Habitat - Indoor :: Help with building indoor boxie pen

[jenaero]

I thought I'd post here and see if anyone can help me out with this. I'm thinking of building an indoor enclosure large enough for both my boxies. They've been introduced once and it didn't turn out so great but I figure if they have enough room there shouldn't be a problem. Besides that, having one less enclosure would be nice. I've heard of some people building out of old book shelves and such but I'm not real handy when it comes to that sort of thing. Also I'm not sure how large it should be or what I would line it with to prevent leaks. Any ideas are appreciated. Keep in mind I have limited space. I have the 2 boxie tubs and a 125gal tank in a small bedroom. I'd prefer that whatever I end up building be collapsable for easy cleaning/moving. It may also suit me better to build something in a T shape to kind of fit around the large tank because there's no way of moving it.

[marisa]

Weren't you going to build some kind of table a while back?

[jenaero]

Yeah but I never got around to it. That was also when I only had one boxie (I think) so ideally I'd like something larger.

[steve]

Here are some interesting links:
http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/Tortoisetable.htm
http://russiantortoise.org/tortoise_table.htm
http://www.sulcata-station.org/table1.html
http://www.unc.edu/~dtkirkpa/stuff/table.html

and some pics of another one: http://www.flickr.com/photos/turtblu/sets/634650/

How big did you want to make yours? A bookshelf that I have is about 30"x66".

[jenaero]

Not sure how big I'd want it yet. I'll have to see how much room I have. Thanks for the links! I'll let you know what comes of all this

[marisa]

I think that tortoist trust link was the one I gave you before.

[DanielRES1180]

By collapsable you mean folding right?

[DanielRES1180]

I was thinking someting way simpler than all that. For me it's so simple it's foolproof.

Supplies:

• Staple gun
• Screwdriver or power drill
• 2 by 1 inch wood
• Saw (anything that cuts wood)
• Short nails that won't go through the wood
• Chicken wire
• Wire cutter (anthing that cuts chicken wire)
• Small hinges (found in Home Depot or similar stores)

*Dimensions are up to you*

Once you have the lengths set and the wood cut, nail all the pieces together and cut the chicken wire to fit the frame. Staple the wire to it. Once all the sides are done, join them all together with the hinges in a way it will be foldable when done.

[jenaero]

Thanks again! I'm going to see if I can start working on it this weekend.

[DanielRES1180]

Jen, I suggest using thin nails that won't split the wood. What I meant in the instructions above was using thin nails, not short nails that won't go through the wood.

[steve]

They sell screw specifically to be used with wood. Screws would hold together much better than nail and I think I read someone who had a RES ingest nails from a basking area... not sure if it was this forum or another. Also, get stainless steel wood screws for corrosion resistance.

Take pics please

[jenaero]

Ok, nix that. Thanks for all the info tho, I'll keep it on hand. Just had to drop $600 to get my car fixed so I can't spend any extra money. I've decided to go with a kiddy pool for now instead, that is, if they get along once introduced again.