EXTREME temperature habitat adjustments

MrT for me

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So it got down to -10 the other night and I can’t tell you how glad I am that I had extra light fixtures and a Module habitat because I had to resolve the issue very quickly. Luckily I had my alarm set for when the temperature dropped to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Up until it got to 10 degrees ambient everything stayed in check. When it dropped below zero that’s when it could no longer keep up. I acted quickly and added two more heat lamps (total of 2=250 watt and 2=100 watt heat lamps) and was able to resolve the issue. Mind you the alarm that it had dropped to 50 degrees in the habitat went off at around 11pm at night so I was glad that I had a plan in place and that I had everything labeled so I knew which zone was monitored by which temperature probe on my Vivarium VE-300X2 so there wouldn’t be the chance of a heater overheating due to the temperature probe being on the wrong channel. It took about a half hour to get the temperature back up to 75. I snapped a picture at 65 and the ambient had gone up to -5 at that point. It’s no joke to take care of a Sulcata in extreme climates and you always have to be ready for the worst case scenario. I even have a backup generator for his habitat.
4F224686-6223-4A72-A326-05BBE7317C2E.jpeg 90A5C707-2A13-4317-963E-E015438350BC.jpeg A67B9821-218E-43FC-B60E-2C34A9904553.jpeg 6AADF7FA-D0AF-4152-8BD2-A0B4386FD5C8.jpeg 9569736F-FEAB-4D8C-BC72-67555DB0734C.jpeg 121BAB1C-E4DF-4ACA-A6DB-1F7D9C8A7587.jpeg
 

MrT for me

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Messages
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Thank you for the compliment and a very good question indeed! I have a solid piece of 1 1/2” foam that seals the heat in. In addition to that all the walls and doors are insulated with 1 1/2” foam board. Then on top of that I injected foam into the walls AND floor of the shed structure itself. All cracks are sealed with silicone and every removable part of the habitat has a seal to prevent any heat from escaping from the joining surfaces. Here are some documentation pictures I took while assembling “MrT’s Mahal”

B73149F3-B50F-4733-AD70-49F52274057C.jpeg 61ADBD93-78BD-41C8-B2BF-D5A6E924102A.jpeg 1E274879-B1E8-4164-8CB1-010C6E6B5C1A.jpeg 733F09F3-BC1B-43E1-963D-4BC80098DD09.jpeg
 

MrT for me

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New Mexico
To make a ridiculously long story much shorter those were temporary “spreader bars” pushing against the 8x8 wood beams left over from building his habitat living area holding pressure on the synthetic bumpers that are being glued to the foam insulation boards. They were there temporarily to hold pressure on the bumpers to ensure a good bond. When the glue set I removed them. I hope that makes sense? I really need to get my lazy bum to making a post start to finish of how I built his habitat. In the picture you can see the wood beams I used to spread out the pressure on the foam boards that were just leftovers from the wood used to close off his area. We happen to also love dogs so it was mandatory that we kept his area separate. I’ve also included a picture of the synthetic non toxic boards I used to act not only as bumpers but with counter sunk “t nuts” I could also secure wiring and anything else I wanted to hard mount to it without having to puncture the insulation board. Plus I’m a huge believer in machine screws (specifically stainless steel hardware) due to their reusability and strength as apposed to using wood type screws that can more easily strip the hole out if fastened and unfastened over and over again. I wanted to make the habitat completely impervious to moisture so I could keep humidity levels up without ruining the foam board insulation. Plus I can easily remove the electrical components and hose the entire thing down without any water damage to the insulation. It’s all sealed up. I also used a polyurethane to seal the top foam board from moisture. Hope that makes any sense??
Oh whoops, I just noticed your other question. The “red thing” is actually the Kane mat standing up before I mounted it to the floor.

Oh, and thank you “black dog”. Boy that’s the truth! Snow and Sullys don’t mix.:confused: My crazy friend thought he would take a stroll out in that crazy white stuff. Luckily he was only out there for a minute when I had to put him back in his house and secure the front flap so he wouldn’t do it again. He keeps me busy. Lol
That’s also why I have 3 motion sensor cameras in his house and yard that sends notifications to my phone so I can always keep an eye on him. “An ounce of prevention...” is definitely the better way to go.

