Suggestions or good ideas welcome. It's an 8'x12' wooden shed made by Stateline Builders. I need to insulate, install electrical, windows, buy a pig blanket... need help ironing out the details. If anyone has done this already I would appreciate tips to make it the best home for Pokey this winter.
Configuring the tort shed for 90 lb Sulcata this winter in the coastal mid-atlantic
- Thread starter BARB
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This will be my first winter for my tortoise shed as well. I am not completely finished with my winter preparations, but here's what I've done so far:
I insulated my walls by placing blue foam insulation directly against the outside walls of my shed. I then have an air pocket, with a sheet of .5 inch plywood (not OSB) sealing the wall off. I insulated my ceiling with the pink fiberglass insulation with a thin sheet of paneling holding it in place.
My primary heat source is a delonghi oil filled radiator-style heater. It has 3 settings (low, med, high) and an internal thermostat. I built a wooden cage for the heater to protect it from my tortoise. So far, with overnight lows just going into the 50's, the low setting doesn't keep the floor at 70 at the highest temperature, but the medium keeps the temperature well at the lower setting. However, the internal thermostat really only works to mainting a minimum temperature- I have to turn on the heater every night and turn it off every day or else my shed temperature reach over 100 during the day because the stupid heater won't shut itself off. I have a thermostat thread on here already to find a better option, but so far it looks like no one has tried any thermostats that aren't marketed to reptiles. I was personally hoping to use a different option for a thermostat because I haven't been thrilled with the reptile varieties, but it looks like if I do so I'll be experimenting for the group.
My secondary heat sources are a stanfield heat mat with controller and a heat light. I have everything I need to also install a CHE for night time, but I'm not convinced that will be necessary just yet. The light is on a 12 hour timer and so will the CHE if I install it. Right now my bulb is a cheap spot lamp because my tortoise gets plenty of natural sunlight, but I will be installing the TRex MVB as the daytime temps drop. I bought the cheap controller with my heat mat and it holds a minimum temperature of 100F. I feel this is way to hot for my 6" sulcata and would recommend to anyone with a smaller sulcata that they spring for the more expensive controller. However, for a 90 pounder you might be alright with the cheap controller. As it is, I am exploring options to better control the heat mat's temperature. Ideally I'd like the thing to run at no more than 80F for the surface temp for my little guy.
I have the door to my shed set up as a dutch split door. Because my tortoise is so small, when it gets too cold for my tortoise to go outside during the day the whole door will be shut. When she's bigger I plan to let her play in the snow if she so desires; others here say that their big tortoises are smart enough to head back inside when they feel too chilly. When daytime temps are still reasonable for short excursions, I will keep the bottom open. However, hanging from the bottom edge of my top door are a handful of strips of heavy plastic flaps. This helps keep the heat trapped in the shed, and has done a fairly decent job so far.
As for electrical, right now I just have an extension cord running from an outside outlet to the tortoise shed. I have a power strip plugged into that to provide power for all my heating/lighting. When I get half a chance I am going to wire up a switched electrical box for the shed. The important thing to remember about wiring up your shed is that you're going to be running a lot of current out there, so you need to use at least 12 gauge wire. Even in your extension cords. 14, 16, 18 gauge, is way too small to safely handle the load. 10 gauge is probably overkill, but you could use it. Also, make sure to include a GFI outlet in your plans for any outdoor electrical projects.
Hope this helps.
I insulated my walls by placing blue foam insulation directly against the outside walls of my shed. I then have an air pocket, with a sheet of .5 inch plywood (not OSB) sealing the wall off. I insulated my ceiling with the pink fiberglass insulation with a thin sheet of paneling holding it in place.
My primary heat source is a delonghi oil filled radiator-style heater. It has 3 settings (low, med, high) and an internal thermostat. I built a wooden cage for the heater to protect it from my tortoise. So far, with overnight lows just going into the 50's, the low setting doesn't keep the floor at 70 at the highest temperature, but the medium keeps the temperature well at the lower setting. However, the internal thermostat really only works to mainting a minimum temperature- I have to turn on the heater every night and turn it off every day or else my shed temperature reach over 100 during the day because the stupid heater won't shut itself off. I have a thermostat thread on here already to find a better option, but so far it looks like no one has tried any thermostats that aren't marketed to reptiles. I was personally hoping to use a different option for a thermostat because I haven't been thrilled with the reptile varieties, but it looks like if I do so I'll be experimenting for the group.
