Closed "Chambers"

[Tom]

Wow, Tom. Really cool enclosure. I am a super noob lol. But one thing I have picked up in the past couple of days, is different species have way different requirements. The issue is, as you stated, where people live. Here in Vermont, humidity is actually a huge pain the butt for me, especially trying to incorporate an outside enclosure. It is not uncommon for me to see days with 50 percent or greater. I have lived on TFO for the past two and half days, and it's hard to find two different people living in two different locations with the same breed of tort who would recommend a really good baseline substrate or enclosure setup. For instance, i was looking up substrates for Golden Greeks yesterday. One person highly recommend Aspen bedding, SWORE by it, and another would "highly suggest" a 25/75 top soil/cypress mix. Here in VT, that soil/cypress mix would create tortoise soup in a week. Down south,and out west, it works really well, because it's warmer and dryer, and controlling humidity is a bit easier using those substrates. To make a long story short, I thank you for posting threads like these, because it REALLY helps the super noobs such as myself. Being able to take a peek at some home made enclosures specifically made for the type of environment they are living in, is insanely helpful to me. Sorry for the blabbing.

All good points and insight. Here's the thing; people ARE using these all over the country. If I lived somewhere humid, I would just greatly reduce the amount of water I dumped into the substrate and kill the fogger. It would also be pretty easy to crack a door open or add some ventilation on the sides or top.

 

[kbaker]

@Kbaker - Yes, It's like Yvonne and Dalano said - I just wonder how you put lights or other equipment and also that you're not able to "look inside" (because they're closed, no glass/plexiglass wall) so I'm not quite sure how it works with these.

I took some pictures today, but they will have to wait until I have more time to post them.

I mount the lights in the lid...seems simple enough. I mount them like in every other cage.

A viewing window is not required.

Sorry for the short replys.

 

[Sky2Mina]

Cool. Looking forward to see the pics!

 

[byerssusan]

This is an older thread but with winter coming onI have a few questions..Okay I have the indoor enclosure..Am able to keep the humidty up pretty good. The top is still open though. It gets chilly inside here even though I live in Arizona. We don't use a lot of heaters LOL..Anyway I am thinking about putting up plexi glass up and around the enclosure I already have. That will help with keeping Phoenix warm at night.But I have wondered about this before. Because it is humid inside her enclosure and I am now starting to take her outside for natural sunshine a couple of hours a day. The air here is very dry. Will this humidty change bringing her inside and out effect her health?

 

[jackrat]

I am crushed that you would leave me out when you are naming names. I guess it's my lack of experience...

Or maybe it's my lack of enclosures...

this one has 2 lids on top

you can have one lid open, or 2

I guess it means nothing that hatchlings are my specialty or that I raise them in many different types of enclosures.

Wow,Maggie,did you build that,or is it bought? Very nice.

 

[[email protected]]

Hi Tom... i just joined the forum a few days ago and can't believe what i have learned so far... i absolutely love torts... i have 2 baby lepoards and am having a heck of a time keeping the temp and humidity right... right now i have them in an open top table until i can get a better set up... i have an idea and want to run it by you... i live in Katy, Texas which is about 20 miles outside of Houston... back in December of 2011 i went to a HARKA Expo near my house and got 2 baby bearded dragons... there was a guy there that makes custom beardie enclosures and i think they may work for baby torts... the one i have is a little larger than a 10 gallon aquarium and i am thinking about putting my little leopards in it... it is completely enclosed except for a small screen vent in the back for circulation... mounted in the top inside is a florescent light fixture and just to the right of that is a ceramic fixture for a heat lite or ceramic heat element... the front has 2 sliding plexiglass doors... would that work for baby tortoises?... he also makes larger ones... i attached a picture... hopefully you can see it.

Tammy

 

[jkingler]

That looks really cool.

But seeing as they will outgrow it, unless you plan to use that enclosure for future babies, or unless you just have a lot of disposable income, might I suggest a rubber/plastic tote (from Target, IKEA, etc.) and an emergency blanket? Or some other cheap, lightweight and super effective enclosure? Much cheaper, same effect.

 

[Tom]

Tammy, I think it looks great! It's a bit on the small side, but fine for hatchlings until a bigger one is made.

I'm assuming the the florescent fixture is for the tube type bulbs, right? I'd set that bulb on a 12 hour timer and then set the CHE on a thermostat. It should work really well for you.

Oh yeah. Hello and welcome to the forum.

 

[ripper7777777]

Great thread Tom, you know I support closed chambers, to me it isn't a question of humid or not, it's a desire to set the parameters of the environment for whatever animal is living in the enclosure.

My tanks are all inside and the humidity and temp varies a lot in this house, so an open table is just not gonna work. The fact so many people used closed setups here and your care sheet wasn't against them is the reason I stayed, it just simply made sense to me. I was new to Torts, but years of reptile and small animal experience has proven to me that open cages are near impossible to regulate at least in my homes.

