How big does it need to be??

[bigbeaks]

How big of a hide box or building would three adult female and one male sulcata need? I have two females and I'm getting a pair. They are all between 11" to 15". I have a 4' square hide box now, and I know that won't last long. I would like to build something that will last them. What size do you all recommend? If you have pictures I would love to see them.

 

[wellington]

@Tom

 

[Tom]

I make the tops out of a full 4x8' sheet of plywood and build the box to fit inside with its insulated walls. Inside ends up being about 40 x 88". This will hold 4 of them no problem until that male starts getting really big. At that point you'll either need another box, or just use a full size shed. Here is mine: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/my-best-night-box-design-yet.66867/

 

[bigbeaks]

I make the tops out of a full 4x8' sheet of plywood and build the box to fit inside with its insulated walls. Inside ends up being about 40 x 88". This will hold 4 of them no problem until that male starts getting really big. At that point you'll either need another box, or just use a full size shed. Here is mine: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/my-best-night-box-design-yet.66867/

Thank you Tom. My current box is 4' by 4' I built based on your design with a few adjustments. It worked very well through the winter for my two girls. I'm kind of thinking I want a shed vs. a box so that it's easier for me to clean because I can stand up in it. If anyone uses a shed, I would like to know what size you have and how hard is it to keep heated in the winter.

 

[Tom]

I used a shed in the past, and see many others use them. The problem is that they need major insulation and sealing and they require a lot of electricity to heat. You will be heating and 96" tall column of air for animals that only need 12-16". My original design on the above box was 4' tall. It worked, but getting rid of that extra two feet of wasted air space made the box WAYYYYYY more efficient. The 4' tall box was using about $1.16 worth of electricity on a typical winter night. The new 24" box is only using .18 cents of electricity on a typical winter night. A full size shed will use $5-10 dollars of electricity a night depending on all the relevant factors.

With this in mind, I would just do two 4x8x2' boxes or a 4x4 and a 4x8.

Here's that older box:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/the-mother-of-all-tortoise-boxes.20527/