My secondary heat sources are a stanfield heat mat with controller and a heat light. I have everything I need to also install a CHE for night time, but I'm not convinced that will be necessary just yet. The light is on a 12 hour timer and so will the CHE if I install it. Right now my bulb is a cheap spot lamp because my tortoise gets plenty of natural sunlight, but I will be installing the TRex MVB as the daytime temps drop. I bought the cheap controller with my heat mat and it holds a minimum temperature of 100F. I feel this is way to hot for my 6" sulcata and would recommend to anyone with a smaller sulcata that they spring for the more expensive controller. However, for a 90 pounder you might be alright with the cheap controller. As it is, I am exploring options to better control the heat mat's temperature. Ideally I'd like the thing to run at no more than 80F for the surface temp for my little guy.
I have the door to my shed set up as a dutch split door. Because my tortoise is so small, when it gets too cold for my tortoise to go outside during the day the whole door will be shut. When she's bigger I plan to let her play in the snow if she so desires; others here say that their big tortoises are smart enough to head back inside when they feel too chilly. When daytime temps are still reasonable for short excursions, I will keep the bottom open. However, hanging from the bottom edge of my top door are a handful of strips of heavy plastic flaps. This helps keep the heat trapped in the shed, and has done a fairly decent job so far.
As for electrical, right now I just have an extension cord running from an outside outlet to the tortoise shed. I have a power strip plugged into that to provide power for all my heating/lighting. When I get half a chance I am going to wire up a switched electrical box for the shed. The important thing to remember about wiring up your shed is that you're going to be running a lot of current out there, so you need to use at least 12 gauge wire. Even in your extension cords. 14, 16, 18 gauge, is way too small to safely handle the load. 10 gauge is probably overkill, but you could use it. Also, make sure to include a GFI outlet in your plans for any outdoor electrical projects.
Hope this helps.
Wow Mike I need you to come over to my house and set up something for Dale. 
You've done a lot of work there. I think this should help Barb out a lot. Can't wait to see the finished product from both of you. Don't forget to post pictures.
You've done a lot of work there. I think this should help Barb out a lot. Can't wait to see the finished product from both of you. Don't forget to post pictures.
I like the loafing shed type design.. or a carport 3 sided shelter type thing with a box in the corner that is heated.. that way they have a protected are to still come out and eat and move around that is protected from the weather.
Thanks all for the tips. Mike, believe it or not Pokey scratched at the back door to go out in snow last winter. We had a big storm that brought about 12 inches(a lot for coastal mid-atlantic). You should have seen his face when he got outside. CLASSIC! Made a quick U-turn and right back inside to his bed in my laundry room and back to sleep. Torts are so funny. Pokey is good for a million laughs. Enjoy your little one you have much to look forward too.
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- Feb 21, 2010
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well .... just to give some ideas ... here is" harleys house " .. in build .. 3 years go. He is up around 80 pounds now ( hence the extra big door .... * always thinking ahead * ) ... nutting better than building for your buddy!
ANd ....completey closes and locks up .. for those winter nights and ... sneaky critters!
JD~
ANd ....completey closes and locks up .. for those winter nights and ... sneaky critters!
JD~
M
Maggie Cummings
Guest
Well, Harley's shed makes Bob's look like the ghetto, but I thought I would show you anyway. Bob's shed is 12'X20' and I had a carpenter come in and redo it for tortoise winters. Here is the outside...
and this is the inside. He shares his shed with Queenie, she's half T.h.boettgeri and half T.h.hermanni. She lives in the tort table way out of Bob's reach. Did I say that Bob is about 80 pounds? Under her tort table I keep some hay for Bob to burrow into and to eat and he does both.
http://i54.tinypic.com/iqizok.jpg[/IMG
He used that fuzzy pink insulation covering the walls and ceiling...
