How do I heat this enclosure for our 8 year old Sulcata?

[AslInterpreter]

Hello everyone! We live in Missouri and have nasty winters, I am trying to get head start this year with planning a new indoor enclosure for our 8 year old. I have never been able to figure out how to keep him warm enough during the winter, which means that for 3 months he goes off to " tortoise camp" and hangs out with our friends who have a pet store and a perfect place to keep him warm during the winter. This year my wife really wants him to stay at home with us. i have made a large enclosure in the loft of our sons bedroom, but have no clue how to keep it warm enough for him. i have enclosed some pics to help you get an idea of what I am working with. He has been doing great outside for the last few years during the 8 or 9 months its warm enough for him, but these really cold months just drive me nuts!! I am also not sure hat kind of substrate I should try to use for him in this.

Let me know what you think!

 

[mushmouth26]

How big is your 8 year old sulcata? The pics are kind of confusing. Im assuming there is an area beyond the boards that is for him to move around in?

 

[wellington]

A pic of your tort would help us a lot. There are many sullys that live in cold weather, even snow areas that live in an insulated, heated shed and has the freedom during the sunny days to roam outside, yes, in the snow. As long as you provide a warm shed for him to go back into and warm up, this can be done.
Of course a pic of your torts size would give us a better clue on weather he is a good size for his age to be able to handle this.

As for your loft, I'm afraid the boards, if he is a good size tort, could pose a problem, as they can be quite the bulldozers. Should he be able to push through or climb, what a fatal fall that could be. If there is no worries of this, it should be quite easy to keep,that area warm as heat rises, it's probably already pretty warm. Add a UVB mercury vapor bulb for basking and that should take care of any added heat needed.