Cold frame

[yagyujubei]

If I were to build a small outside enclosure with a cold frame type top, do you think this would allow me to get my hatchlings outside significantly earlier? In other words I know that for seed starting, a cold frame is warmer inside than out, but is it only a couple of degrees, or 10 to 20 degrees?

 

[Tom]

I have no experience with this, but do you mean like a green house sort of thing? I would think that would work great, but you'd need to get that special plastic that actually lets the UV through.

Bert Langerwerf had great success building south facing, in ground enclosures with glass or plexi tops.

 

[Paige Lewis]

I was just curious, as i may be mistaken but i thought i learnt when doing my physics a level that glass can significantly reduce the UVB output from the sun rays?

 

[GBtortoises]

Many and eventually all of my outdoor enclosures will have mini greenhouses (cold frames) in them. I've found that the tortoises gravitate to the mini greenhouses to warm up on cool mornings and cloudy days. The females almost always nest in the greenhouses because they are much warmer and more humid than out in their enclosures. Mine are glass which do block UVB rays, as do most plastics. I'm not too concerned about that because it (UVB) doesn't need to be available to them all day long and can be obtained at other times via direct sunlight or by lighting. My only regret is that I didn't build them 25 years ago instead of finally deciding to try them recently.

 

[mike1011]

I have a 1o' by 15' one set up now for my torts. Friday it was 41deg out and windy, inside it was 68. The grass inside was 56 deg. the dirt was also 56 and my crushed oyster shell path in it was 39!!! I am shoveling that stuff out today and making a mulch path instead. My torts also have a heated shed connected to this though where they sleep and go when they get cold. The cold frame comes down when my daily temps get into the fifties on a daily basis.

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I bet in the above pics it gets nice and toasty in there! very nice

 

[yagyujubei]

Thanks to everyone, exactly what I needed. I'm not overly worried about uvb for now as much as appropriate grazing temps. Tom, I'll look into the plastic you mentioned.
GBtortoises; Your pics are exactly what I had in mind. Thanks...

 

[Missy]

I have noticed that tortoise keepers in Europe use cold frames/green houses a lot for their torts, I think they are on to something.

 

[Tom]

Many and eventually all of my outdoor enclosures will have mini greenhouses (cold frames) in them. I've found that the tortoises gravitate to the mini greenhouses to warm up on cool mornings and cloudy days. The females almost always nest in the greenhouses because they are much warmer and more humid than out in their enclosures. Mine are glass which do block UVB rays, as do most plastics. I'm not too concerned about that because it (UVB) doesn't need to be available to them all day long and can be obtained at other times via direct sunlight or by lighting. My only regret is that I didn't build them 25 years ago instead of finally deciding to try them recently.

GB, that is a brilliant design and set up.

Yagi, if you have trouble finding the special UV permitting panels, contact the folks over at Zoo Med. They used these in the design of their giant reptile greenhouse. I think you can click on a tab there and it shows a list of all the sources used for materials.