Indoor room for my large torts

[jaizei]

No volunteers to move that ladder?

I am also going to install an LED grow light in each tortoises area to grow some plants , there will also be some LED ambient lighting in the room . set on timers.

Just thinking out loud about my ideas, if anyone has any thoughts or concerns, please chime in !

I'd prob start with 4 high bays, either LED or the 6 lamp fluorescent, to see where that got you for ambient lighting. Most LED high bays I've seen are 0-10v dimmable, so it's relatively easy to set them up with a controller to simulate dawn/dusk instead of an instant on/off.

 

[dd33]

I have a bunch of questions for you.

Are you definitely going with the raised floor? If you are, how are you going to waterproof the wood to keep it from rotting with wet mulch on top of it? Pressure treated wood would help but the decaying mulch seems like a rot/termite nightmare.

How are you going to get rid of the water from their soaking pools?

Do you have propane or natural gas or is your only option electric heat for the air?

 

[lazybfarm]

I am going to seal the wood with flex seal , the line the floor and up 2’ on the walls with pond liner , then cover that with horse stall mats on the floor and 4’ up on the wall, then cypress mulch .

 

[lazybfarm]

Yes I have 4 - 100w high bay led lights that are dimmable that will be the ambient lighting
My only option for heat is electric or propane

 

[lazybfarm]

Do you guys think propane is better than electric? I am an electrical contractor so all of the installation would be cheap as possible, material cost only, would the electric heat cost more to run than the propane ( propane is pretty expensive here) ?

 

[lazybfarm]

Walls are finished, ceiling going in tomorrow

 

[dd33]

Electric heat would be easier for you to install. Propane may be cheaper to run but it depends on your local propane vs electricity costs. One potential benefit to using propane is that it releases a lot of moisture during combustion. If you chose an unvented heater this could help with humidity. Carbon dioxide and other combustion gasses are released though too.

 

[lazybfarm]

Got it ! That is why I love you guys! The answer is both. I will have electric for normal use , and a propane heater for back up !

 

[lazybfarm]

Floor going in now !

 

[lazybfarm]

Jackson and General outside this morning , temp is around 58, ground temp was 104 when I checked it before I let them go out

 

[lazybfarm]

Insulation and plywood going down

 

[lazybfarm]

Floor is done

 

[Yvonne G]

Floor is done

It seems to be going quickly!

 

[Toddrickfl1]

These are my favorite kind of posts. Loving the updates.

 

[lazybfarm]

Yes ! It is going very quickly ! Tomorrow the ceiling joist and decking will go in, and I am running a 100A circuit and breaker box just for the room . I am going to design the lighting and power plan for the heat ,ambient lighting, ceiling fans, basking lighting, UVB lighting, night house power , ventilation and fresh air . Speaking of that, I am thinking about installing an exhaust/fresh air intake system on a timer that will change out a little of the air if I decide it is needed, and LED grow lights. I will start getting the wiring installed tomorrow and done by wednesday. I have ordered a couple of Kane heat mats for their night houses, I got the 27"X 36" which should do them for a while . I already have a couple of 120W RHPs and 2 Vivarium Electronics VE-300x2 controllers. These controllers will control 2 zones, one for the kane mat and one for the RHP, these zones can be set independently of each other and have day and night settings, pretty cool . I will also install Wyze cameras in the night houses and the room itself so I can monitor them at all times.
It seemed like everything I have set up for them has been outgrown very quickly , so with these guys , bigger is always better . Hopefully this will last them for a few years ! Or, Baxter, my sulcata , will inherit one killer sulcata lair !

 

[lazybfarm]

Ceiling joists going in today

 

[lazybfarm]

Had a great idea today . I don’t know why I haven’t thought of it, but I am going to try to procure some 4x8x1/2 pvc sheet to use on the walls and ceiling . It will be impervious to the moisture and I won’t have to paint or seal it.
There is a company that makes it in my town -Kommerling . They are one of the world’s largest manufacturers of pvc sheet and I can go there and pick it up ! When I bought the sheets for their enclosures they are in now it was around $50 sheet . It my be a lot more now , don’t know, but most all pvc products have gone up by 3-400%

 

[dd33]

Are you still going to put the stall mats down low on the walls?

 

[lazybfarm]

Yes , I still plan on using the horse stall mats 2’ up on the walls and on the floor

 

[lazybfarm]

Decking on the top going down today