# Winter tortoise greenhouse?



## Amydillo (Mar 28, 2018)

I have never heard anyone mention combining a winter tort shed with a greenhouse. I am planning for next winter and thought about keeping my potted plants out of Sulcata reach, under grow-lights inside the shed. Then I wondered if I could just build a greenhouse that would accomodate plants in the top half and Sulcata on the floor, with appropriate lighting and thermo control, of course. Thoughts?


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## Mrs11617 (Mar 28, 2018)

Amydillo said:


> I have never heard anyone mention combining a winter tort shed with a greenhouse. I am planning for next winter and thought about keeping my potted plants out of Sulcata reach, under grow-lights inside the shed. Then I wondered if I could just build a greenhouse that would accomodate plants in the top half and Sulcata on the floor, with appropriate lighting and thermo control, of course. Thoughts?



I’ve been considering the same thing. I’m not sure how to construct a greenhouse that could handle snow, so I’m stuck.


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## Amydillo (Mar 28, 2018)

Mrs11617 said:


> I’ve been considering the same thing. I’m not sure how to construct a greenhouse that could handle snow, so I’m stuck.


I'm just north of Houston, TX so I get no snow. We do get some pretty cold temps...down to upper 20s.


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## Turtulas-Len (Mar 28, 2018)

Where it gets cold in my experience with greenhouses they don't work for tender plants or tortoises. Plus it keeps the beneficial uv rays from reaching the tortoise.On a cold day if you walk into a greenhouse during the day when the sun is shining it feels warm at face level but when you touch the ground (where the tortoise will be) it is much colder and at night inside the greenhouse gets as cold as the temps outside.When it gets big enough you would be better off keeping the plants inside under lights and let your sulcata wander outside in the cold without the plastic or glass overhead reducing the natural sun rays.Just make sure it knowsw when to go back in to warm up.


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## wellington (Mar 28, 2018)

I have used a greenhouse in winter and attached to a shed. It is as Turtulas-Len said. I used a heater with a fan to blow heat across the ground first before it would rise and only used it on sunny days.


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## Becca267 (Mar 28, 2018)

Amydillo said:


> I have never heard anyone mention combining a winter tort shed with a greenhouse. I am planning for next winter and thought about keeping my potted plants out of Sulcata reach, under grow-lights inside the shed. Then I wondered if I could just build a greenhouse that would accomodate plants in the top half and Sulcata on the floor, with appropriate lighting and thermo control, of course. Thoughts?


We have used a greenhouse in North Texas for years to keep plants through the winter, and for our juvenile gulf coast box turtles and marinated tortoise this past winter. The key is it has to be a real greenhouse, not the soft sided ones from Lowe's or Home Depot. Ours has roof vents to cool it and a heater to warm it. We bought it from and online company. It was a beast to put together, but is working out well for us.

The plants mostly stay up off the ground the the turtles/tortoise under the tables. I have a few pictures, but they don't include the lower portion. You can catch the corner of the turtles blue pool.


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## helosoldier66 (Jul 13, 2019)

Amydillo said:


> I have never heard anyone mention combining a winter tort shed with a greenhouse. I am planning for next winter and thought about keeping my potted plants out of Sulcata reach, under grow-lights inside the shed. Then I wondered if I could just build a greenhouse that would accomodate plants in the top half and Sulcata on the floor, with appropriate lighting and thermo control, of course. Thoughts?


Just wondering if you ever finished this project I'm considering the same plan.


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## Yvonne G (Jul 13, 2019)

I've been keeping cactus and succulents in a greenhouse during the winter for over 20 years. It is my experience that a greenhouse, with a heater inside, will keep the plants from freezing, however, it doesn't get warm enough in 25F degree weather to keep a tortoise alive. Most of my plants are fine down to about 50F degrees, and with my oil filled electric radiator heater that's about as warm as I can get it at night - 50F degrees.


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## Bee62 (Jul 13, 2019)

The glass of a greenhouse let the cold of colder temps in. You can heat as much as needed that a tortoise will feel comfortable.


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## helosoldier66 (Jul 13, 2019)

The plan im considering only has 3 sides with glass and a regular roof with the roof and 1 wall completely insulated.


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## DarkerGraphic (Nov 3, 2022)

Get the big greenhouse from harbor freight, used it for years with my 3 sulcatas


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## LJL1982 (Nov 3, 2022)

Amydillo said:


> I have never heard anyone mention combining a winter tort shed with a greenhouse. I am planning for next winter and thought about keeping my potted plants out of Sulcata reach, under grow-lights inside the shed. Then I wondered if I could just build a greenhouse that would accomodate plants in the top half and Sulcata on the floor, with appropriate lighting and thermo control, of course. Thoughts?


UK here...my friend has an adult leopard which lives in a greenhouse with a heated "hutch" type thing which has flaps and then a door. She can close the tort in at night to maintain the heat, while opening it during the day and then the flaps keep the heat in the hutch. The green house increases in temperature to a moderate temperature anyway and the tortoise does seem to then go out into it, she just makes sure it's back in the hutch at night which it normally is.

I don't know how to explain the flaps...I've seen them on luggage carousels at airports...in the UK they are on entrances to bat caves at zoos....

My only caveat is that South Wales where I am rarely gets below 40f with very few frosts. If its really cold she brings him in, might be 2 or 3 days across the winter.

We don't get snow.


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## Team Gomberg (Nov 4, 2022)

LJL1982 said:


> I don't know how to explain the flaps...I've seen them on luggage carousels at airports...


clear vinyl. They sell it large sizes/amounts or by the foot. Buy what you need, cut it into strips and overlap them.


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## LJL1982 (Nov 4, 2022)

Team Gomberg said:


> clear vinyl. They sell it large sizes/amounts or by the foot. Buy what you need, cut it into strips and overlap them.


Ah good to know! Yes I suppose it is that


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