Winter enclosure advice

[DemolitionDerby]

Hey everyone!

Me and my 16 year old sulcata just moved to Montana from Southern California. I have been doing resurch for months to be able to provide her with the best care I possibly can to accommodate for the drastic change she is about to go through in winter. I bought an 8x20 custom shed for her that’s going to be delivered this week and I was wondering what has worked for people as far as “protecting” the floor. I had the shed company insulate the floor and had them install the most heavy duty flooring possible, but I would still like to do whatever I can to make sure it holds up well long term. We have tried pound liner years ago and it didn’t work out so well. I was thinking of putting down a thick sheet of plywood on her sleep box side just as extra protection (remove and replace as needed) and then put down vinyl flooring across the entire floor and cover with horse stall mats for extra protection and insulation, then her substrate (dirty/hay). I have seen a lot of people using wood sealer but there is a lot of contradicting info as to what works and is safe.

What have you guys used in situations like this?

 

[Tom]

Plywood works well to protect the floor and it won't rot for years if left totally untreated.

The problem is that 8x20 feet is nowhere near large enough for a 16 year old sulcata to live in for several months of every year. There is just no way around that. I'm not saying it to be mean. I'm saying it because you need to realize ahead of time that MT is no place for a giant active reptile that needs hot temperatures and huge spaces. There is no practical way to make it work. The tortoise will suffer.

 

[DemolitionDerby]

Plywood works well to protect the floor and it won't rot for years if left totally untreated.

The problem is that 8x20 feet is nowhere near large enough for a 16 year old sulcata to live in for several months of every year. There is just no way around that. I'm not saying it to be mean. I'm saying it because you need to realize ahead of time that MT is no place for a giant active reptile that needs hot temperatures and huge spaces. There is no practical way to make it work. The tortoise will suffer.

Plywood works well to protect the floor and it won't rot for years if left totally untreated.

The problem is that 8x20 feet is nowhere near large enough for a 16 year old sulcata to live in for several months of every year. There is just no way around that. I'm not saying it to be mean. I'm saying it because you need to realize ahead of time that MT is no place for a giant active reptile that needs hot temperatures and huge spaces. There is no practical way to make it work. The tortoise will suffer.

While I appreciate your concern, I would appreciate if we stuck on topic with the question I asked. I am not here for judgement on an impossible situation that I was put in. She is my family and I wasn't going to abandon her, plain and simple. I am doing my best and I came here for help and advice on a shed flood. Tom, I know that you are very savy with tortoises, so I do not discredit your concern. However, I have spent her entire life making sure I was doing right by her. So, while I know this isn’t ideal for someone who has only dealt with sunny California, I know it is possible because there are people out there doing it. You personally have said in other posts that you don’t deal with this type of climate, so you were going to “bow out” of the conversation. So why you felt the need to tell me all about how my tortoise will suffer is beyond me. People come here for help and advice. Not to be bashed on.