Did you know that making a terrarium with your own hands is not as difficult as it seems at first glance? Now you will be convinced of this, since not only interesting facts from the life of wonderful animals are waiting for you, but also ways to make terrariums for land turtles.
Turtle - exotic or normal
If an addition is planned in your family - your favorite child has forced you to have a pet, and not some purebred Rex or the soft and fluffy Barsik, but a turtle, then it's time to open an encyclopedia and find out everything about it.
The most important information for you in this case is:
- Types of turtles.
- Features nutrition.
- Conditions of detention.
- Care for animals.
When choosing an animal, pay attention to its appearance, since the entire content program will depend on this in the future.
In nature, there are about 37 species of these reptiles, but not all of them can be kept in captivity, as a rule, individuals who grow up to 20 cm become their pets. Moreover, their content can be not only in apartment, but also in natural conditions.
Where can a tortoise be settled?
It is necessary to take care of proper housing for a new neighbor in advance so that the poor animal does not have to interrupt in a cardboard box.
When instituting a land tortoise, you must be guided by the following conditions, having familiarized yourself with them, you will see that the do-it-yourself terrarium will be the best option.
- The space of the future habitat of the land tortoise is calculated based on its size, so the dimensions of the terrarium for an average individual up to 12 cm should be 50 x 40 x 30 cm, where the first indicator is the length, the second is the width and the third is the height. And again we remind you that it is very important to know what type of tortoise and what maximum sizes it can reach - it will depend on how much you need to make a terrarium for the tortoise with your own hands.
- One of the walls should not be glass - for air circulation.
- Be sure to install a lamp for the terrarium, this is necessary not only for good lighting, but also for heating the home, since the temperature in the "room" of the turtle should not fall below + 10 °. It’s also not worth it to try with heating - the maximum temperature should be kept at + 25 °.
- Although the tortoise is called land, it cannot exist without water at all, therefore small reservoirs of water should be present in the terrarium.
- The feeders are placed in the terrarium in the form of shallow pallets, away from the lighting zone, so that the feed does not overheat.
- The bottom of reptile housing should be covered with soil.
- In addition to everything in the bins, you need to have an ultraviolet lamp, which is needed by young animals and females waiting for offspring.
How to make a terrarium for a land tortoise yourself?
For a land tortoise with your own hands, a terrarium can be made no worse than those that are put on the production conveyor. First of all, arm yourself with tools, material and imagination.
The material used in the manufacture of the terrarium is very different: wood, glass, plexiglass, plastic, but it must be non-toxic, since when heated, toxic gases harmful to the animal can be released.
The best way to make a terrarium for land turtles with your own hands is to use old furniture and aquariums.
Do not throw out the old aquarium
And pass it on to your friends, as this is the best house for Tortilla. And let it not bother you that the container somewhere gave a leak and a crack - you will not fill it with liquid anyway, and cracks and injections can easily be masked.
When using glass containers for animals, one should take into account the fact that when moving inside them, reptiles do not see the boundaries of the glass and beat the shell on its surface. This can lead to injuries to the animal and the damaged structure of the house. In order to avoid this, the lower part of the aquarium at the height of the turtle should be decorated.
Fits and the nightstand
Surely many of the readers have an old house in the village, which takes everything that takes the place of the house. Well, the time has come to return something, such as a bedside table, a hanging cabinet from the kitchen, and if suddenly the old mezzanine from the grandmother’s ancient headset is gathering dust in the attic, then you can’t even dream of the best terrarium for turtles.
Having disconnected the doors and putting sliding glass in their place, fixing the woven or metal mesh, we get an almost finished design. The only thing left is to cut through the ventilation shafts on the sides and carry out lighting in the closet. If in the manufacture of the front front side was sewn up with a net, then an additional hole must be made for access inside (somehow it is necessary to feed the animal).
Turtle park
This is the name of the most original terrariums for land. Do-it-yourself designs of this kind are done in the courtyard, since they occupy a lot of space, so they can mainly be seen in private houses, not apartments.
For their manufacture, you will also need a natural material: wood, eco-friendly plastic, metal parts. The frame of the box (you can create another shape, depends on the imagination of the creator) is assembled using corners, nails and screws. Fasteners should not be accessible to the animal, as this is a 100% guarantee of its injury.
The most interesting: arrangement of the house
It is not enough to make a terrarium with your own hands, you need to make it suitable for habitation. Like humans, a turtle cannot live without water, food, and a pleasant environment. Therefore, let's talk about what is needed first of all by the “fastest” pets.
First of all, the terrarium floor must be covered with soil so that the turtle can feel more freely and not slide on the smooth surface of glass or polished wood. The earth should not be very wet and dry at the same time, it is best to dilute it with gravel or sawdust.
For decoration, you can use various natural materials, driftwood and intricate stones, decorative glass pebbles, sea shells and figurines from a pet store, etc. As a wallpaper for an animal’s apartment, the tree bark is well suited.
Landscaping with living plants of the terrarium is optional, even rather undesirable, as these plants will eventually be eaten, torn or trampled. An exception may be only moss. If for aesthetics you cannot refuse greenery, then it is better to choose artificial plants that have high strength and are made from non-toxic materials.
Be sure if you make a terrarium for a land tortoise with your own hands, consider the presence of shelter for the animal (old broken flower pots, hollow logs of trees, stone grottoes).
There are several other positive aspects in the production of terrarium for a land tortoise - you will save in financial matters by investing your soul in your creation and make it clear to the newcomer that he is welcome in your family. And the last - by your example you will teach children to be responsible for those who are tamed.