Indoor tort enclosure...on the cheap!

[Testudo Man]

Us doddery old tort keepers know how to save a penny or two.

Here is a simple, effective, indoor tort enclosure, that was put together on the cheap!

I am nearly embarrassed to say that my wife scored the large indoor rabbit cage for free, it was in almost new condition, sitting on top of a neighbours skip, it just required a thorough clean.

The substrate is a mixture of Aubiose/Hemp, Play sand and Top soil, (which for the amount used) would cost less than a couple of pounds, because I buy those substrate materals in bulk.
The large pebbles were from the beach, the piece of slate was a gift from a salvage yard, the piece of wood used as a substrate divider was kicking around in the garage, and the "hide" is a cane hanging basket from poundland (turned upside down with an entrance hole cut out).
The clamp lamp (comes complete with bulb) and a real bargain at just 3 pounds from Lidl (I grabbed 5 of those lamps too) I wish I would have got more at the time. Obviously the controller and 10.0 uvb tube cost the most, at just under 35 pounds.

I will be adding a reflector for the uvb tube, also some smaller rocks to the substrate area, a water dish, and I always use a movable thermometer to keep a check on temps. in hottest and coolest spots.

Dont be fooled by the small size of the lamp, it has a 50w bulb and even from approx. 30cm/12inches distance, you can achieve a variable basking area temp. from approx. 80 degreesF. to 95 degreesF. Any adjustments for temps. are easy, just simply experiment with angles/distances by bending the strong metal neck of the lamp. You will notice a couple of cable ties on the clamp part of the lamp, this is an extra precaution, because although the clamp is quite strong, one did fail/break on me once. The uvb tube is mounted down low (depending on the size of the tort) it will be typically approx. 2 to 3 inches above the top of the torts carapace/shell. When I give my torts "cloudy days" as in- only uvb for the day (or part of the day), and no spot/basking lamp, they are drawn to the uvb light source and will bask under the tube freely. Temps. of approx. 80 degreesF. are achievable directly under the uvb tube alone. At the coolest area of this enclosure, temps. will be approx. 70 degreesF. during daylight hours.

Night time temps. will vary, I live in a coolish house and do not have the central heating on throughout the night, therefore it may go as low as 60 to 65 degrees F. As long as the enclosure is situated away from cold drafts, the torts will be fine, they are either dug down in the aubiose or sand/soil mix. No need for any type of extra night time heat at all.

Some of the advantages of this type of enclosure are - Plenty of free flowing air. - The tort has a choice to either bask, cool off, or dig in/sleep at any time during the day. - The enclosure can be moved outside (weather permitting) for the tort to gain maximum benefits from mother nature/the sun, and because of the cage, should be safe from predators. - Heat and light sources are at a safe distance from young childrens prying fingers and other pets (cats/dogs). - Relatively cheap to setup too.

Several photos showing some of last years (born July 07) Mediterranean Spur Thighs in this enclosure...T.T.








PS. I'm just a doddery old tort keeper...what do I know!

[Athravan]

This is pretty much the exact setup that I use in the shop and sell tortoises with, except I think the cage might be a bit larger but the same principle and I use an expensive little rabbit hut thing as the hide.. and my wires are tidier... Looks good

[Testudo Man]

More photos...T.T.










PS. I'm just a doddery old tort keeper...what do I know!

[declanjr]

i got one of these round the local pet shop yesterday £20.00 i thought bloody hell i'll have thta lol my tort is loving it now lol

[Testudo Man]

Originally Posted by Athravan

This is pretty much the exact setup that I use in the shop and sell tortoises with, except I think the cage might be a bit larger but the same principle and I use an expensive little rabbit hut thing as the hide.. and my wires are tidier... Looks good

Good girl...you will go far

I must confess to not laying out the wires as tidy as I could have...therefore I shall flog my bare back with some moist kelp repeatedly...T.T.


PS. I'm just a doddery old tort keeper...what do I know!

[Tina]

That looks really nice

I'm glad you posted it because that's exactly the set-up I'm planning (only have the soil, sand and a table for it to sit on so far!) for when I got my first tortoise. Thanks for the great explanation on temps, that's the one thing that's been worrying me with an open top enclosure (I'm used to vivs for geckos you see).

How often do you give your torts 'cloudy' days? That's something I've not read about before, but it makes perfect sense to replicate their natural habitat in this way.

Gorgeous little hatchlings

[Testudo Man]

Originally Posted by Tina

That looks really nice

I'm glad you posted it because that's exactly the set-up I'm planning (only have the soil, sand and a table for it to sit on so far!) for when I got my first tortoise. Thanks for the great explanation on temps, that's the one thing that's been worrying me with an open top enclosure (I'm used to vivs for geckos you see).

How often do you give your torts 'cloudy' days? That's something I've not read about before, but it makes perfect sense to replicate their natural habitat in this way.

Gorgeous little hatchlings

There is no real set pattern as such, for the "cloudy days". I just choose a day were they will have just uvb and no food at all (this could be done twice or three times per week). There instincts will kick in, so they will go on the search for food, hence a good amount of exercise.

Thanks about the gorgeous hatchlings comment...T.T.



PS. I'm just a doddery old tort keeper...what do I know!

[hermannslover]

thats really nice!

[shootinglou79]

Brilliant setup Pauly, a great example which shows it doesnt cost an arm and leg to keep torts the correct way.
Gorgeous babies as always.

[tortoise_dude]

That's a really nice enclosure you got there, especially for so cheap!

Lovely babies btw, I love that last pic!