I've finally got around to start decorating the inside of my Tortoise house. 3 months behind schedule.
My plan is listed below. Hence the word plan, plans change.
1 Build caves
2 Build base for water feature.
3 Board and seal the ceiling.
4 Paint everything with chlorinated rubber paint. (3 coats). To seal as a wet room.
5 Create water feature and bathing area and finish off the upper tier above caves.
6 Install all lights and heat source.
7 fill up enclosure with soil creating smaller hides too.
8 add plant life.
9 add misting systems.
10 leave it running with heat and light source on full cycles without tortoises for a month or 2.
11 add tortoises
12 start on outside area.
Here are the caves I've created. The substrate(soil) will vary in depths from about 8" to 18"through the enclosure. At the caves it will go down hill into about 8" depth. So just outside the caves it will be 8" deep. It's a squeeze but I can get in the caves to service the heat sources and tidy around. The plan is to use the top area too. So there will be mounded up soil going up either side against the walls. There will be about 12" of soil above the caves. All made safe with natural sandstones as barriers. I'm hoping the heat from the caves will rise and keep this area warm. Maybe for nesting, but also to create different levels of thermal temps in height within the enclosure.
The floor tapers from the back at the caves to the front where 2 drains leading outside are. The taper us about 12" drop. Needed drainage because its going to be very humid and wet for at least 6 months per year.
Anyway I could go on forever , just need to imagine it painted and with natural stones above and with plant life hanging over the front.
Nearly forgot, is it true that any plants that eat flies have to be watered with rain water only?
My plan is listed below. Hence the word plan, plans change.
1 Build caves
2 Build base for water feature.
3 Board and seal the ceiling.
4 Paint everything with chlorinated rubber paint. (3 coats). To seal as a wet room.
5 Create water feature and bathing area and finish off the upper tier above caves.
6 Install all lights and heat source.
7 fill up enclosure with soil creating smaller hides too.
8 add plant life.
9 add misting systems.
10 leave it running with heat and light source on full cycles without tortoises for a month or 2.
11 add tortoises
12 start on outside area.
Here are the caves I've created. The substrate(soil) will vary in depths from about 8" to 18"through the enclosure. At the caves it will go down hill into about 8" depth. So just outside the caves it will be 8" deep. It's a squeeze but I can get in the caves to service the heat sources and tidy around. The plan is to use the top area too. So there will be mounded up soil going up either side against the walls. There will be about 12" of soil above the caves. All made safe with natural sandstones as barriers. I'm hoping the heat from the caves will rise and keep this area warm. Maybe for nesting, but also to create different levels of thermal temps in height within the enclosure.
The floor tapers from the back at the caves to the front where 2 drains leading outside are. The taper us about 12" drop. Needed drainage because its going to be very humid and wet for at least 6 months per year.
Anyway I could go on forever , just need to imagine it painted and with natural stones above and with plant life hanging over the front.
Nearly forgot, is it true that any plants that eat flies have to be watered with rain water only?