Pa (painting glass enclosure)

[Loganius]

Hey guys, I currently am housing my Russian tortoise in a glass enclosure. I didn't want him to get stressed out, so I fashioned cardboard all around his tank so he can't see out. This is temporary, however. I have purchased some water based black paint to paint the outside of his new home so he doesn't have to worry about what is outside. I will probably soak him while I am painting, but how long should I wait after painting to put him back in? The paint is nearly fumeless.

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

Hey, now your thinking outside the box, or tank. This is how to make an aquarium okay for tortoises. The times I've used aquariums I used a green sharpie and drew grass all around, very dense grass at that.

I know my comments sound cheeky to sarcastic, no offense intended, but you have done the simple thing that makes a tank a good enclosure, that has escaped soooooooo many people including some really well regarded tortoise husbandry experts, well published and considered by many to be a global authorites. Simple observe and react appropriately is what good husbandry is mostly about. I get fatigued with reading posts debating the merits of aquariums. Good job.

Will

 

[Yvonne G]

I don't remember how big your Russian tortoise is, Logan, but Russians need a lot of room. It's pretty hard to get a big enough aquarium for a Russian tortoise.

I wouldn't go to all the trouble of actually painting the glass. Just put up some paper around the lower portion of the glass. He's going to outgrow that tank and painting is more trouble than its worth

If you DO decide to go with painting, paint the outside, not the inside. That way you don't have to worry about how long to keep him out of there.

 

[Loganius]

He is still quite small, and my tank is abnormally large/long as far as glass enclosures go. I will be building a cabinet-like enclosure for him eventually, probably this winter. The paint is incredibly cheap, and it won't take very long at all to paint the back, sides, and a portion of the front underneath the doors so he can't see out. And I will definitely be painting the outside. I'm slightly OCD about how my tanks look, and to me the cardboard is just sloppy. So I'm going to try and make it look great while keeping the health of my little guy in mind. Hopefully after I get it painted he can just focus on his own little world inside, instead of what is outside. Also, I didn't mean to name this thread "Pa." I wanted it to be "Painting Enclosure?" But my phone posted it early. I can't seem to edit the title from my phone, so can anyone else do this for me? I should add that my enclosure is reptile-specific, as it has sliding front doors and removable mesh top panels.

 

[DawnH]

Oh yea, I gotta see this. It sounds really cool, especially if you are painting the outside (safe!) Be sure to post pictures when you are done! My painting style consists of the bubble flowers I did when I was 7. It still hasn't changed... *sigh*