Well, I think I'm about done with my winter enclosure for Shelly and NewGuy. I'm kinda disappointed with the end result simply because of the size. It's honestly the best I can do for this winter until my wife and I can buy a new house next summer when our lease it up on this townhouse. I gave up my parking spot in the garage and built a 4' X 8' enclosure and when we move I'm going to either build a 2nd one like it so they can be split up in the winter, or double the size of the one now, giving them more open space to "kind of roam". I didn't have to use any glue on the walls or frame, just screws so it can come apart quickly for more sections to get attached. Anyways, I've got some pics to get some feedback to see if there's any tweaking I could do, so please be honest I can take it. I already know the size sucks but I'm sure that's something that every owner can complain about unless they own a ranch or something similar. They don't harass each other for now and I think it has to do with Shelly being slightly larger than NewGuy but this current set up definitely isn't going to be a permanent home for the rest of their lives because it is already obviously too small. I've only saw 1 other set of Sulcatas in Minnesota that weren't tiny and it's in a pet store that converted an entire room to their house and there's a few full grown rhinoceros iguanas in with them who will sit on the torts backs to bask closer to the light.
Some of the features in my set up include 1 inch insulation on all 4 walls + a layer in between 2 sheets of plywood on the floor. I bought a garage door insulation kit which makes a noticeable difference as well. After I built it I picked it up and put some bricks under it to lift it off of the cement. I also have tubs of different grasses and such growing off to the side which will provide a little variety compared to the mazuri, grocery store greens and veggies this winter. Inside are 2 MVBs on 12 hour cycles. I incorporated 2 floors to the set up to help as a sight barrier and for their burrow as well. They both use the ramp on the side with no problems at all, I just used some wood glue on some scrap pieces to give them something to grip onto as they climb up. I also have a pig blanket up top and a CHE down below that run 24 hours. I drilled a hole through the side for the cord on the pig blanket so that's safe from getting snagged up or broken. When it gets really cold I have a tarp to place on the top to help hold the heat in as well but it's not needed for now. I'm using orchard grass hay for substrate for them to burrow into and further insulate heat. I also built a door that swings open so it's easy to walk in and clean up after them. One thing I know I need to tweak and I'm still pondering is how I can get a water dish big enough for them to walk in to replace the dog bowl. Maybe I'll tip a trash can lid upside down and just be ready to pull lots of hay out of it all the time.
*not sure why all the pics are displaying sideways, gonna try some stuff
Some of the features in my set up include 1 inch insulation on all 4 walls + a layer in between 2 sheets of plywood on the floor. I bought a garage door insulation kit which makes a noticeable difference as well. After I built it I picked it up and put some bricks under it to lift it off of the cement. I also have tubs of different grasses and such growing off to the side which will provide a little variety compared to the mazuri, grocery store greens and veggies this winter. Inside are 2 MVBs on 12 hour cycles. I incorporated 2 floors to the set up to help as a sight barrier and for their burrow as well. They both use the ramp on the side with no problems at all, I just used some wood glue on some scrap pieces to give them something to grip onto as they climb up. I also have a pig blanket up top and a CHE down below that run 24 hours. I drilled a hole through the side for the cord on the pig blanket so that's safe from getting snagged up or broken. When it gets really cold I have a tarp to place on the top to help hold the heat in as well but it's not needed for now. I'm using orchard grass hay for substrate for them to burrow into and further insulate heat. I also built a door that swings open so it's easy to walk in and clean up after them. One thing I know I need to tweak and I'm still pondering is how I can get a water dish big enough for them to walk in to replace the dog bowl. Maybe I'll tip a trash can lid upside down and just be ready to pull lots of hay out of it all the time.
*not sure why all the pics are displaying sideways, gonna try some stuff
