Green houses

[matt41gb]

Has anyone have any experience keeping red foots in a green house over the winter. I was at my Aunt's house earlier today and was checking out her green house. We had some snow the other day and there was still a bit on the ground by her green house. I zipped it open and the heat hit me and I was amazed at how warm it was inside. It was full of tropical plants, and even the ground was warm. I noticed she got it from a website called www.flowerhouse.com. They have several sizes, some clear and some opaque. They're pretty affordable. I was thinking about buying one for the rest of the winter. Anyone used one before? Thanks.

-Matt

 

[Yvonne G]

Did she have a heat source in the green house?

I have a nice little 8' x 10' polycarbonate paneled green house. I had to cover the south side of it with shade cloth to protect it from the sun. If its 100 degrees outside, its 150 or more inside, so I have to have a fan blowing the hot air out.

If its freezing outside, the temperature inside the greenhouse is almost the same as the temp outside. So I have one of those oil-filled radiator-looking electric heaters. I set it to the 600 watt, energy saving setting then dial it up to the highest number. In the morning the temp inside the greenhouse is usually around 50 degrees. Of course, if its a sunny winter day, the sun does a wonderful job of keeping it warm inside, but at night with no sun, the temp drops quite quickly

My greenhouse is free standing, with several feet of unobstructed geography around it. I imagine it would be easier to heat and cool if one side were on the house or garage.

I almost cooked a rescued Russian tortoise when I first got the green house. Caught it just in time...foaming at the mouth, etc.

 

[DoctorCosmonaut]

When I used to live at my parents they had a greenhouse and I would take my tortoise out there during the spring and summer--but would always bring her in at night. It wasn't the perfect setup and she would always try to ram her way through vents by the floor... So I had to watch her a lot... She even got out once when my back was turned! Boy was I scared! (found her 3 min later in the lawn). So just be sure its tortoise proof.

What climate do you live in? Because its currently in the 30s at my parents and their green house is around 70f with a heater on.

PS Just remember that glass and plastics do block UVB out, if you think yours may be lacking D3.

PPS I think you meant www.flowerhouses.com , you forgot the "s" on the end

 

[matt41gb]

When I used to live at my parents they had a greenhouse and I would take my tortoise out there during the spring and summer--but would always bring her in at night. It wasn't the perfect setup and she would always try to ram her way through vents by the floor... So I had to watch her a lot... She even got out once when my back was turned! Boy was I scared! (found her 3 min later in the lawn). So just be sure its tortoise proof.

What climate do you live in? Because its currently in the 30s at my parents and their green house is around 70f with a heater on.

PS Just remember that glass and plastics do block UVB out, if you think yours may be lacking D3.

PPS I think you meant www.flowerhouses.com , you forgot the "s" on the end

Thanks for the info guys. It was plenty warm in that green house when I stepped inside. It was about 30 degrees outside at the time plus it was around 9:30 a.m. I assume the plants just converting sunlight into energy plus the small amount of sun peeking through was enough to heat it to around 65 degrees (guessing). I would need to put a heater inside to keep temps up at night. I live in Texas where we don't have much of a winter but this year is much colder than previous years. I think I'll try the green house, it keeps the humidity much better than my shed.

 

[DoctorCosmonaut]

Good luck! Be sure to post pics as soon as you have it all set up.

 

[matt41gb]

Thanks, I will.

 

[K9KidsLove]

I have heard both good & bad things about people who have used greenhouses for tortoises. I would worry about it getting too hot on a warm day. If you set up a thermostat that will allow an alarm to go off when the temp gets over a certain temp, it might be safe enough. It can be 40 outside in the morning & 75-80 mid-afternoon when you get home from somewhere & find the greenhouse has baked your tortoise.
good luck
Patsy