I wish I could give my leopard a home like that.
Indoor room for my large torts
- Thread starter lazybfarm
- Start date
Is it possible to switch the door around so it opens outward, then you put a board across the bottom to keep the mulch and tortoises in?
Door does open outward . I just thought that people could walk in and close the door , but not be standing in the substrate.
You're sure getting a lot done. Makes me feel pretty guilty, as I'm not hardly getting any of my work done.
They each found a corner
Please tell me that BIG room that you have put so much effort and money into will house more then 2 tortoises???!
I'm gonna ship Mary K to you for the winter...lol
Are you gonna put sleeping boxes in for them?
Every big tortoise that I've had has slept in this one...there's a pig blanket inside and enuf room for the tortoise to get off the mat and stay in the hide...
I know they feel safer in the box...
I'm gonna ship Mary K to you for the winter...lol
Are you gonna put sleeping boxes in for them?
Every big tortoise that I've had has slept in this one...there's a pig blanket inside and enuf room for the tortoise to get off the mat and stay in the hide...
I know they feel safer in the box...
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Yes, I am building their night boxes as we speak, the Kane mats are sitting where the night houses will be. Here is a screen shot from my temp/ humidity sensors this morning. #1 is in the middle of the back wall, #2 is in the corner where General is, #3 is in the corner where Jackson is. I guess they have picked which side they want ?
I plan on putting a wall down the middle, so each one has a side
I plan on putting a wall down the middle, so each one has a side
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I have 2 Aldabras and 1 sulcata, the sulcata is only 3.5 lbs now, so he will go in here too when he outgrows one of the Aldabras 4x8x3’ PVC enclosures , he is in a 3x8 x2’PVC enclosure now
So I have decided to downsize their night houses to 4' x4' x 3' as this will fit them better for now,As I laid it out to build it I realized that it was a little too big for them to feel secure , so, I am going to build just a basic plywood house with a floor, hinged top with the RHP mounted on that and Ive got 2- 18"x18" kane mats that will be better suited to their size .... for now. This will be fine until summer. Next fall I will build them a bigger more elaborate house , that will last them a long time .
I really do think the size of the box is important for them to feel safe and secure...good job!
I decided to look on Amazon for a tortoise house, check these out . I made the doors , the lid hinges open, looks good enough. 120w rhp installed,I’ve 2 -18”x18” Kane mats coming today, so I am almost there !
These are dog houses , don’t tell Jackson and General .
These are dog houses , don’t tell Jackson and General .
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Looks good! For inside a room those should work OK. Would not work outside without adding insulation and door flaps.
Can you check temps inside those at night and what the room ambient is? Then post results. I'd like to see what you are getting and what differential inside box/ambient room you can maintain.
Thanks!!
Right now , with the door open and just the rhp on, it is 90 degrees inside the house, and 82 inside the big room . I figured since these are “inside” , that they would be sufficient , especially since they will probably only last 1 winter. I guess I can sell them as dog houses when I’m done with them
One interesting observation after 1 week of them being in there, they tend to sleep in the coolest spot in the room which is @ 78 degrees. They have been all over it, on the Kane mats, under the basking lights. But they settle down in the coolest spot. Their pvc enclosures never dropped below 80.
Also, I am going to lower my basking rack, I am not getting enough UVB now according to my meter . It reads 4 at about 20” below the light
One interesting observation after 1 week of them being in there, they tend to sleep in the coolest spot in the room which is @ 78 degrees. They have been all over it, on the Kane mats, under the basking lights. But they settle down in the coolest spot. Their pvc enclosures never dropped below 80.
Also, I am going to lower my basking rack, I am not getting enough UVB now according to my meter . It reads 4 at about 20” below the light
Here are the new Kane mats installed. Working great with the VE 300x2 set in proportional Conttol mode. Maintains temp very well . I put the temp probe under a rock so it will maintain close contact with the mat, if you look at the the pics you can see the temp probe for zone 2 , the 120w RHP , it is about tortoise high off the floor
What uvb readings should I have for Aldabras . I have it adjusted to where it is reading @ 4 on my 6.5 meter
What uvb readings should I have for Aldabras . I have it adjusted to where it is reading @ 4 on my 6.5 meter
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So….after the torts have been living in the new enclosure for a little over a month, I have a few observations.
First, it is amazing that the moisture level in the room has barely dropped in over a month, and I have not added any water other than refilling the “pond” . The mulch was damp from being in the rain when I put it in and the humidity was 95% when it first went in. It is still 85-90% depending on where you test it, so I am pleased with the ability to retain the moisture levels. It is very air tight .
Second, the tortoises have been all over the room, in the houses, in the pond, but they sleep in what is the coolest corner of the enclosure @ 76 degrees at night, even though they could go anywhere else in the room where it is a little bit warmer. Some areas only gets down to 83 at night. So very interesting that they prefer the cooler area to sleep.
They have always spent their outside time together, but had separate enclosures while indoors. Now they are together all the time. They tend to do things together, when one gets up to go bask, the other one joins them. If one of them starts eating, then the other will soon join in . I have not seen any type of behavior that would be called “bullying” . When I have tried to see if it is one or the other that usually initiates the activity , it could be either one, so for now, they seem to be on a level playing field and enjoying the social interaction with each other
They have gotten used to the routine of me coming in a couple of times a day to feed/ clean up etc. and do not try to run or hide. They are starting to look big , they are @ 28 lbs now.
I was concerned that the all electric heat sources would be costly to operate, but My electric bill only went up about $75 last month, so I am happy that it seems like it is working pretty well . Heating a 560 sq ft room to 87 degrees and keeping it there, $75 seems pretty good . The money spent insulating and sealing the room was well spent.
So all in I am pleased with how it turned out , Jackson and General seem to like it, and I hope they can get a few years out of it before they outgrow this one too ! ?????
First, it is amazing that the moisture level in the room has barely dropped in over a month, and I have not added any water other than refilling the “pond” . The mulch was damp from being in the rain when I put it in and the humidity was 95% when it first went in. It is still 85-90% depending on where you test it, so I am pleased with the ability to retain the moisture levels. It is very air tight .
Second, the tortoises have been all over the room, in the houses, in the pond, but they sleep in what is the coolest corner of the enclosure @ 76 degrees at night, even though they could go anywhere else in the room where it is a little bit warmer. Some areas only gets down to 83 at night. So very interesting that they prefer the cooler area to sleep.
They have always spent their outside time together, but had separate enclosures while indoors. Now they are together all the time. They tend to do things together, when one gets up to go bask, the other one joins them. If one of them starts eating, then the other will soon join in . I have not seen any type of behavior that would be called “bullying” . When I have tried to see if it is one or the other that usually initiates the activity , it could be either one, so for now, they seem to be on a level playing field and enjoying the social interaction with each other
They have gotten used to the routine of me coming in a couple of times a day to feed/ clean up etc. and do not try to run or hide. They are starting to look big , they are @ 28 lbs now.
I was concerned that the all electric heat sources would be costly to operate, but My electric bill only went up about $75 last month, so I am happy that it seems like it is working pretty well . Heating a 560 sq ft room to 87 degrees and keeping it there, $75 seems pretty good . The money spent insulating and sealing the room was well spent.
So all in I am pleased with how it turned out , Jackson and General seem to like it, and I hope they can get a few years out of it before they outgrow this one too ! ?????
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Lol, I was getting a call when I took the screenshot