Of course humidity isn't an issue in houston, really I'd only run into a problem if I needed low humidity....LOL Which brings up a good point, care sheets and online instructions are just a guide not a definitive rule, people will need to tailor their setups to suit their environments. example: If I added all the water others talk about adding I would have to teach my torts to swim....

This is a great thread, I think a similar thread should be a sticky in the enclosure section, not really a You need a closed chamber, but more of a here's how I do a closed chamber and here's my results.

 

[Tom]

Great thread Tom, you know I support closed chambers, to me it isn't a question of humid or not, it's a desire to set the parameters of the environment for whatever animal is living in the enclosure.

My tanks are all inside and the humidity and temp varies a lot in this house, so an open table is just not gonna work. The fact so many people used closed setups here and your care sheet wasn't against them is the reason I stayed, it just simply made sense to me. I was new to Torts, but years of reptile and small animal experience has proven to me that open cages are near impossible to regulate at least in my homes.

Of course humidity isn't an issue in houston, really I'd only run into a problem if I needed low humidity....LOL Which brings up a good point, care sheets and online instructions are just a guide not a definitive rule, people will need to tailor their setups to suit their environments. example: If I added all the water others talk about adding I would have to teach my torts to swim....

This is a great thread, I think a similar thread should be a sticky in the enclosure section, not really a You need a closed chamber, but more of a here's how I do a closed chamber and here's my results.

Agreed on all counts.

 

[luke]

Great thread. You've done a fine job in explaining how a closed system works vs an open system. I'll definelty try a closed system for my Leo babies in the near future. Oh just so there's no confusion, what do you consider to be a Baby tort? My Leos are just over a year. Would you consider them babies? How does the Care of a baby Leo tort compare to that of a juvenile?

---

Oh nice pics too, your GPP babies are beautiful.

 

[Tom]

I would consider the first couple of months a hatchling. 2-12 months a baby. 12-24 months a yearling. 24 months to adulthood a juvenile. This is just sort of a general guideline for myself. This is not some scientifically approved age naming system.

My current Gpp are my first batch of leopards that I have raised with the "wet" routine. As they get older and bigger, I'm gradually cutting back on the soaks, spraying and humidity. Once they are around 8-10", I intend to house them the same way I would an adult. I do the same thing for sulcatas.

 

[luke]

Thanks for clarifying tom. I forgot to ask you about your hides, where did u get them? I use clear plastic shoeboxes for my HHs and iv noticed that it doesn't get very dark in there and some times I see my torts looking at me from inside their hides. Non clear is definetly the way to go, but I just don't see any for sale.

 

[Tom]

Dishwashing tubs from Walmart. About $2.25. I just flip them upside down and cut a door out.

 

[Vegasarah]

I'm tardy to the party, but this thread is just awesome. It has SUCH great ideas!!! Going to start my tort table this weekend, I will trya nd post pictures of it on here!

 

[Tom]

That would be great. You are getting ideas from us and we will get ideas for whatever you create.

 

[jtrux]

Hey Tom, where did you get that track for the sliding door. I've been going back and forth with what type of door to put on mine and this seems like the easiest to use.

 

[Tom]

Home Depot, circa 1992 or 1993. I wouldn't do it this way again. I don't like plexi for the front as it becomes scratched and unsightly PDQ. For future builds I will have a regular double paned house window custom made at HD or Lowes for around $150. SoOOOOOO much simpler, easier and better. I will install with the "outside" portion of the window facing into the enclosure. This will allow me to "lock" the window and you can't get much more humidity and moisture proof than a window that is made to be facing outside. My Dad just built one this way and it came out fantastic.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

RE: Closed "Chambers"

Home Depot, circa 1992 or 1993. I wouldn't do it this way again. I don't like plexi for the front as it becomes scratched and unsightly PDQ. For future builds I will have a regular double paned house window custom made at HD or Lowes for around $150. SoOOOOOO much simpler, easier and better. I will install with the "outside" portion of the window facing into the enclosure. This will allow me to "lock" the window and you can't get much more humidity and moisture proof than a window that is made to be facing outside. My Dad just built one this way and it came out fantastic.

This is the best way to go in my opinion. The doors of glass are huge heat leakers. Getting thermopane energy savers is just dandy. I am of the mind set that plexiglass works for snakes, but glass is needed for anything with toes and claws from the scratching. And remember when choosing building material for the construction, try a use low formaldehyde boards. Heat tends to increase the release of toxins in the material. I believe California has laws that make these the only ones available to you folks.

 

[dannel]

Great thread Tom, but how do you keep the air from stagnating? I totally agree with a closed enclosure. (great for the electricity bills too!)