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Last edited:

Ray--Opo

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Way to be prepared! I will definitely be using some of your ideas on Opo's shed. Will that enclosure be big enough as Mr.T grows or will you need to go bigger?
 

Ray--Opo

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To make a ridiculously long story much shorter those were temporary “spreader bars” pushing against the 8x8 wood beams left over from building his habitat living area holding pressure on the synthetic bumpers that are being glued to the foam insulation boards. They were there temporarily to hold pressure on the bumpers to ensure a good bond. When the glue set I removed them. I hope that makes sense? I really need to get my lazy bum to making a post start to finish of how I built his habitat. In the picture you can see the wood beams I used to spread out the pressure on the foam boards that were just leftovers from the wood used to close off his area. We happen to also love dogs so it was mandatory that we kept his area separate. I’ve also included a picture of the synthetic non toxic boards I used to act not only as bumpers but with counter sunk “t nuts” I could also secure wiring and anything else I wanted to hard mount to it without having to puncture the insulation board. Plus I’m a huge believer in machine screws (specifically stainless steel hardware) due to their reusability and strength as apposed to using wood type screws that can more easily strip the hole out if fastened and unfastened over and over again. I wanted to make the habitat completely impervious to moisture so I could keep humidity levels up without ruining the foam board insulation. Plus I can easily remove the electrical components and hose the entire thing down without any water damage to the insulation. It’s all sealed up. I also used a polyurethane to seal the top foam board from moisture. Hope that makes any sense??
Oh whoops, I just noticed your other question. The “red thing” is actually the Kane mat standing up before I mounted it to the floor.

Oh, and thank you “black dog”. Boy that’s the truth! Snow and Sullys don’t mix.:confused: My crazy friend thought he would take a stroll out in that crazy white stuff. Luckily he was only out there for a minute when I had to put him back in his house and secure the front flap so he wouldn’t do it again. He keeps me busy. Lol
That’s also why I have 3 motion sensor cameras in his house and yard that sends notifications to my phone so I can always keep an eye on him. “An ounce of prevention...” is definitely the better way to go.
If Mr.T ever goes out in the snow again take a quick pic.
 

MrT for me

Member
Joined
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Messages
37
Location (City and/or State)
New Mexico
Last edited:

Ray--Opo

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It’s the Lifetime Products 60170 Horizontal Storage shed 41.2” deep x 51.7” long. That should cover him for a very long time. It’s on a 8 inch concrete/fiber slab I poured so it can definitely handle his weight. I do foresee having to enlarge the opening for his door though at some point.
Here’s a link to it:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Lifetime-3-ft-x-6-ft-Horizontal-HDPE-Shed-60170/301195656
Thanks I am good at building but in my condition now it would be tough.
 

Cathie G

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Why thank you! I promise I’m not OCD OCD OCD.;)
Well...and that is a deep subject. Probably every good tortoise parent gets accused of being OCD or a bit of an oddball etc etc etc...
 

Tom

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You've done a good job there. I started out that way years ago, and learned a bit along the way. I'll share a few points and hopefully save you from learning the hard way, as I did.

  1. You tortoise has reached the size where overhead bulbs will "slow-burn" the top of the carapace, while not warming the core of the tortoise, which makes them sit under them even more. Time to move away from overhead bulbs. The Kane mat, radiant heat panels, and oil-filled radiant heaters will suit things much better at his size. You can make a shelf in a corner and not lose any floor space. Like this: IMG_4539.JPG
  2. 75 is too cold. 65 is way too cold. 50 is potentially deadly. When they can't go outside and warm up in the sun, I set my boxes to 86. If the days are going to be warm and sunny, like in spring or early fall, I set the box temps to around 80. In the heat of summer when every day is near or over 100, I unplug the boxes to let them cool at night a bit before the scorching heat of the next day.
  3. One of the main reasons I stopped using boxes like yours is because of the inside height. The tortoise is only using 10-12" of height. Anything taller is just heating more air space for no good reason. Because heat rises, it is much more difficult to keep the floor area, where the tortoise is, warm enough in a taller box. The internal height of my boxes is around 20" and this makes them much easier to heat and keep warm. Super efficient on the electric bill too. Here is another example. https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/double-door-night-box.129054/ With your skills and knowledge, building a box like this would be easy.
 

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