Closed "Chambers"

Tom

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This has never been a problem for me in 20 years of using them. I open the doors to feed, clean waters, take them outside, bring them back in, etc... There must be enough air exchange to keep it fresh.
 

TortoiseBoy1999

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RE: Closed "Chambers"

Wow Tom, you changed your profile picture! I didn't even realize it was you! :O :p
 

lovelyrosepetal

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I, personally love your new profile pic. I thought it looked awesome after you changed it. I liked the leopard too, but your sulcatas are perfect, might as well show them off. ;) I really like this thread. I have taken the pvc top and implemented it with mine. It is not a perfect closed chamber but it is sooooo much better than it was. Thanks for posting them and helping us all out. :)
 

jtrux

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You keep these in your garage right? How do they do when it gets really cold? I finished my 4X4X2 closed chamber the other day and set it up in the garage (that's where it fits) and started taking temps to see how easy it would be to maintain the necessary temps even on cold nights. It got down to 30 last night and I was pretty disappointed so far. I started with a 100W CHE and could barely maintain 60 in the warm spot directly under the CHE (18" or so). So I added two 60W (what I had laying around) and we'll see how they do, I just finished putting them in.
 

Tom

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I put 1.5" foam insulation around the ones in the garage and covered it with more plywood. My garage gets down into the low 50s during the really cold spells, but mainly stays in the 60s for winter. I've got 2 60 watt CHEs in my 4x8' enclosures. It keeps it at 80 with no problem with the insulation.
 

jtrux

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Don't get me wrong, I didn't expect a single 100W CHE to heat the entire thing up at that temp but I figured since it was a sealed box it would be a little better than that. I'm thinking that i'll have 4 100W CHE's for winter months set on a thermostat and during the summer switch them out for 60's so I can have uniform heat throughout the enclosure.


I'll think about the foam but for now i'm tired of working on it.


Oh and the outside temp was 30, in the garage it was 44.
 

Tom

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Just throw some blankets over it. Any sort of insulation will work. Are your fixtures inside the enclosure? It will never work in a cold garage if you have fixtures on top with holes cut out.
 

jtrux

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Yes, the enclosure is completely sealed except for a small hole for the cord to go into.
 

LRTortoises

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RE: Closed "Chambers"

I put a oil filled electric radiator space heater in mine that I picked up for 50 at home depot. The exterior of the fins where the torts can touch don't ever get over 90 so no chance of burning.

I was thinking of putting plexiglass on the front but am going to check home depot for a window tomorrow. Mine is 3 ft by 8 foot ands about 4 ft tall and for Russian tortoises. Temporarily I am covering the front with blankets.


I'd like to insulate the inside ceiling and maybe walls. What kind of insulation would I use inside it?
If I do the The walls won't the torts be able to reach oit.?
 

Tom

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They sell rigid foam in 4x8' sheets. I put this around the outside of mine and put thin plywood over that to protect it.

Recently I retro-fitted one of my outdoor boxes too. It is a 4x4x2'. I put the insulation on the inside and covered it with the same thin plywood to keep Scooter from thrashing it. HUGE improvement. The box stays MUCH warmer on those cold nights and the thermostat keep the heaters off a lot more.
 

Cowboy_Ken

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RE: Closed "Chambers"

Oooo 50's…those are some frightful lows you have to deal with. Just funnin. I concur, rigid foam covered on the inside.
 

Tom

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RE: Closed "Chambers"

Cowboy_Ken said:
Oooo 50's…those are some frightful lows you have to deal with. Just funnin. I concur, rigid foam covered on the inside.

50's inside my garage, you male Equus africanus asinus! It's been in the 20s outside. I don't care where you are from, 22 degrees faranheight is COLD! :p


... And definitely NOT good tortoise weather!!!
 

LRTortoises

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RE: Closed "Chambers"

We get down in the 30s here at night. My heater keeps it in the low 60s for my Russians at night.
 

Tom

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RE: Closed "Chambers"

LRTortoises said:
We get down in the 30s here at night. My heater keeps it in the low 60s for my Russians at night.

Sounds okay to me.

BTW, I loved Arkansas. Spent some time there last year. Did a little movie called "Mud" over in Stuttgart. Still sporting my Mack's Prairiewings hat. We stopped at that famous BBQ place in LR on the way back to the airport. Can't remember the name now...
 

marcy4hope

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Tom said:
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.

wish i'd have seen this or thought about it before we built our newest enclosure. but, plexiglass will have to do for this one. i have a yearling sulcata in here, but this coming summer we'll move him outdoors and my baby leopard will inherit this enclosure.

my ideas definitely came from your closed chambers, tom. and there was a kid on the forum that had the idea of the sloped lid that i used. i have a 100 watt che on a thermostat and a 100 watt mvb in here. although i'm getting ready to try a 150 watt che on the thermostat because right now the 100 watt has to stay on 24/7 and never goes off. i also have a humidifier pumped into the enclosure that goes on and off throughout the day.

before this enclosure i used a 50 gallon glass aquarium. it wasn't technically completely enclosed because my lights are on the outside with holes cut out. but it worked pretty well cause my sulcata isn't perfect, but he's pretty darn smooth.

100_4690.jpg
 

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