Created some basic 4x4x2 plans based of of Tom's Night box's

DeanS

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I like these...but I'd like to see that opening 25" wide to accommodate a full grown sully! You are aware they can be two feet wide once they break 30" in length?!?! And YES! I've mentioned that to Tom, as well! Still, I have NEVER seen night boxes that come remotely close to his! Nice job on the exploded view! I would reverse the lid though...foam board inside the frame...which would be inside the box when closed.
 
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mushmouth26

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I like these...but I'd like to see that opening 25" wide to accommodate a full grown sully! You are aware they can be two feet wide once they break 30" in length?!?! And YES! I've mentioned that to Tom, as well! Still, I have NEVER seen night boxes that come remotely close to his! Nice job on the exploded view!

I wasnt sure if a 4x4 box would accommodate a full grown sully.. Is a 4x4 itself big enough?
 

DeanS

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I wasnt sure if a 4x4 box would accommodate a full grown sully.. Is a 4x4 itself big enough?

For one...maybe. Might need to switch from screws to carriage bolts...and 1" plywood though! I only made that comment in fun! But toher than the roof being reversed...your plans are pretty true to what Tom does! Nice work!
 

Saleama

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Printed and officially stolen. There are going to be five baby sulcatas and five baby leopards that will be nice and cozy at night when they move to their new homes!
 

Levi the Leopard

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This look like what I did when I copied @Tom

You will never regret going bigger (wider) on the door....but we always regret making it "too small".
Wouldn't it be more cost effective to buy 1.5" rigid foam insulation rather than doubling up on the .75"?

You did good with planning the box and you did AMAZING designing it with that computer program!
 

mushmouth26

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This look like what I did when I copied @Tom

You will never regret going bigger (wider) on the door....but we always regret making it "too small".
Wouldn't it be more cost effective to buy 1.5" rigid foam insulation rather than doubling up on the .75"?

You did good with planning the box and you did AMAZING designing it with that computer program!

I wasn't sure if 1.5" foam actually existed. I cant find it at Lowes or Home depot. At least online anyways. So I thought maybe it didn't exist and Tom just doubled up on the insulation.

I guesstimated door size I can definitely increase it. I was worried about heat escape from the door. Do the vinyl curtains work pretty well keeping the heat in?

I used Sketchup to create the 3D model.
 

Dizisdalife

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The vinyl curtains work very well keeping heat in. Mine are 4 inches wide strips installed with a 1 inch overlap. The first box I built was 2' x 4' and the door was 12" wide x 10" high. My sulcata was not yet 2 years old then. I think he was about 11" long and less than 8" wide. Six months later I realized the I needed a bigger door. Luckily I could widen the door by 3" without much effort. Six months after that the door was once again too small. I watched each night as he pulled himself through the door, shell scraping on the door frame. I remember notching out the door frame a little so the bottom of the carapace would slide through. By the time I got the new box built my sulcata was tilting his shell on an angle so that he could fit through that door. I was afraid he was going to go in one night and not be able to get back through the door again.

The current night box is 4' x 6' x 2' high. The door is 26" wide and 16" high. I like this size box when using an oil filled heater. It gives me room for the heater and the tortoise can move around a bit. The door is to the left so the tortoise can go in and turn right to find a sleeping corner. He really has a 4' x 4' sleeping area. Or, If he wants to get closer to the heater he can do that too. Often I find he has piled up some hay to block out any light from the door. The 4' x 6' size does waste some materials compared to a 4' x 4' or 4' x 8'. After seeing my sulcata use the box for about a year now I am glad that I made it 6' long.
 

Flipper

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What a interesting thread!

Those 3D images are fantastic!!!
 

KatieandKyle

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I wasn't sure if 1.5" foam actually existed. I cant find it at Lowes or Home depot. At least online anyways. So I thought maybe it didn't exist and Tom just doubled up on the insulation.

I guesstimated door size I can definitely increase it. I was worried about heat escape from the door. Do the vinyl curtains work pretty well keeping the heat in?

I used Sketchup to create the 3D model.

Here in Phoenix the vinyl has been proving itself daily. Yesterday it got up to 115 degrees over by Delilah's box and the inside held at 83 degrees. She stays in her box during the heat of the day and heads to her pool when the sun starts to go down! Temps still in the 100's for a while even after the sun has gone down. The vinyl flaps have been fantastic. :)
 
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