Does this look ok for a full grown sulcata?
emysemys said:Its too small, and it will get too hot inside.
TortoiseBoy1999 said:It will just be used for shade and it has a vent at the top and it's way to heavy for him to move, plus I'm going to put a heat lamp in there.
Dizisdalife said:I would not count on it for anything other than a hide for him. It may be his favorite hide if it is in a shady part of his pen. It really won't protect your tort from the elements (wind, rain, cold), or predators (dogs, raccoons, possums, coyotes) that may sneak into your yard. I found that they are difficult to insulate, difficult to mount a heater (although Hound Heater makes one for the igloo), difficult to get in to clean it or to get my tort out, and difficult to seal up against night time predators. People do use them and make them work. I saw a 75lb. sulcata housed in one that seemed to be okay. He had a heat mat and a ceramic heating element and a plastic cover on the doorway. By the time my tortoise was the size and age to use an outdoor house I knew I wanted to build one myself (and I am not a tradesman) so that I had the security, climate control, and ease of access.
Biff Malibu said:Try laying in that on a hot day and let me know if its comfortable. LOL! A dog can regulate its temperature by panting, humans can sweat, Sulcata's dig themselves in the ground in the wild to cool themselves down.
I don't think "TortoiseBoy1999" is too good with the power tools, mainly because he's a kid (I'm not saying that's a bad thing at all buddy, I didn't know squat about building anything at that age) - BUT if that thing interests you, It could be a good project with your dad/uncle etc...
Talk to your parents - Let them know that a "Captive" Sulcata needs a custom built enclosure and it will not cost THAT much money. Tell them that yes it costs money - BUT if you do it right, you only have to do it once.
You want to build a semi-circular entrance of about 36" wide. You want to have vents in it, insulation, a weather-proof roof, an access door to get in for cleaning and a stanfield heat mat (with weatherproofed electrical connections if necessary)--- running a heat lamp outdoors can be a fire hazard. You can also make a pretty good foundation by laying some bricks in the ground to outline the base shape of the enclosure.
Dizisdalife said:So, you have decided to build your own. You have some time, probably until next spring or summer. I suggest you read a lot of the post in the section on enclosures to get an idea of the many types that have been made and how well they may work for you. here is a link to that section.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Forum-Tortoise-Enclosures#axzz20C8OFsI9
I first built an outdoor pen that I could leave my year old sulcata SAFELY in for most of the day. I brought him in every night where I could control the night time temperature and humidity. Plus, I liked seeing him wake up in the morning and sit under his basking lamp until I could soak him and put him outside.
By the time he was 18 months he was getting too big for the indoor enclosure that i had and I had no where to house him. Outside was my only option. I built a night box using one of Tom"s boxes as a pattern and scaled it to the size I needed (so I thought) for a single tortoise.
Here is that example:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-The-Mother-of-All-Tortoise-Boxes#axzz1cEsoxKYf
The night box was attached to his outdoor pen and together they gave me a safe, warm, dry outdoor home for the winter days. I do live in Southern California, but the tortoise needs 80 plus degrees even on the cold (55f rainy, or at least cloudy) days that we get.
Now my tortoise is 29 months old and has been living outside 24/7 for the past 3 - 4 months. I am hoping to get one more year out of this night box before I have to build him a shed to live in. Probably will build just a bigger version of the box I have.
TortoiseBoy1999 said:I'm going to build one like this! (Someone on the forum built this)
Biff Malibu said:you're 12 and your parents let you run a circular saw? lol....
building things and building them well are very different things. I would be very impressed if you built a insulated weatherproof structure with a proper foundation to the proper dimensions.
I also just said that a heat lamp outside is a fire hazard.
that hatchling enclosure you posted up with intentions to build is not the ideal setup.