Bookcase Enclosure Question

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zoogrl

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I have impatiently been waiting for my lovely brother to help with construction on a new enclosure for Betty. He has the saws, level, etc that I need and the carpentry experience. But he's MIA and I'm done waiting :) So I have decided to convert a bookcase into a new indoor enclosure for Betty. I know most threads that I've read on others who have done the same thing say they line it with a shower curtain liner. My question is, the back of the bookcase is a very thin & flimsy piece of something lol. Do I need to reinforce that with something or will the shower curtain liner be enough to support the weight of the substrate & hides, etc. I was looking at a bookcase from walmart & then getting 2 side tables to support the bookcase. I just don't want to miss a step & then have a disaster on my hands :)
 

Yvonne G

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Usually the book case is laying on the floor, but if you have it up on something and the whole back is not supported, then you are correct...the flimsy back of the book case will not support the substrate. If you want to put it up on something that doesn't cover the whole back, then you should put down a piece of plywood first. A piece that is the same size or bigger than the back of the book case.
 

LindaF

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Depending on the size of the bookcase you could put a plastic bin inside. Before I lined my bookcase with a shower curtain so I could use the whole space, I had a concrete mixing bin inside as a liner. It fit with room to spare around the sides to put tortoise stuff out of sight, like my spray bottle.
Here is a picture of my initial work in progress. I've tied off the lamps now so they are more secure. The bin was nice and sturdy. I actually miss it because it was easier when I wanted to replace all the substrate. It was easy to lift out and clean, but now the tort enjoys more space. I feel your pain, my Hubby was slow with the tools and building, so I had to take the matter into my own hands. The bookcase is 48"x30". The bin was 36x24 and only cost about 10 bucks. It isn't pretty but a shower curtain has made a little green house and really helps with humidity and heat.

aboveview.jpg


greenhouse.jpg
 

Tom

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Great enclosure Linda. And great ingenuity.

You just made my day. I was just about to go spend over $100 on a 4x8 sheet of plexiglass, but your shower curtain idea will be cheaper AND work better.

Thank you.
 

ChiKat

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Great idea Linda!!

zoogrl- Like Yvonne said, I would recommend attaching a piece of plywood instead of the flimsy backing. Even if it's supported because it's on the floor, you wouldn't be able to lift it or move it. You can get a piece of plywood for pretty cheap!
 

LindaF

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Tom said:
Great enclosure Linda. And great ingenuity.

You just made my day. I was just about to go spend over $100 on a 4x8 sheet of plexiglass, but your shower curtain idea will be cheaper AND work better.

Thank you.

If you don't want to worry about odor, I found these great shower curtains. They are by Soft Sensations Pure. They are chlorine free, odorless, and mold resistant. The mold resistant part is great because of the condensation that forms due to the high humidity. I got mine at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.:D
 

Angi

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Costo has a really cool raised garden that would make a great, but only 4'X4' tort enclosure. It is raised plastic and comes with a green house type cover that looks a bit like Linda's shower curtain. It is only $100.00 and looks easy to put together.
 

Yvonne G

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Angi said:
Costo has a really cool raised garden that would make a great, but only 4'X4' tort enclosure. It is raised plastic and comes with a green house type cover that looks a bit like Linda's shower curtain. It is only $100.00 and looks easy to put together.

I apologize for going OT a bit: Angi: Do you have any idea why your posts are coming through in duplicate? I've been deleting the extra one, but I wonder if you're hitting the "post reply" key twice??
 

zoogrl

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I planned on having the bookcase set on top of 2 end tables placed side by side. I will see about getting a piece of plywood to reinforce the bottom to be on the safe side. Thank You!
 
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