Green House design for RF tortoise

Camimi88 · Nov 14, 2018

Hello my name is Mimi!

I am a new tortoise owner and I live in Northern California. I recently purchased a 12'x12'x9' green house and am in the process of putting it together and designing a home for my approximately 8yr old male RF tortoise. He is about 12" and loves to roam; his name is George.

I am planning on having an automatic venting system, misters, and whatever else is recommended. We are working on the drainage now for his pool and hopefully solar powered water fountain.

Any advice on substrate, design, the best thermometers to purchase and how to keep humidity, heat, and cooling at the right level would be much appreciated. George came from a situation where he was in a glass terrarium indoors for most of his adult life until we got him. He has gained weight and has new growth rings since April. He also has an outdoor open enclosure but I wanted him to have somewhere over the winter to be happy in.

I am willing to spend and do whatever will make him have the best set up. Thank you all so much for your time and expertise. I am very happy to have George in my life (although he was unexpected) and just want the best for him.

The green house will have power outlets, water, and drainage. We just are trying to figure out the best format for him. We can also plant whatever he needs in there, do you recommend hibiscus?

He will have to share the green house with a few orchid plants that I will have on shelves above him and monitor their flowers and then we also raise butterflies so there will be some monarchs as well. Otherwise he will have the place to himself.

Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!

Camimi88 · Nov 14, 2018

Here are some photos of George and the green house

Strawb · Nov 15, 2018

That greenhouse looks so promising

Subscribed!!!

jsheffield · Nov 15, 2018

Camimi88 said:
Here are some photos of George and the green house

Those pictures are fantastic ... thanks for sharing!

Jamie

Tortoise Police · Nov 15, 2018

Camimi88 said:
Here are some photos of George and the green house

Very cute pictures

daniellenc · Nov 15, 2018

That's exactly what we are building this spring for our RF. Perfect home!!

TammyJ · Nov 15, 2018

All the best with George and the greenhouse project. I love the photo of George and.....your Dad? Grandad? It's precious.

TammyJ · Nov 15, 2018

.....and I am sure George will be interested in the butterflies.

Camimi88 · Nov 15, 2018

TammyJ said:
All the best with George and the greenhouse project. I love the photo of George and.....your Dad? Grandad? It's precious.

Thanks!! That is my Dad--> my family and I live together and adore George. He goes on strolls with us in the evening when the smoke from the fires isn't too bad.

NorCal tortoise guy · Nov 15, 2018

I'm excited to see how your green house works out for you! I have thought about using greenhouses myself but have not got there yet. I would think the best way to set up heat would be to give him a heated night box that stays about 80 degrees and then maybe a heat lamp or two in the rest of the greenhouse for those cold days. For substrate I would use dirt myself. I have not kept redfoots on quite a few years so someone else will have better temperature numbers for you.

ZEROPILOT · Nov 15, 2018

Nice looking greenhouse and it looks like a very rewarding project.
I went back and forth with drains for my tortoise pools and eventually decided on a tip given to me by a fellow member....Just sweep out the water with a broom and refill. I have spigots mounted directly over the pools to fill them and small sprinkler heads on top to provide rain.
Check out my YOUTUBE video:
Redfoot habitat Florida style
Its not fancy. Not as nice as your greenhouse, but it has inexpensive and reliable ways to make the environment easy to replicate. Now, I live in South Florida, so it's easier here. But it might give you some help I'm hoping.
And Hibiscus is fantastic to have around! Hibiscus leaves, flowers and even thin stems are a staple with mine.

Camimi88 · Nov 15, 2018

ZEROPILOT said:
Nice looking greenhouse and it looks like a very rewarding project.
I went back and forth with drains for my tortoise pools and eventually decided on a tip given to me by a fellow member....Just sweep out the water with a broom and refill. I have spigots mounted directly over the pools to fill them and small sprinkler heads on top to provide rain.
Check out my YOUTUBE video:
Redfoot habitat Florida style
Its not fancy. Not as nice as your greenhouse, but it has inexpensive and reliable ways to make the environment easy to replicate. Now, I live in South Florida, so it's easier here. But it might give you some help I'm hoping.
And Hibiscus is fantastic to have around! Hibiscus leaves, flowers and even thin stems are a staple with mine.

Thanks so much!! I loved the video. The reason we got the green house is because I'm worried about him getting too cold and hopefully I can control his environment a little better (but I could be totally off--Also we have been wanting a green house and George gave us an excuse

What container did you use for their heated areas--> those look great!! If you don't mind I would love to ask what you feed as a regular diet? Do you use a protein source? Thank you so much!!