[IMG]http://i52.tinypic.com/ym23n.jpg
Every morning I open both the people door and his doggie door. I have discovered that if I give him the option of going out or staying in he does better then if I just *make* him stay in. If I make him stay in he rams the door and the walls and pushes his drinking bowl around the floor. Once he actually got high centered on the bowl and was stuck there for a long time. Too funny! He also will deposit turds in the water bowl when he is mad about being forced to stay in. But if I give him the option he stays in willingly. I forgot to take a picture of his basking spot. That is out of sight of the camera. He has a 250 watt Trex basking light that he uses a lot. It is very hot and when he goes out into the snow for a bit he then goes back in and right under that hot basking light. It is very important to have a hot basking light if you are going to allow him to go out into the snow. He also has a solid cedar ESCAPE-PROOF fence that totally surrounds his pen.
It is so well insulated that I don't need to use that heater you can see on top of his sleeping box. I only need it during a long below freezing period.
I have always believed that the torts prefer a small safe place to sleep and so Bob has been using that sleeping box for about 5 years. There is a Stansfield pig blanket in one corner of the box. Every night he goes into his box and puts his face into the corner where his pig blanket is and digs and digs trying to make his plywood more comfy I think. The box is barely hanging on now as he has been digging in it for about 5 years. I also believe that they walk so much in the wild they need to walk a lot in captivity also and on those days that it's too frozen to spend much time outside they need the space to walk off all that energy they have. So that is why Bob's shed is the size it is, and I wish it were bigger. I hope we have given you idea's for you to set your Pokey up the way he needs to be...
and this is the inside. He shares his shed with Queenie, she's half T.h.boettgeri and half T.h.hermanni. She lives in the tort table way out of Bob's reach. Did I say that Bob is about 80 pounds? Under her tort table I keep some hay for Bob to burrow into and to eat and he does both.
http://i54.tinypic.com/iqizok.jpg[/IMG
He used that fuzzy pink insulation covering the walls and ceiling...
[IMG]http://i52.tinypic.com/ym23n.jpg
Every morning I open both the people door and his doggie door. I have discovered that if I give him the option of going out or staying in he does better then if I just *make* him stay in. If I make him stay in he rams the door and the walls and pushes his drinking bowl around the floor. Once he actually got high centered on the bowl and was stuck there for a long time. Too funny! He also will deposit turds in the water bowl when he is mad about being forced to stay in. But if I give him the option he stays in willingly. I forgot to take a picture of his basking spot. That is out of sight of the camera. He has a 250 watt Trex basking light that he uses a lot. It is very hot and when he goes out into the snow for a bit he then goes back in and right under that hot basking light. It is very important to have a hot basking light if you are going to allow him to go out into the snow. He also has a solid cedar ESCAPE-PROOF fence that totally surrounds his pen.
It is so well insulated that I don't need to use that heater you can see on top of his sleeping box. I only need it during a long below freezing period.
I have always believed that the torts prefer a small safe place to sleep and so Bob has been using that sleeping box for about 5 years. There is a Stansfield pig blanket in one corner of the box. Every night he goes into his box and puts his face into the corner where his pig blanket is and digs and digs trying to make his plywood more comfy I think. The box is barely hanging on now as he has been digging in it for about 5 years. I also believe that they walk so much in the wild they need to walk a lot in captivity also and on those days that it's too frozen to spend much time outside they need the space to walk off all that energy they have. So that is why Bob's shed is the size it is, and I wish it were bigger. I hope we have given you idea's for you to set your Pokey up the way he needs to be...
Wow, thanks JD and Maggie love the pics. I am working on posting pics myself. Things put on hold now since I was hurt in a carefully accident Saturday morning and my car is totaled. I hurt so bad right now I can barely type but wanted you to know I've not disappeared. Pokey will have his winter home if I have to hire someone. Does anyone have info on what type of insulation they used for optimum warmth for their tort ? Also what size heat mat to buy for big sulcata? The largest one ? Except for the snow incident Pokey sleeps through the cold spells no matter how warm he gets from his little heat pad and seems to know when the outside temp warms up enough to go outside but i feel i should by the big mat too keep him warm in the shed. The shed may get colder than my house in winter even with all the measures taken.
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