NIce. Make sure that house is well insulated, and sealed with silicone to keep the drafts down. How will you heat it? Already got power out there?
Mostly good!Does all of that sound good?
Mostly good!
Here is some box building info:
- Heat lamps are no good for larger tortoises. They will burn the top of the carapace and still not allow the tortoise to warm its core enough. There are two good ways to heat it. 1. Use a mini radiant oil filled heater. These can be found for about $40. Use a separate thermostat to control it, as the built in one on the unit will not hold a steady temp and cannot be trusted. 2. Use a Kane mat on bottom and a radiant heat panel overhead. Same thermostat to control both. I like this thermostat, and its cheap: https://www.lllreptile.com/products/13883-zilla-1000-watt-temperature-controller
- I use 1.5 inch insulation. I'm not sure 1/2 will do it. Your thermometer will answer this question, but do test it BEFORE you get the tortoise. I work in GA regularly and you guys get some cold weather in winter sometimes.
- I would close the triangles. It will keep all that southern rain out. In winter it will keep the heat in, and in summer, having it closed will keep the heat out.
Double Door Night Box
As the years have gone by and I build more of these boxes, I learn more and more each time. This one is the latest and I incorporated everything I've learned over the years. I also tried to take lots of pics so I can explain in more detail some of what is going on. It will take multiple posts to...tortoiseforum.orgHere is the 4x8 rendering of Tom's Night Box. With Exploded view.
This is a rendering I did based off of @Tom 's heated night box enclosure. Its probably not a 100% accurate. Door is offset to one side for my personal needs but can easily be moved. Let me know if you see any issues with it. Feed back appreciated. High res renderings can be downloaded here...tortoiseforum.orgWhat You'll Need to Build A Night Box
I just typed up a list of the needed supplies to build a night box and thought I'd copy paste it here: For sulcatas, I make the doors 26x16". This will fit all but the largest of large males for their entire life. If you end up with one of the giants, you will eventually have to make another...tortoiseforum.org
I hope you find a great tortoise!Thanks so much for your help! I'll beef up the insulation & change to an oil heater.