ZEROPILOT · Nov 15, 2018

Those night/heated houses are compost bins from Home Depot slightly modified. I used them because of the shape and size as well as the hinged tops. (And they were on clearance)
I feed about 50% fruit. Flowers and leaves. Other items like kale and romain. Some Mazuri tortoise chow and dry, soaked dog food and boiled eggs smashed with the shell still on. And cactus, mushrooms.
Redfoot, as you know can eat the widest variety of any tortoise species. So mix it up.
My "staple" at least right now is hibiscus. Whole branches today. I literally ripped off a branch and tossed it in there.

An established hibiscus grows like a weed. No watering. No anything. perfect.

Camimi88 · Nov 19, 2018

Update: we picked out a shower pan (bottom) for the green house. We are planning on setting it up in the corner and having a water spigot above (with a really cute turtle handle that my dad picked out). Had to crawl into the shower display at home depot to make sure we got the right pan!! ❤❤

bonsai tortoise · Nov 19, 2018

Camimi88 said:
Update: we picked out a shower pan (bottom) for the green house. We are planning on setting it up in the corner and having a water spigot above (with a really cute turtle handle that my dad picked out). Had to crawl into the shower display at home depot to make sure we got the right pan!! [emoji173][emoji173]

Good luck! I keep my Sulcatas, Greeks, and Leopards in my greenhouse all winter. It’s heated but in the winter we do get cold spells that can last a couple weeks making it difficult to keep the ambient temps high enough at night (I’m in NJ). It can get down to 55-60 at night and a couple nights each year usually dip to the mid 40’s. I supplement with ceramic heat emitters and red heat lamps on thermostats and they tend to stay near them. I also wrap the whole greenhouse in bubble wrap for added insulation. Going on year three and so far so good. But I take my Redfoots inside each winter as I assume keeping a high enough humidity for them along with cold temps might cause problems. It’s just easier for me to maintain proper conditions for them inside when it’s cold as the greenhouse isn’t as reliable for me.

Camimi88 · Nov 21, 2018

sshultz314 said:
Good luck! I keep my Sulcatas, Greeks, and Leopards in my greenhouse all winter. It’s heated but in the winter we do get cold spells that can last a couple weeks making it difficult to keep the ambient temps high enough at night (I’m in NJ). It can get down to 55-60 at night and a couple nights each year usually dip to the mid 40’s. I supplement with ceramic heat emitters and red heat lamps on thermostats and they tend to stay near them. I also wrap the whole greenhouse in bubble wrap for added insulation. Going on year three and so far so good. But I take my Redfoots inside each winter as I assume keeping a high enough humidity for them along with cold temps might cause problems. It’s just easier for me to maintain proper conditions for them inside when it’s cold as the greenhouse isn’t as reliable for me.

Thanks so much for all the information! What size heaters do you use? and what size is your green house? Do you keep your redfoots in the same green house during the summer as your other tortoises? Thank you!!

Camimi88 · Nov 21, 2018

Camimi88 said:
Update: we picked out a shower pan (bottom) for the green house. We are planning on setting it up in the corner and having a water spigot above (with a really cute turtle handle that my dad picked out). Had to crawl into the shower display at home depot to make sure we got the right pan!!

Placement for the shower....we will have to dig it down and get it up against the wall

bonsai tortoise · Nov 23, 2018

Camimi88 said:
Thanks so much for all the information! What size heaters do you use? and what size is your green house? Do you keep your redfoots in the same green house during the summer as your other tortoises? Thank you!!

It’s a 1600 Watt infrared electric heater from Home Depot. The tortoise also have heat lamps scattered throughout. The greenhouse is about 15x17. Not huge but it works. I also wrap the whole thing in bubble wrap to help keep the heat. Temps are never an issue during a sunny day even in the coldest days of winter but night time is when it drops. But it works and the tortoises are active throughout the winter. My redfoots I keep separate and bring inside in my basement. The basement is finished and keeps ambient around room temp at 70 but the room they are in is always a few degrees hotter from their heat lamps. I also keep any babies I have indoors. Right now I have a couple leopard babies and a handful of juvenile and hatchling redfoots which stay inside in the winter and in the summer I switch them to the greenhouse when all the adult sulcatas, redfoots, Greek, and leopards go to their outdoor summer pens. I pretty much switch tortoises around by the season. It works.

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