and tipped it up on its side, you'd only need to put a glass front of some sort to have a closed chamber. So easy. My dad recently built a big 4x4x8' closed chamber. He then went to Home Depot told them the dimensions of the opening and had them custom build a sliding double pane window. Cost was about $150. He set it in place, tacked it in, and that's it. He mounted the "outisde" portion toward the inside of the enclosure where all the humidity and moisture is, and the "inside" portion faces into the room so he has access to the window latches.

 

[Camdens tortoise]

I definitely want the lights inside. I just re read what I wrote earlier and realize how it sounded. What I meant was Im not sure if its safe to put them inside if I make my enclosure smaller. I guess it doesnt matter if its smaller as long as its tall enough. Thanks everybody for your advice. I sure do hope I get this right soon!

Putting the lights INSIDE is a critical step in my opinion. Even in Zamric's examples you are going to lose a large percentage of your heat up and into the room.

Fitting the fixtures inside is purely a function of height. I'm able to do just fine with hanging fixtures in my closed chambers at 24" tall. If you made it 30" tall you'd have a very large margin of error. In something shorter you could mount plain ceramic fixtures directly to the ceiling with a heat shield. This would save a lot of height without the cord and dome. Keeping the fixtures inside the enclosure also allows you to use MUCH lower wattage bulbs. I use 65 watt flood bulbs for basking in 4x8' enclosures and 60 watt CHEs on a thermostat to maintain my ambient of 80. The CHE does not usually come on during the day when the basking bulb is on. Think about that. Day or night I'm only using 60-65 watts to heat a giant 4x8x2' enclosure, and the CHE is not on all the time either. It only comes on when the temp drops below 80. In a 55 gallon open topped enclosure you will need a 100 watt basking bulb and likely a 100 watt CHE that will come on and off all day and night. My big enclosure is the equivalent of a 479 gallon tank.

I swear. It makes everything so much easier. If you can build a table, you can build a closed chamber. If you built a table with tall sides and tipped it up on its side, you'd only need to put a glass front of some sort to have a closed chamber. So easy. My dad recently built a big 4x4x8' closed chamber. He then went to Home Depot told them the dimensions of the opening and had them custom build a sliding double pane window. Cost was about $150. He set it in place, tacked it in, and that's it. He mounted the "outisde" portion toward the inside of the enclosure where all the humidity and moisture is, and the "inside" portion faces into the room so he has access to the window latches.

 

[theelectraco]

Does having the lights inside, with high humidity pose a fire risk or possibility of ruining the equipment faster than normal?

 

[EKLC]

Here is my enclosure:

The sides are foam insulation panels. The sliding doors are plexiglass sheets, in an aluminum channel. The roof is plywood, and I drilled these guys into it:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_264577-3767...&pl=1&currentURL=?Ntt=hanging+ring&facetInfo=

The lights and CHE hang with lamp hanging chain and are attached with keyrings.

I have a larger one that is 7' x 3'. On that one, the roof comes to a point, with a single overhead 2x4, from which I mount my lights.

 

[Camdens tortoise]

This is great! We are planning to build something very similar. We were going to put the plexiglass in the front as lift up doors instead of sliding (just to avoid spending more $ on the track). That should work just the same Im assuming??

Here is my enclosure:

The sides are foam insulation panels. The sliding doors are plexiglass sheets, in an aluminum channel. The roof is plywood, and I drilled these guys into it:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_264577-3767...&pl=1&currentURL=?Ntt=hanging+ring&facetInfo=

The lights and CHE hang with lamp hanging chain and are attached with keyrings.

I have a larger one that is 7' x 3'. On that one, the roof comes to a point, with a single overhead 2x4, from which I mount my lights.

 

[Zamric]

Here is my enclosure:

The sides are foam insulation panels. The sliding doors are plexiglass sheets, in an aluminum channel. The roof is plywood, and I drilled these guys into it:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_264577-3767...&pl=1&currentURL=?Ntt=hanging+ring&facetInfo=

The lights and CHE hang with lamp hanging chain and are attached with keyrings.

I have a larger one that is 7' x 3'. On that one, the roof comes to a point, with a single overhead 2x4, from which I mount my lights.

Is this the one your having problems with Heat and Humidity? If so, you can solve MOST of your problems by installng a small fan on the cieling.... where all your heat and Humidity is hanging out! A fan will get the Airmass moving and help stablize a constant balance of the 2. If it is completely enclose, you have all the elements you need, you just have ALOT of airmass, that's all.

 

[EKLC]

Is this the one your having problems with Heat and Humidity? If so, you can solve MOST of your problems by installng a small fan on the cieling.... where all your heat and Humidity is hanging out! A fan will get the Airmass moving and help stablize a constant balance of the 2. If it is completely enclose, you have all the elements you need, you just have ALOT of airmass, that's all.

Nah, I'm just showing OP an example of an enclosure with internal lights.

 

[Sh3wulf]

I have a custom built plexiglass enclosure for our one year old Sulcata. It works really well for the heat. Moisture I'm not sure about since we have to keep Benny pretty dry to prevent problems with his shell.
Here's a pic for reference just to give you an idea.