Paint it pink and dare anyone’s to call it ugly! For me it’s function then fashion just watch people hobble in pain in high heels !Just wanted to share the stand I built for the cage that will be coming in the next couple weeks. I’m not super knowledgeable about building things but I’m handy enough when I need to be? It’s not the prettiest but it is mega sturdy and that was my goal. View attachment 323378
Sadly the 8 feet long? is good but the 2 wide? and 2 high? are not. Unless you place heating and lighting on top of the enclosure it's going to be hard to get them too hang inside with only 2 feet height to play with. Even less then that once you add substrate. 2 feet wide doesnt give much room to go around items needed. You mentioned torts, multiple? How many and how old/large? Torts should not be in pairs and this will be too small quickly for a group.I seriously thought hard about doing the enclosure myself but with the pvc being a bit more on the pricey end and my skills not being way great I decided against it. And I felt the price I paid for a 8x2x2 pvc chamber was fair. It was 640 including shipping.
Sadly the 8 feet long? is good but the 2 wide? and 2 high? are not. Unless you place heating and lighting on top of the enclosure it's going to be hard to get them too hang inside with only 2 feet height to play with. Even less then that once you add substrate. 2 feet wide doesnt give much room to go around items needed. You mentioned torts, multiple? How many and how old/large? Torts should not be in pairs and this will be too small quickly for a group.
A wood enclosure with just a plexi glass/acrylic front would have been fairly cheap.
I hope it works out.There will be 4 hatchling western hermanns going in it. I only need this enclosure to last 18-24 months and then they will be outside for majority of the year. I knew the 2 feet high was going to make things tight but with only having the fixture hanging 2 inches off of the top and the height of the fixture itself coupled with about 4 inches of orchid bark, the bulb to the level of tortoise shell will be around 17 inches. I have a solar meter and at 17 inches I’m still in the safe zone for uvb exposure and I will only run it part of the day. Surly I would have rather had 3 feet front to back but felt the 2 feet coupled with the 8 foot wide would suffice for what isn’t going to be a permanent home them. I also was careful with my selection of hides and pots I’ll be using for plants. Guess at this point I’ll just have to see how it goes?
My closed chambers for starting babies are only 18 inches tall inside and it works fine. I think 24 inches is ideal. 8x2 feet should be great for four hatchlings.There will be 4 hatchling western hermanns going in it. I only need this enclosure to last 18-24 months and then they will be outside for majority of the year. I knew the 2 feet high was going to make things tight but with only having the fixture hanging 2 inches off of the top and the height of the fixture itself coupled with about 4 inches of orchid bark, the bulb to the level of tortoise shell will be around 17 inches. I have a solar meter and at 17 inches I’m still in the safe zone for uvb exposure and I will only run it part of the day. Surly I would have rather had 3 feet front to back but felt the 2 feet coupled with the 8 foot wide would suffice for what isn’t going to be a permanent home them. I also was careful with my selection of hides and pots I’ll be using for plants. Guess at this point I’ll just have to see how it goes?