First tortoise box liner

[mproko]

Hello all,

Working on an indoor tortoise table. What does everyone use for the plastic liner? I was going to get the cheap tarps from harbor freight.

Thoughts?

 

[Yvonne G]

One of our more experienced members, GBTortoises, wrote this about how he seals his tortoise tables:

...primed and painted with two coats of a good quality alkyd enamel semi gloss latex paint. Even though the fumes are non-toxic, I always give it 3-4 days at room temperature to cure well so that the finish is absolutely hard. This finish is moisture resistant, easy to clean and durable. I have several enclosures that have been in use for 20 years, some more and most have only needed to be repainted once or twice during that time. Bare, non-treated wood indoors will mold and rot without very good air exposure.

I have used sheet plastic:

..folding it into hospital corners, then up over the sides and stapling it on the outside of the table. This is not as durable as the paint GBTortoises uses, though. By the end of one season there usually are holes in it where the tortoise has dug down trying to escape or burrow.

I don't like to use the blue plastic tarp:



...because it is made of woven together plastic strips and eventually will come apart. Also, it eventually leaks.

 

[lisa127]

I use the type of tarp Yvonne posted above.

 

[mproko]

One of our more experienced members, GBTortoises, wrote this about how he seals his tortoise tables:

...primed and painted with two coats of a good quality alkyd enamel semi gloss latex paint. Even though the fumes are non-toxic, I always give it 3-4 days at room temperature to cure well so that the finish is absolutely hard. This finish is moisture resistant, easy to clean and durable. I have several enclosures that have been in use for 20 years, some more and most have only needed to be repainted once or twice during that time. Bare, non-treated wood indoors will mold and rot without very good air exposure.

I have used sheet plastic:

..folding it into hospital corners, then up over the sides and stapling it on the outside of the table. This is not as durable as the paint GBTortoises uses, though. By the end of one season there usually are holes in it where the tortoise has dug down trying to escape or burrow.

I don't like to use the blue plastic tarp:

View attachment 182637

...because it is made of woven together plastic strips and eventually will come apart. Also, it eventually leaks.

Thank you that was exactly what I needed to know.

 

[Gillian M]

Hello all,

Working on an indoor tortoise table. What does everyone use for the plastic liner? I was going to get the cheap tarps from harbor freight.

Thoughts?

A very warm welcome to the forum!

Sorry, cannot help you in this thread.

 

[Alexio]

Currently I have been using the plastic sheeting that Yvonne put the picture up. (I try to find the 6 MIL). I have also used the blue tarp I found that to work about as well but I've only been using it for about 6 months and can't speak to its longevity.
My current thing I'm redoing all of my enclosures is using pond liner. It's 20 mils thick and puncture/ tare resistant. It is more expensive than the plastic sheeting or blue tarp but much thicker , it's also UV resistant and won't break down from exposure to it.

 

[mproko]

One of our more experienced members, GBTortoises, wrote this about how he seals his tortoise tables:

...primed and painted with two coats of a good quality alkyd enamel semi gloss latex paint. Even though the fumes are non-toxic, I always give it 3-4 days at room temperature to cure well so that the finish is absolutely hard. This finish is moisture resistant, easy to clean and durable. I have several enclosures that have been in use for 20 years, some more and most have only needed to be repainted once or twice during that time. Bare, non-treated wood indoors will mold and rot without very good air exposure.

I have used sheet plastic:

..folding it into hospital corners, then up over the sides and stapling it on the outside of the table. This is not as durable as the paint GBTortoises uses, though. By the end of one season there usually are holes in it where the tortoise has dug down trying to escape or burrow.

I don't like to use the blue plastic tarp:

View attachment 182637

...because it is made of woven together plastic strips and eventually will come apart. Also, it eventually leaks.

So the paint would be instead of liner?

 

[Yvonne G]

So the paint would be instead of liner?

Yes.

 

[Wolfie]

I put down linoleum in one of my tables. Easy to just hose out, doesn't get scratched or anything.

 

[Meganolvt]

I put down linoleum in one of my tables. Easy to just hose out, doesn't get scratched or anything.

Me too.