Tables or vivariums

janebartley

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So I’ve been doing a lot of research on the best things to do/get for our little Dexter who we got last Friday. We have an open top tortoise table for him, today the man in the reptile shop said that he should definitely be in a vivarium as it will keep the warmth in so much more (we live in north east England so pretty cold) but I think ive read things stating not to use them and that they are dangerous, is this true, and if so why? Which is really best to use?
 

baldegale

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So I’ve been doing a lot of research on the best things to do/get for our little Dexter who we got last Friday. We have an open top tortoise table for him, today the man in the reptile shop said that he should definitely be in a vivarium as it will keep the warmth in so much more (we live in north east England so pretty cold) but I think ive read things stating not to use them and that they are dangerous, is this true, and if so why? Which is really best to use?

they aren’t dangerous, theyre the best things to use. just dont use glass tanks. build
your own custom wood/pvc enclosures
 

baldegale

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If that's a baby Russian, then I believe those are okay.

still kinda pointless imo, because if you spend a little more you can build something bigger thatll last longer. but i dont know how widely available building materials are over the pond
 

janebartley

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Yeah he’s a 12 week old horse field so teeny tiny atm, I don’t know anyone who could build one that wouldn’t charge a fortune haha
 

Rusky

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Yeah he’s a 12 week old horse field so teeny tiny atm, I don’t know anyone who could build one that wouldn’t charge a fortune haha
It isn't terribly difficult, and there are a few guides on here, but you can go for the vivexotic if you want. They certainly look great!
 

baldegale

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It isn't terribly difficult, and there are a few guides on here, but you can go for the vivexotic if you want. They certainly look great!

the reviews arent the best, a few of them say they came damaged. but you can build a table with a 4’x4’ piece of plywood (and its cm counterpart) and a couple boards of 1”x8” and 4”x4” all of which could be cut at the hardware store
 

WithLisa

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You could even get a rabbit cage (2'x4') and cover it with foil or acrylic glass. Probably cheaper and much bigger than the largest vivexotic vivarium.
 

baldegale

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i know its intimidating but being in this hobby it is way more cost efficient to learn to build things yourself in the long run
 

lisa127

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Vivsriums are fine, not dangerous at all.
 

janebartley

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Nothing much was said really it was a different site too just a comment about how you should always use tables and not vivariums, and another comment on a separate thing asking about building and what to use since vivariums can be dangerous, just wanted to see if there was any truth in it but obviously not haha. Just so much junk written about which makes you question if there’s any viability in it
 

Yvonne G

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I like to use vivs for baby tortoises. So easy to cover the top and make a closed chamber. If any of them seem stressed seeing out I just wrap paper around the sides so they can't see out.
 

Sterant

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Which vivariums do you use in the USA?
Check out http://www.apcages.com. They make a nice product in many different sizes. Many of us build our own out of plywood or PVC. I really enjoy building them and have built a number of PVC and a number of plywood enclosures.

You can see my PVC enclosures here: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/building-your-own-expanded-pvc-enclosed-chamber-–-for-beginners.159220/

Check out some of @Tom and @Markw84 's posts - they have both made similar.
 
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