Basement Greenhouse Enclosure in Western North Carolina

[LHosk]

Hi. I currently live in Southern California with my 3-year-old Leopard Tortoise, but we will be moving to Western North Carolina within the year. I have read on the forum about pop-up greenhouses being used in basements as winter enclosures. I would like to do this, but I need some help as to what exactly I need to do and what materials and supplies I will need. I know that I need a pop-up triangle-topped greenhouse. But what light fixtures do you use and how do you attach them to the greenhouse? What bulbs would I use (size, wattage, and best brand)? How do I keep the whole thing warm, humid, and bright? What is the best way to monitor the temperature and the humidity, especially if I am not in the basement at the time, but still want to be able to keep track of these things? How do you maintain the temperature? What would I use for a hide? Is regular cypress mulch from a store like Lowes okay as a substrate if a tarp is laid under the greenhouse, directly onto the cement floor of the basement? I feel like I have a million more questions, but if someone has experience with this type of enclosure, could they share with me their knowledge?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Aloysius Taschse]

I'm not the most experienced in this subject, but I had to undergo something similar I took a mini greenhouse (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07P9T4CY3/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20) and put it over a spill tray (https://www.grainger.com/product/EAGLE-Basins-and-Sumps-5PW01) on an elevated wooden platform. It kind of looks like a triangular prism on a yellow base with wooden legs. You can find all the heating and lighting information on Tom's care guide: https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threa...se-a-sulcata-leopard-or-star-tortoise.181503/ The encosure is probably tiny compared to your tort friend, but the idea is the same.

I found that using the frame as a wire holder can help, and if you need to you can use extension cables. Just make sure you are safe as you can easily start a fire with the lamp fixtures overheating and burning plastic and if your tortoise is big enough he/she might even chew on the cables.

For humidity I just mist the substrate and fill up the terracotta saucer water dish, and the result is like being in a rainforest. Very humid, but that is what you want.

In order to monitor stuff I have 3 thermometers and a thermostat that I just check every few hours, although you might be able to find thermometers that connect to your phone/personal electronic device and tell the humidity, temperature, and other important data. For now I just have standard but reliable thermometers around the enclosure and a relatively reliable thermostat.

Cypress mulch from Lowe's is fine, but I used another brand that I don't remember. I don't know much about this so I'll let another member help you out.

I definitely would suggest using a spill tray instead of a tarp. It is designed to be water tight and prevents the tortoise from getting out, while still being cleanable and easy to work with. Here is a link to a thread that should tell you about the type of enclosure I have: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/indoor-baby-enclosure-maintains-heat-humidity.189403/#post-1913276 It is definitely too small for your leopard, but there are other larger spill trays and a tarp might work if you use it correctly.

Most of the information you need can be found in Tom's care sheet that I linked earlier. It is very helpful and a great resource.

Hopefully I've helped with my incredibly long reply! Good luck!

 

[wellington]

I have used several greenhouses. The triangle your talking about, a 4x4 for hatchlings and a 10x12 for a couple adult females.
Mine didnt have floors so I laid a tarp and taped it around the outside of the green house. All my lights and heating hung from the metal poles of the greenhouse frame. My largest greenhouse also had a portable radiator heater in it. Use the same things you would use in any other enclosure. As for hide, whatever you want. As for how many or what type lighting and heating that would all depend on your basement.
I usually had at least 2 che's, a incandescent bulb for heat and light a tube floursecent for more light and a mvb (they weren't considered bad back then) for heat and uvb. My basement is cold.
Do not use a mvb bulb.
I also used a thermostat to control the che's.

 

[LHosk]

Would this be a good choice for a greenhouse for my 1 leopard? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YTNMCVC/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20
Also, how do you control the temperature of the portable radiator heater? Do you just have to work with it and see what works best for the environment it is in? Do you place the CHE's in different locations, or next to each other?
Thank you for your input, both of you. I am learning on the go and I really appreciate the information I am getting here.

 

[wellington]

Yes that greenhouse would work. Similar to one I had
In my big greenhouse I ran the heater on a thermostat/rheostat. Then placed a light towards ceiling for light only. Then I ran two che's running all the time one on each end and one mvb for basking. I used clothes line rope to hang things lower from the ceiling support.
You will have to play around with yours but you could probably start out with what I used and either add or take away as needed.
The lower ceiling you can get the better. As I forgot to mention above, I also ran a small fan on low at the ceiling of greenhouse to push the rising heat back down to tort height. I do this in my tortoise shed too with a ceiling fan.

 

[LHosk]

Yes that greenhouse would work. Similar to one I had
In my big greenhouse I ran the heater on a thermostat/rheostat. Then placed a light towards ceiling for light only. Then I ran two che's running all the time one on each end and one mvb for basking. I used clothes line rope to hang things lower from the ceiling support.

Ok. Thank you. That clears a lot up for me.

 

[wellington]

Ok. Thank you. That clears a lot up for me.

Reread my last post as I edited it.