Galvanized screen question

[fgately]

I am building a 3 feet by 10 feet outdoor enclosure. I am going to make the walls out of PVC and 1/2 inch galvanized hardware screen, because it is really strong stuff. I am going to bury it at least 8 inches down into the soil.

Will my Russians rub against the screeen as they wander around the perimeter? Is there some other hazard I need to be aware of?

Thanks.

 

[dmmj]

You know it is hard to say, I mean it is possible, but more than likely I would say no, and at the moment I can't think of any other hazards. I assume it has holes how big are the screen holes? that would be my only concern it could get a nail or something caught, but beyond that, no I can't think of anything.

 

[DixieParadise]

I am going to use the Pet Screen Fabric that is vinyl coated polyester. It is resistant to household pets...so, I am figuring and hoping that it will be for my RF. The advertisement shows a golden retriever going through regular door, but cannot go through this fabric. They sell it at Home Depot and you can make your own screen...so, you are not restricted to common window sizes.

Just a suggestion. I know this is not what you asked. In theory, depending on the mesh it should work. Are you talking about hardware cloth? Because that should stop and hold just about anything.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

We use hardware clothe, it is strong and will stop anything that might fall.

 

[Tom]

I've seen a lot of tortoise rub on galvanized wire of any size. I think you'll probably need a visual barrier of some sort at tortoise level. For a russian this could simply be a continuous row of 2x4 along the ground. If you use pressure treated wood, you'd never have to paint it. I use pressure treated wood in my enclosures all the time.

 

[Jacob]

It Could be A Danger, Just Monitor Them As Much As You Can And See How It Goes!

 

[October]

If it's a real fine mesh, like something for a screen door, I think that will deflect a lot of the UVB rays. If you do 2x4s or wider around the base, you could always use something with a bigger gauge like hardware mesh (shown above) or chicken wire for the rest and that would be safe.

 

[lynnedit]

The galvanized wire would be strong enough, but you would need a visual barrier for them around the base as has been suggested.
Pics, please, when you build it.

 

[fgately]

I am using 2 feet wide hardware cloth (why they call it cloth when it is rigid galavanised wire mesh with 1/2 inch holes I will never know) for all four sides. The top I will use a double layer of 3 feet wide poultry netting as a cover. Is this a good size for three russians?

I will post some pics as I build it.

By the way, my two females are growing like crazy! They both have very distinct growth rings and are very heavy when you pick them up. They eat gazanias all the time. They are now just climbing up on top of the plants and munching down on the flowers. They used to only eat the ones that they would come across at ground level. Now they just climb up on top of the plants and it's feast time! My male eats quite a bit as well, but shows very little of the growth bands that the females possess.

 

[dmmj]

I live in So Cal and my male russians grow very very slow, even though they eat all the time, of course they only reach about 5 or 6 inches length on average.