Housing larger tortoises indoors is tough for a lot of keepers. Tables are not quite big enough or too hard to heat/humidify, few of us can afford to heat/humidify an entire room, etc, and costs of larger spaces can be pretty dang high.
This is a brainstorm idea of one possibility. I have not made it, but offer it as an idea generator or discussion point.
Lets assume you are making an 8x8 space in a typical midwestern home, possibly in the basement.
- Buy a bunch of 2x4 or 4x8 panels of pink or blue rigid foam insulation from the home center.
- Get some 8' plywood and cut 4 pieces that are 8' by about 16" to make the lower walls.
- Get some 2x2 lumber for framing.
1. Make a simple square box with the plywood wherever you want the habitat
2. Lay at least one layer of foam in the bottom (more if you are working on a cold floor)
3. Cover the floor and inner walls with a single piece of plastic to make a 'bathtub'.
4. Make a shell of a house about 8x8x6 or more high with the 2x2s
5. Attach the rigid foam to the shell, including the top, adding more 2x2s as needed at joints or for strength.
6. Use duct or similar tape on all foam board joints to minimize heat loss.
7. Screw in boards or 2x2s to attach lights, heaters, etc. to. Add a shelf or two for heaters, humidifiers, etc. (space under the shelves can act as hides)
8. Cut a large door in the foam and use tape to make hinges.
9. Cut large openings where they make the most sense for windows and tape clear film over them. (Consider a window on the door as well). I would definitely add a 'picture window' where I could sit and watch them in comfort)
I would heat/humidify this room with a small utility heater with a thermostat and a small room humidifier, both sitting on a shelf. I would light it with a couple drop lights on timers for most of the lighting and long low-output UVB on the walls about 12-18" above the substrate (in an 8x8 room, I would put about a 3-4' bulb on each wall)
The room would not be air-tight, and it would be simple to add some air intake holes down low, and some vent holes up high if I needed more airflow.
Load it up with several inches of clean cypress, add a bunch of plants in pots or hanging from the racks, sink in a large plant saucer for the pool, and it would be ready to rock!
I would probably also add a bench or camp chair in a corner I can sit in and watch, especially on cold days when it would be like my own personal sauna!
(A thought- if you used something like a painter's canvas cloth under the plastic film, you could pick up all the substrate with some helpers and carry it outside to discard it.)
This is a brainstorm idea of one possibility. I have not made it, but offer it as an idea generator or discussion point.
Lets assume you are making an 8x8 space in a typical midwestern home, possibly in the basement.
- Buy a bunch of 2x4 or 4x8 panels of pink or blue rigid foam insulation from the home center.
- Get some 8' plywood and cut 4 pieces that are 8' by about 16" to make the lower walls.
- Get some 2x2 lumber for framing.
1. Make a simple square box with the plywood wherever you want the habitat
2. Lay at least one layer of foam in the bottom (more if you are working on a cold floor)
3. Cover the floor and inner walls with a single piece of plastic to make a 'bathtub'.
4. Make a shell of a house about 8x8x6 or more high with the 2x2s
5. Attach the rigid foam to the shell, including the top, adding more 2x2s as needed at joints or for strength.
6. Use duct or similar tape on all foam board joints to minimize heat loss.
7. Screw in boards or 2x2s to attach lights, heaters, etc. to. Add a shelf or two for heaters, humidifiers, etc. (space under the shelves can act as hides)
8. Cut a large door in the foam and use tape to make hinges.
9. Cut large openings where they make the most sense for windows and tape clear film over them. (Consider a window on the door as well). I would definitely add a 'picture window' where I could sit and watch them in comfort)
I would heat/humidify this room with a small utility heater with a thermostat and a small room humidifier, both sitting on a shelf. I would light it with a couple drop lights on timers for most of the lighting and long low-output UVB on the walls about 12-18" above the substrate (in an 8x8 room, I would put about a 3-4' bulb on each wall)
The room would not be air-tight, and it would be simple to add some air intake holes down low, and some vent holes up high if I needed more airflow.
Load it up with several inches of clean cypress, add a bunch of plants in pots or hanging from the racks, sink in a large plant saucer for the pool, and it would be ready to rock!
I would probably also add a bench or camp chair in a corner I can sit in and watch, especially on cold days when it would be like my own personal sauna!
(A thought- if you used something like a painter's canvas cloth under the plastic film, you could pick up all the substrate with some helpers and carry it outside to discard it.)
