Maidens Hill Farm
Member
Man, I have gone down the rabbit hole of Forum posts, trying to absorb much needed info. Huge thanks to all these experienced owners. I feel like Im on a first named basis with folks Ive never even met! My husband keeps asking who TOM and Yvonne are!
I skipped an intro post before, so I figured I'd start over: I will soon be adopting a beautiful 4 yo , approx. 20" Sulcata ( from a rescue). We will name him Monty Chello..and call him Chello. He is great looking and I have been told heathy. My husband is building his outdoor structure/yard and I still wanted to clear up some things to advise him.
The plan now: We will build at least an 8x4 closed house, much like @Tom 2.0 design for night box, but we want to bury all but the openable top in the dirt..to look kinda mound like. We do get snow off and on (here in Virginia) so heat and light are an issue. The dirt will further insulate.
Just to confirm..
1. Oil Radiators for ambient temps inside the enclosure are safe, especially with a barrier.
2. Still not sure if a pig blanket is needed..but willing to get one if the structure measures cold. Would this go under a light or on the cooler side? I assume the hot side is under a light.
3. Speaking of lights..The UV vs UVB info is confusing me. I can get him outside ( he will have a yard of course) and he will have the plastic strips to exit the structure (and a door to seal up as needed)...but I do want to provide the correct light in winter. I assume he will choose to be in most of the day when its cold.
What is safest for basking and lighting in a closed house? The height will be 24"
..Im perfectly fine with exact recommendations. I have 2 pages of cut and pasted information from previous forums and its too much to determine what is best. What is in my head now... "No LED..yes, florecent. No coil, yes flood. No halogen basking. Yes to regular fixtures...CHE's could burn Chello in an outside set up...no plastic on the fittings, only ceramic". I am officially a forum robot! Would love help honing in all this info.
I am grateful and excited about this whole process. Thanks for any expertise!
-ellis ann
I skipped an intro post before, so I figured I'd start over: I will soon be adopting a beautiful 4 yo , approx. 20" Sulcata ( from a rescue). We will name him Monty Chello..and call him Chello. He is great looking and I have been told heathy. My husband is building his outdoor structure/yard and I still wanted to clear up some things to advise him.
The plan now: We will build at least an 8x4 closed house, much like @Tom 2.0 design for night box, but we want to bury all but the openable top in the dirt..to look kinda mound like. We do get snow off and on (here in Virginia) so heat and light are an issue. The dirt will further insulate.
Just to confirm..
1. Oil Radiators for ambient temps inside the enclosure are safe, especially with a barrier.
2. Still not sure if a pig blanket is needed..but willing to get one if the structure measures cold. Would this go under a light or on the cooler side? I assume the hot side is under a light.
3. Speaking of lights..The UV vs UVB info is confusing me. I can get him outside ( he will have a yard of course) and he will have the plastic strips to exit the structure (and a door to seal up as needed)...but I do want to provide the correct light in winter. I assume he will choose to be in most of the day when its cold.
What is safest for basking and lighting in a closed house? The height will be 24"
..Im perfectly fine with exact recommendations. I have 2 pages of cut and pasted information from previous forums and its too much to determine what is best. What is in my head now... "No LED..yes, florecent. No coil, yes flood. No halogen basking. Yes to regular fixtures...CHE's could burn Chello in an outside set up...no plastic on the fittings, only ceramic". I am officially a forum robot! Would love help honing in all this info.
I am grateful and excited about this whole process. Thanks for any expertise!
-ellis ann