We just finished a tort table for Om and Opal. I think they're going to love it; especially considering their home when I found them. The outside is not very attractive, but it's the inside that matters!
We lined the whole thing with some linoleum. We went back and forth on whether to glue it down, then decide to just staple it over the edges so it can be removed and cleaned/changed more easily. It certainly won't hold water, but I think it's sufficiently water resistant. Luckily, we made it all easy to change.
We let the linoleum air out overnight, then this morning put cypress mulch in their hide and reptile bark in the outside area. We also lined the hide with contractors paper for easier cleaning (I read that they urinate in there to get the humidity up). We're letting the substrate air out right now (the reptile bark has a really strong smell). I'm not sure I care for the reptile bark, but they didn't have enough cypress at the pet store, and they had a big bag of the reptile bark.
We put 4 ceramic tiles in the back corner for basking. The light we have now holds two bulbs, so we put in a 100 watt soft white, and a Zoo Med UVB 10 (there was an article someone posted that had a breakdown of the output of the lights and I think this combo covers their needs). I plan to hang the lights 18" or so above the tile (using metal strap from the ceiling, so it'll be easy to adjust the height).
The two tiles in the front corner (easily reachable for changing) is where we're going to put the water. Right now we're using a paint roller tray, which is OK for one of them, but we want to get something bigger so they can both fit. I like the basking area next to the water because in my mind it's like the beach. Go for dip, then lay out and dry off on the beach. Well, there's no sand, but that's pending more research. I read that sand isn't great for tortoises in general, but I think it'll be fine for these guys (in nature, they seem to prefer areas with dry sand dunes).
The single tile in the front (again for an easy reach) is where we'll put the food, probably on a paper plate.
Finally, we'll need to add some plants and decor (haven't decided on that yet) and hang the heat lamp. We also might need to widen the opening to the hide a bit. At least the big things are done now.
We lined the whole thing with some linoleum. We went back and forth on whether to glue it down, then decide to just staple it over the edges so it can be removed and cleaned/changed more easily. It certainly won't hold water, but I think it's sufficiently water resistant. Luckily, we made it all easy to change.
We let the linoleum air out overnight, then this morning put cypress mulch in their hide and reptile bark in the outside area. We also lined the hide with contractors paper for easier cleaning (I read that they urinate in there to get the humidity up). We're letting the substrate air out right now (the reptile bark has a really strong smell). I'm not sure I care for the reptile bark, but they didn't have enough cypress at the pet store, and they had a big bag of the reptile bark.
We put 4 ceramic tiles in the back corner for basking. The light we have now holds two bulbs, so we put in a 100 watt soft white, and a Zoo Med UVB 10 (there was an article someone posted that had a breakdown of the output of the lights and I think this combo covers their needs). I plan to hang the lights 18" or so above the tile (using metal strap from the ceiling, so it'll be easy to adjust the height).
The two tiles in the front corner (easily reachable for changing) is where we're going to put the water. Right now we're using a paint roller tray, which is OK for one of them, but we want to get something bigger so they can both fit. I like the basking area next to the water because in my mind it's like the beach. Go for dip, then lay out and dry off on the beach. Well, there's no sand, but that's pending more research. I read that sand isn't great for tortoises in general, but I think it'll be fine for these guys (in nature, they seem to prefer areas with dry sand dunes).
The single tile in the front (again for an easy reach) is where we'll put the food, probably on a paper plate.
Finally, we'll need to add some plants and decor (haven't decided on that yet) and hang the heat lamp. We also might need to widen the opening to the hide a bit. At least the big things are done now.
