Anyone keep their torts in a sunroom or florida type room? Pros and cons? I have been thinking about an addition on the back of my house but since I live in ohio I wonder about temp control in such a room....
sunrooms.
- Thread starter lismar79
- Start date
I don't have one myself, however, a cousin does, they are made with lots of windows so will be cold in the winter months and can be very hot in summer months. They will have to be heated in the cold months and on the sunless days for sure. If it's south facing and you have lots of sunshine in the winter it might be fairly easy to heat. Opened windows in the summer will help to keep it cool, or you may have to use air conditioner.
Thanks for the info! I had heard they were drafty, I don't know anyone that has one for first hand info. I wonder if heated floors would help much.
I think heated floors would be great. Also if you put in good widows and if you did insulated walls, and Not the ones that are windows floor to ceiling.
East facing worked rather well before I moved here. Early sun before it gets too hot but plenty of all the good stuff!
I used to know someone that had one here in North Dakota and they kept there plants in there through out the winter I believe they kept it around 70 through out the winter.
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2014
- Messages
- 29,116
- Location (City and/or State)
- South Eastern Florida (U.S.A.)/Rock Hill S.C.
I've got a Florida room...and in Florida. Some are insulated and with good windows. Some, like mine are un insulated and with windows that do not seal very well.
My wife keeps her birds in there. A trio of large cages each containing a single Canary and a monster 8' cage that I made her for her colony of Finches.
On the coldest days I also house my tortoises in there and we simply open the two French doors that lead into the house. Just doing that will regulated the Florida room, as the house is very well insulated and never really gets colder than 60 no matter what the temps are outside. She places blankets over the birds so that they do not get any drafts.
During the summer months we open windows in there and use a box fan on occasions. (French doors closed off)
Most Florida rooms here started out life as a screened in area and later got walls and a decent door. (Like mine)
There's no reason that one couldn't be built with good windows and insulated walls and ceiling and even ducted heat and A/C from the main house.
I guess that would only be a "sun" room without the "Florida" experience...
My wife keeps her birds in there. A trio of large cages each containing a single Canary and a monster 8' cage that I made her for her colony of Finches.
On the coldest days I also house my tortoises in there and we simply open the two French doors that lead into the house. Just doing that will regulated the Florida room, as the house is very well insulated and never really gets colder than 60 no matter what the temps are outside. She places blankets over the birds so that they do not get any drafts.
During the summer months we open windows in there and use a box fan on occasions. (French doors closed off)
Most Florida rooms here started out life as a screened in area and later got walls and a decent door. (Like mine)
There's no reason that one couldn't be built with good windows and insulated walls and ceiling and even ducted heat and A/C from the main house.
I guess that would only be a "sun" room without the "Florida" experience...
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2012
- Messages
- 2,238
I have one, sort of, a 4 season room. A bit cool in the winter at night and on cloudy days, but gets sun from every angle. The crew loves it.
It's shady in the summer, but the crew is outdoors so that's fine.
Radiant heat on the floor would be nice.
It's shady in the summer, but the crew is outdoors so that's fine.
Radiant heat on the floor would be nice.
What about dual or triple pane windows?
We will be adding an addition soon too. I was planning on a room with lots of windows like a sun room and were I would plan a large tortoise enclosure sky lights over the indoor enclosure that can open ( top off) to allow uvb in during those spring fall days that you want to open windows to let air in but to cold outside still for the tortoises. Just an idea it may be a bad one.
Pros are whilst ever the sun is shining no matter the temp outside it will get warm, cons are when the sun is not shining it will be cool so heat needed for those days. Glass is same as reptiles needs a heat source to warm through.
You will be able to grow tomatoes,peppers,cucumber etc year round as long as you have a heat source for those cloudy cold days.
Years ago and some still do people used to use paraffin heaters in the winter to grow veg over here, obviously you can't use these with torts but the point is if you heat it things will grow so why not grow thing that tort and yourselfs can eat. Put your heat source on a thermostat so it doesn't get like a sauna when the sun is shining.Pros are whilst ever the sun is shining no matter the temp outside it will get warm, cons are when the sun is not shining it will be cool so heat needed for those days. Glass is same as reptiles needs a heat source to warm through.
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2012
- Messages
- 2,238
Skylights can leak. Skylights that can open sound delightful but very risky.
