I have two sulcattas who are close to out growing there dogloo. I was thinking of building them a new pen out of wood. Treating it with a water seal and a nice leak proof roof with the front opening up into a ramp during the day and at night I could close them up inside. I would insulate the inside use lots of timothy hay for bedding and use ceramic lamps and a heat lamp and also thinking of adding a pig blanket all on a thermostat of course. The question I have is would it be ok too raise the pen off the ground about 3" and use a wooden floor with laminate flooring to make cleaning easier and the floor from absorbing potty messes or am I looking at trouble and should I put it on the ground with a dirt floor. Just think of a mini-house with little stilts. I would appreciate any comments and ideas. Not all of us are experts. Than you.
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Building a tortoise pen
Replies (2)
>>I have two sulcattas who are close to out growing there dogloo. I was thinking of building them a new pen out of wood. Treating it with a water seal and
5 years ago I created an outdoor pen for my russian torts.
I used 1" pine boards treated with Thompson's water seal. I sank the walls 6" into the soil.
After 3 years the boards above the ground were heavily weathered, and the boards below the ground were rotting through.
I plan to rebuild using boards made from recycled plastic flower pots. More expensive but supposed to last many years without signs of deterioration, above or below ground.
So, either use thicker boards or find a more water-resistent material if you plan to put them in contact with the ground. I think pressure-treated wood is not recommened for use with animals. Toxic chemicals.
i think using wood for smaller types of torts will work but the sheer size and strength of sulcatas is going 2 require something much stronger than flat wood.. i would go with sinder block there pretty cheap and there much more stronger than wood planks .. im almost finished finishing the walls on my sulcata pen and its made up of sinder blocks and looks really good and its going 2 last for ages..well i hope this helps a little... aaron
