Herbie Hut

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herbortamus

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This is the house I ended up building for my Sulcata, Herbert. The whole thing is about 4'x4'. The base is made of treated 2x4s with 1/2 inch plywood on top. And I sat the base on some cement blocks to keep it from getting too wet on the ground. From outside to in, the walls are made of: outdoor siding, styrofoam insulation, then plywood. I also filled in gaps around the insulation with insulation in a can. The roof is just a sheet of plywood with shingles on top. On the corners I put some outdoor quarter round. The "door" is a roll of clear, non-adhesive shelf liners, cut into strips. There is one problem that I did not think of when building it: where to put the power cord. That's why it's sticking out the front door. I am planning on drilling a hole in the base to run it through, put some sort of metal cord cover over it so Herbert doesn't decide to chew it, and block up the extra space around the hole.

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Now, I have a question:
How to I get Herbert to go in his house on his own? Every night I have to unearth him from the corner of the yard and put him in his house. The temp will be 45 degrees outside, he's dug himself into a rut in the corner of the yard, yet his house is nice and heated. Once I put him in there, he stays for the rest of the night. I'm not sure how to train him to go in at night, especially since I work or go to school most evenings. He's getting heavy, and soon I won't be able to pick him up anymore!

Thanks!
 
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Katherine

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Cute house! What are you using as a heat source? Just keep placing him in the house at night and he will figure it out. Eventually you go to move him and boom he's already there; I have had this happen with many adoptions/rescues as well as with my own tortoises if I change or move their night house. After 2 or 3 weeks they always seem to "get it"
 

wellington

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DITTO with above, is what I have seen recommended many times on here. My only other thought would be to move the house into the corner where he digs in. Good luck, nice looking hut, good job:D
 

herbortamus

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Thanks. Inside he has two 150 watt CHEs with a Zilla thermostat. When the weather warms up some more I plan on taking out one of the CHEs (I'm in Florida, and I just wanted a second one for really cold nights.)
It's been about 2 weeks now, and I keep hoping to go out there and find him back in the house. For my next tortoise I will look for one not so stubborn:)
 

lynnedit

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Wow, that looks great. I love your signature, 'fussy Sulcata'. I guess he is proving that. You might have to lure him in with a treat!
If you find the vinyl in the doorway curls too much, consider getting clear carpet runner, comes by the foot in hardware stores. Cut a piece bigger than the door (at least 2" taller), and cut slits up, leaving 2" uncut at the top. Tack the 2" above the inside of the door. I have seen some tort houses with the vinyl on the inside and outside, but that might be overdoing it in Fl.
Others use the sheet vinyl for indoor fridges, but I am not sure you can get that in small amounts.
Really nice job!
 

herbortamus

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Actually, when I bought the lumber for the house at Lowes, I scoured the place for something for the door flaps. I pointed to the flaps hanging from their large door at the back of the store and said I wanted something like that, but they didn't sell anything similar. The closest thing the employees could find in the store were some clear plastic office mats, but those had spines on one side so they stay put on carpet. After searching for a while, I was about to buy a thick, heavy duty shower curtain liner, but then I saw this roll of shelf liners and decided to try it. It does curl a bit, but I'm hoping it will flatten out eventually.

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I also put some hay in there since to make it more "homey".
 
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Tom

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I love this! Great design. Does the ramp fold up to lock him in? I highly suggest some insulation on the top too. I use the foil-backed stuff on my lids. Keeps it cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. I run my cords in through the top. Just make sure to use a drip loop so rain water doesn't run into the box. Here's how I did mine. Drill bit and a dremmel tool. This area is hidden, so I got a little sloppy, but it works and the cord is out of the way of the tortoises.
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I have had the same "training" time frame as Katherine, 2 or 3 weeks, for them to "learn" to go in their box on their own, but I've had some stubborn ones too. If it is at all possible I would just put his box right in the corner that he has already chosen. You can also try the treat method for a while. Leave a tasty treat in there and show him where it is. Another techniques that has worked for me is to wait til dusk and then put them at the top of the ramp so that their head and eyes are just inside the flaps. Then sit there and don't let them go anywhere but in. This may take a while, but make them walk in on their own. Just don't let them back up or turn around. Gradually, start from farther down the ramp every evening. They usually get it after a few days. I have found that clear flaps work the best too. They seem more willing to push through a see through barrier than a visually "solid" one. I have a big roll of the clear vinyl stuff that they use for commercial freezers. Each strip is 8" wide. This stuff:
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Its hard to find. I got my roll from a friend here on the forum. If you PM me I'd be happy to send you some. I have a lot and I'll never use it all.

Good luck and great job on the build! :)
 

herbortamus

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Great idea with putting foil on the roof. I was thinking about trying to insulate it somehow and I like the silver foil idea. No, the ramp doesn't fold up. I'm afraid to close him in and he doesn't have a problem staying in overnight. To make the ramp I screwed together 2x4s about the length of the house to make 3-tiered steps, then put the plywood over it. I didn't drill the plywood to the steps, just set it on top.

I agree it would be a good idea to move the house to the side of the yard he seems to favor, but I like where it is (it's close to my house where I came see him easier) and it's WAY to heavy to move. I'm kinda a weakling.

What is a drip loop? Is that the name of the drilled out spot where your cord sits? You don't have to worry about rain water following the cord through there (I get some pretty heavy rain here)? If not, I like that idea, too. It seems easier than drilling a hole through the bottom.
And thanks for the offer. I think I'll take you up on that.
 

Tom

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They make rigid foil, like what you have used in the side with a foil backing on each side. I suppose you could just sandwich regular aluminum foil between the top and some insulation too though.

I just recently started making the ramps on hinges for my boxes. My torties stay in all night too, but shutting the door actually keeps them much warmer and runs my heaters a lot less. On windy nights it really makes a difference. Plus it makes sure that any unexpected nocturnal predators, two legged or otherwise, can get to them. I have lockable latches on mine now.

A drip loop simply means to hang a little bit of the cord lower than where it enters the box. This way any water that runs along the cord will drip off at the bottom of this loop instead of running down the cord and into the box.

My box is 4x8x4'. It took me and three helpers to carry it into place. I know all about heavy! :D
 
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