Hey guys, a question for all. I live in MN and indoor housing is the only option for most of the year. At least at this point not boing to build a heated house in the backyard. So, i've been using a raised plywood floor enclosure that is a total of about 75 sf to house and raise P.Pardalis Leopards. I have two adults and two juveniles. My torts breed and lay eggs indoors. When she is ready to lay eggs, I uncover a dirt tub that she digs in.
The trouble is that the plywood floor is really tough to keep clean, or clean at all for that matter. For year i have dreamed of a concrete floor with a drain so I can hose down the enclosure when needed. I am having concrete work done next month on my driveway and i am contemplating having them stick the hose in the basement window and pumping a yard of concrete into forms I will have set up. I was thinking of laying down 2" rigid insul first, having the pvc drain set in place and then pouring the concrete in, giving it a hard trowel with a slight slope to the drain. What do you all think? I could make the enclosure bigger this way as well.
My biggest concern is her egg laying. I had a heck of time getting her to lay indoors because she is pretty specific about where she wants to lay. i had built her a 4x4 area filled with dirt and she would not dig there, she would walk off and try to dig on the plywood. I had to cut a hole and drop a tub right there. Well, that wont be an option with concrete. i could build in a hole for her in the concrete, and cover it with plywood for most of the time - but if she don't like it, there's not changing it.
What do you all think? worth the risk to get the bomb proof enclosure or not?
As important - in concrete a bad idea as a substrate? I have nothing now on the plywood and its work great, but concrete is pretty hard.
Thanks,
Ben
