I have 2 ornate wood turtles one about 7in and the other is about 5.5in so they still have some growing to do. I currently hav ethem in a 55 gallon tank which really isn't enough room but it was the biggest tank I could buy. I would like to build an enclosure for them but not sure how big I should build it. I own my own home and have part of a 10 x10 room free that I can use for the enclosure. If anyone has information that could help get me start please let me know. In the meantime I will be reading as many post in the forum as possible. thanks. Please visit: www.allpettalk.com www.shancarr.com www.soapy-sales.com - Great gift ideas
Well, the simplest way, if you were going to build a real large enclosure, is to make a frame from 2x2 or 2x4, then wrap ply wood around it, and some kind of mesh or screen for visible areas. With tortoises & turtles, I wouldn't be too bothered about a top to it, as long as the sides were high enough. It depends really on how elaborate you want to go, and what kind of appearance you want to give the enclosure.
I would like to have the front with siding glass doors so that it allows easy access to the enclosure. How hard is it to install sliding glass doors. Does home depot or lowes sell something like that? What should I do about water? What type of filter do i need to have if one at all. There turtles don't swim but they love to sit in the water so it will not be very deep. Should I worry about a filter or just change the water as often as possible. With enclosure that is going to be atleast 4x3x4 how should I handle the lights? Thanks
It's not that difficult.. the one thing to make sure is that the top is well supported... Otherwise it can start to bow, and it ends up getting supported by the glass - which can put a great strain on the glass. You should be able to get the track from Home Depot, but you'd want to find a local glass company to actually get the glass cut to the size you need. I honestly have no idea about the water filtration system, your best bet is speaking to an aquarium store abotu that. There's several ways you could handle the lights... You could have hooks in the ceiling and suspend the lights from those, which usually works quite well, just make sure you don't have them right over the water, because you don't want condensation to make them blow out every 5 minutes.
John thanks for the advise. If anyone else has some suggestions please let me know. I will most likely be starting thisproject after the holidays.
Looks great so far! As for your water situation. For Wood Turtles, I would just use some sort of water dish that's big enough for them to get into and out of easily. Like a rubbermaid that sets down in the substrate. That way you can clean it often and don't have to worry about filters. What kind of substrate are you thinking of using?
I think I have my water situation figured out. I plan on building a drain in the watering area using pvc. The pvc will have a cut off value to stop the water from draining and will allow us to change water much faster and easily. As for the substrate I'm not sure the name of it but it comes in a brick that you have to soak in water for 20 minutes and than it turns into a dirt/moss type mixture. I want to think the name is something like bed a beast or something like that.
I've used that before. It's not too bad. But it can hold a lot of moisture. I don't know how wood's are with moisture. Plus you want to make sure you seal the wood and lay down a base of thick plastic sheeting on the bottom of the cage before you fill it with substrate. That way you don't have to worry about warped wood or rotting. The drain is a great idea. I've used those before in rubbermaids. They are wonderful!
Updated pictures of the enclosure I'm bulding. I know I started this project in the first part of December and I'm still working on it but I run short on some money and had to stop working for a few weeks. But I'm back on the project and it's coming along nicely. Pictures - http://apps.kua.com/enclosure/
Looks like its coming together. Great minds think alike ! I was going to suggest you take a plastic tub and flush mount it into a false bottom. Sort of like a "turtle table" design. But I see from your recent picture that you did that. At the other end I would flush mount some smaller vessels for live plants, or deeper loam for egg-laying. Also for sliding glass doors (bypass doors), the most commonly available track is extruded aluminum and it is usually sized for 1/4" or 3/8" glass doors for shower enclosures. This stuff is what my local home depot carries and I think it is too thick and clunky for a small cabinet style enclosure. I think bypass doors look better in 3/16 inch glass (also lot cheaper). I order plastic sliding door track from a company called "Rockler Woodworking and Hardware". It comes in 4 foot lengths in either walnut tone or black. Comes with the lower track (shallower) and upper guide (deeper). Part no. is #10007 (walnut) or #10014 (black). Visit them online at http://www.rockler.com or order by phone 1-800-279-4441. Cost per 4' length is $10.59. They also sell some other neat hardware for glass doors. Keep us posted. George
Looks great so far, and I like George's idea flush mounting the smaller areas for eggs and plants. Can't wait to see it finished!
